The Student Room Group

Skills Test and Learn Direct Problems

Learn Direct cannot provide me with a skills test booking as their system cant cope with a change that took place their end. Is anybody else having problems?

I booked 6th December at the center in Portsmouth, The center cancelled 24h before (I think this was a staffing problem) even though I was assured by the manager that everything would be OK. Now the Skills Direct booking system can't release these two bookings from their system, and I cannot rebook until they do.

Each day I phone and I have been told, 'It will be OK on Monday' 'my manager doesn't start till one o'clock' 'my manager was not in yesterday' 'you have to give us 5 working days'.

I get the impressing Learn Direct doesn't have a clue, and the franchise arrangements of the test centers are not set up for this.

Anybody got any suggestions?
Reply 1
I think this is a problem in many areas. I have been trying to book for weeks and there is nothing available within 200 mile of me in the next 3 months!! . I have emailed the Education Dept and I am waiting for a reply. Also phoned Learn Direct who cannot or will not make bookings over he phone .
Reply 2
Original post by wellstruth
Learn Direct cannot provide me with a skills test booking as their system cant cope with a change that took place their end. Is anybody else having problems?

I booked 6th December at the center in Portsmouth, The center cancelled 24h before (I think this was a staffing problem) even though I was assured by the manager that everything would be OK. Now the Skills Direct booking system can't release these two bookings from their system, and I cannot rebook until they do.

Each day I phone and I have been told, 'It will be OK on Monday' 'my manager doesn't start till one o'clock' 'my manager was not in yesterday' 'you have to give us 5 working days'.

I get the impressing Learn Direct doesn't have a clue, and the franchise arrangements of the test centers are not set up for this.

Anybody got any suggestions?


I can't help with your specific problem I'm afraid, but if you're trying to take the literacy test, this is something you need to correct very soon!

Good luck with getting a booking :smile:
Reply 3
Update. After 6 phone calls to Learn Direct, helpline and technical department, nothing had changed. Admittedly this was not helped by me, when they phoned me, I thought it was a sales call and said 'no thanks', putting the phone down. Yes I did phone and apologise.

I then discovered I could cancel the two bookings myself, but the system warned me that I would loose my free entitlement. So I cancelled 9 days after the scheduled date. I lost my free entitlement even though the tests were actually cancelled by the test centre the day before.

I have now finally rebooked. There are no dates for my home of Portsmouth, There is one time slot for Southampton 20th December, had to book other one in Slough 29th December, but Slough only offers the Literacy tests. It is not possible for me to book a test centre for both on the same day before 14th March and that is in Swindon. This is just ridiculous!

It is clear to me that Learn direct is not capable of providing this service, and I think it should be given back to Pearsons to manage.

I am just waiting for Southampton to cancel the day before, as they are the same franchise that runs Portsmouth! So wish me luck, not with the test, I am just not convinced it will take place.
I keep hearing issues about the new QTS providers.
It does make me wonder (and I don't ever say this) whether we should be telling the nations press how much of a hash job the gov and learn direct have made of the compulsory tests all trainee teachers need to do!
Reply 5
Yes, thank you for your comments. I can see this getting worse next summer, when prospective teachers are prevented from accepting places because there is a lack of dates provided by the Learn Direct franchise.
Reply 6
Update. Did the Numeracy on the 20th Dec 2014 at Southampton. It was busy with lots of people coming and going, so I think it was well organised and ran smoothly. Did the Literacy on the 29th Dec 2014 at Slough. Not so busy but again well organised and professional.

I have lodged a complaint with Learn Direct about having to pay for the two test that should have been free, but I don't expect to get my money back. I don't think it is worth my time pursuing this.

Lastly it was a shame I had to spend two separate days for the tests, couldn't book together. Also a shame that I had to travel so far to do them, (it was 6-hour round trip from Portsmouth to Sough).

But as I passed both, this nightmare experience is now finished for me. Good luck to anybody else who has similar problems - and don't book Portsmouth!
Original post by wellstruth
Update. Did the Numeracy on the 20th Dec 2014 at Southampton. It was busy with lots of people coming and going, so I think it was well organised and ran smoothly. Did the Literacy on the 29th Dec 2014 at Slough. Not so busy but again well organised and professional.

I have lodged a complaint with Learn Direct about having to pay for the two test that should have been free, but I don't expect to get my money back. I don't think it is worth my time pursuing this.

Lastly it was a shame I had to spend two separate days for the tests, couldn't book together. Also a shame that I had to travel so far to do them, (it was 6-hour round trip from Portsmouth to Sough).

But as I passed both, this nightmare experience is now finished for me. Good luck to anybody else who has similar problems - and don't book Portsmouth!


I'm impressed by your dedication.
Reply 8
I emailed the education department they said there were plenty of test centres and dates!!!! Which there are definitely not. We're having to travel over 120 miles for a test. Lucky we have one in Feb but it took weeks of checking every day.
Reply 9
]I emailed the education department they said there were plenty of test centres and dates!!!! Which there are definitely not. We're having to travel over 120 miles for a test. Lucky we have one in Feb but it took weeks of checking every day.
Original post by ranna246
I emailed the education department they said there were plenty of test centres and dates!!!! Which there are definitely not. We're having to travel over 120 miles for a test. Lucky we have one in Feb but it took weeks of checking every day.


Please don't expect to get any sense or sympathy from the DfE or relevant agency regarding their reforms to these teachers skills tests. They simply tow the party line at all times and is a truly fruitless exercise akin to banging your head against a brick wall. Raise it with your MP instead.
Reply 11
Me too!

Back in December I booked my skills tests for this Saturday (March 28). This afternoon I got an email out of the blue from them saying that my booking had been amended and that my tests were now on Tuesday 31. I never amended my booking and am unable to do it on a weekday due to working in a school (that's why I booked it in advance for a Saturday).

I have been unsuccessful so far in trying to contact them. I waited on the phone for 40 minutes but never got through. Now I don't know what is going on with my booking and why it mysteriously changed itself.

They are a joke.

This has come at such a bad time, I would much rather be preparing for my tests than having to chase Learndirect to let me have the day I rightly booked. It's so much extra stress on top of everything else.

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