Andy,
CAA approval is not "just a recommendation" - as far as I know, it's not actually possible to get a CPL unless the school has approval.
Sensible,
Nit-picking, I know, but it's not technically correct to say that "IR tests can only be conducted within JAA airspace". As I understand it, the story is that initial IR tests can only be conducted by CAA examiners, and there are no CAA examiners based outside the UK. If a CAA examiner were to re-locate to Florida (and assuming he was still employed as an examiner by the CAA) then you could do your test there.
FFF
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