An organisation closely linked to a blacklisted exam business has seen its charity concert cancelled after questions over its ability to pay the bills.

Last week the Wimbledon Guardian revealed how Mitcham exam business Express Invigilators had put one student at risk of having to pay £17,000 in extra tuition fees, as the company was kicked out of its rented premises days before she was due to sit a vital A-level paper.

She may now miss out on the chance to start at university this year, before tuition fees rocket in 2012.

Express Inivigilator’s owner, Anita Clarke, also owns the Young People Education (YPE) – described on its website as a non-profit organisation promoting young people’s education.

It had advertised a fundraising talent show at St Mark’s Academy in Mitcham this weekend – but this week the school declined to rent space to the organisation after discovering what it called “issues around non-payment”.

YPE, which was set up in November, 2010, claims to make grants that help students outside of mainstream schooling pay their exam fees.

But its website asks for cheque donations to be made payable to Express Invigilators and Exam Specialists Ltd – the same name as Miss Clarke’s for-profit exam business, which was founded two years ago but blacklisted by exam board Edexcel this year because of a series of problems.

The YPE website also uses many testimonials absolutely identical to those on the Express Invigilators’ website – under the heading “below is just a few of what people have been saying about YPE” [sic].

Last week Miss Clarke said the partnership between the two organisations, which share the same address, was a “new model” for business and non-profit organisations – but denied it was potentially misleading.

This week she did not respond to calls about the issue.

The YPE website had previously advertised its talent and performing arts charity concert as going ahead on Saturday, but this week it said the fundraiser had been postponed due to “unforseen circumstances” [sic].

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