If I was teaching someone to fly I would teach them to fly VFR/IFR as if there was no distinction, with seamless transitions.
The whole VFR-only thing makes no practical sense (the weather doesn't exactly co-operate on the product differentiation
) and merely results in pilots who are barred from getting any utility from their plane.
The legality of flight in IMC is something else... obviously one cannot do it where it's going to get one into trouble.
Anyway, this chap can upgrade his NPPL to a PPL and then he's sorted for adding the "right" paperwork to that
As regards JAA training, the PPL has to be done via a registered school (in the UK, anyway). The IMCR I don't know about, but the IMCR is substantially outdated if one wants practical IFR capability; I spent ages banging NDB holds and what was the point? I certainly would not train towards any "official" product without logging it legitimately because, one day, that training may be admissible towards something (but only if properly logged).