“Which Access Arrangement is the hardest to organise in your centre?”
We have spent the last few weeks running polls across our LinkedIn and our *online community*.
So, what are access arrangements?
Access Arrangements are pre-examination adjustments, based on the normal way of working and evidence of need. They allow candidates/learners with special education needs, disabilities, or temporary injuries to access the assessment without changing the demands of the assessment.
It is a requirement of the Equality Act 2010 for the awarding bodies to make a reasonable adjustment where a disabled person would be at a substantial disadvantage in undertaking an assessment.
For example, reader, scribe and modified papers are some of the types of access arrangements available, although a reasonable adjustment may be unique to that individual.
Hundreds of exam officers responded to the polls and while every setting has its own pressures, three clear front‑runners emerged.
Scribes and Readers according to the polls are the most difficult to organise, simply because centres do not have enough staff. Centres are already struggling to recruit and train invigilators. Access arrangement facilitators need separate training.
Some schools are using technology such as laptops, speech – to –text tools, reading pens but these has its own difficulties, such as the centres budget, some of these devices are expensive and if multiple students need them that can cause an issue. Students and staff need to be trained to use assistive technology and students may not be as confident with an electronic device as they would be with a person.
The second most difficult access arrangement to organise is using smaller/separate rooms. Many students need to be in smaller rooms or to be separate from the large exam cohort for a number of reasons. Space can be limited in some centres, with exams officers and managers struggling to have enough rooms to accommodate this.
I have this quote from a principle who wanted to remain anonymous. ‘I’ve sat exams with young people in the medical room, the photocopy room, lost property, and storage cupboards’
Supervised Rest Breaks are according to the polls the third hardest to organise. This is because they must be managed in line with Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) guidance such as the length of the break and during what point of the exam they can take it.
An update to the JCQ Document has outlined that a ‘Supervised rest breaks often better support candidates who experience anxiety, attention difficulties or neurodivergent conditions such as ADHD or ASD’
JCQ have stated that SRB should be trialled internally rather than asking for 25% extra time in exams. This could account for the rise in Supervised Rest Breaks.
Assessing the need for Access Arrangements in Examinations – Joint Council for Qualifications
I have a quote from an Examination officer who would like to remain anonymous ‘I have to over staff rooms to take SRB into consideration. Each exam session is so complicated, it might take me a half a day to plan and staff just one mornings worth of exams’.
There are other access arrangements which students can use in exams to help reduce anxiety, but they must be apart of the normal way of working. Students are using fidget toys, stress balls and white noise to be played to help them are some such examples.
There seems to be a rise in therapy animals being used; these are not to be confused with assistant dogs. Including therapy dogs within exams has its own complications.
Remote invigilation of examinations may be acceptable in very exceptional circumstances to allow a candidate to sit their examinations where other alternatives are not suitable. This involves invigilating the exam with a laptop and camera. The student must have two camera-enabled devices.
Alternative Site Arrangements such as sitting an exam somewhere which is not the centres registered address or if somewhere that is not an exam registered centre. This can include taking the exam at home or in a hospital, in a church; this requires in person invigilation. This is for students who are unable to attend the centre for their exam.
Access Arrangements exist for a reason, to ensure fairness and students who use them deserve the same opportunities as everyone else. The difficulties lie in the operational side of delivering these arrangements at scale. When centre budgets are tight, exam staff wear many hats and recruitment remains an issue.
Did you know our online community has over 3000 members sharing best practice? You can join for free HERE.
We have already released the date for our Access Arrangement Update Session for 26/27 – you can find the details HERE
For more information on access arrangements can be found in the JCQ Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustment publication.
Written by Sara W – Business Development Manager at Exam Officers & Data Solutions Ltd. You can connect with Sara on LinkedIn here: Sara Wood | LinkedIn