Who may qualify for Access Arrangements?
At Waseley Hills High School we follow the guidelines set out by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) regarding exam access arrangements and reasonable adjustments. Below are some statements from the JCQ regarding this process.
Exam Access
Access arrangements are agreed before an assessment. They allow candidates with specific needs, such as special educational needs, disabilities or temporary injuries to access the assessment and show what they know and can do without changing the demands of the assessment. The intention behind an access arrangement is to meet the needs of an individual candidate to ensure they are not put at a substantial disadvantage in comparison to a candidate who is not disabled without affecting the integrity of the assessment. Access arrangements are the principal way in which awarding bodies comply with the duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make ‘reasonable adjustments’
Reasonable adjustments
The Equality Act 2010 requires an awarding body to make reasonable adjustments where a candidate, who is disabled within the meaning of the Equality Act 2010, would be at a substantial disadvantage in comparison to someone who is not disabled. The awarding body is required to take reasonable steps to overcome that disadvantage. An example would be a Braille paper which would be a reasonable adjustment for a vision impaired candidate who could read Braille.
Whether an adjustment will be considered reasonable will depend on several factors which will include, but are not limited to:
• the needs of the disabled candidate;
• the effectiveness of the adjustment;
• the cost of the adjustment; and
• the likely impact of the adjustment upon the candidate and other candidates.
An adjustment will not be approved if it:
• involves unreasonable costs to the awarding body;
• involves unreasonable timeframes; or
• affects the security and integrity of the assessment.
This is because the adjustment is not ‘reasonable’.
The centre must ensure that approved adjustments can be delivered to candidates.
Process
At the end of Year 9, all students are assessed for exam access arrangements. If students qualify for an arrangement, such as 25% extra or a reader/computer reader, these are then trialled for all lessons and assessments. Staff will observe and ensure that these arrangements become students’ ‘normal way of working’ within Waseley Hills.
If students do not use their access arrangements within lessons and assessments, it will not be their ‘normal way of working’ and an application will not be able to be processed. Parents/carers will be informed if their student qualifies for an arrangement but is not making use of it and is therefore at risk of ‘losing’ the arrangement.
The link below provides a full overview of all exam access arrangements and reasonable adjustments from the JCQ.