Access arrangements allow candidates with Special Needs, Learning Disablities or injuries to access the examination without affecting its integrity. Access arrangements are agreed before examinations take place and make “reasonable adjustments” for candidates defined as “disabled” within the meaning of the Equality Act 2010.
The arrangements will be tailored to the student’s individual needs. Most commonly, they provided with extra time, and/or a scribe. Depending on need, other access arrangements can also be provided.
Depending on the access arrangements, and the disability of the student, formal assessment may need to be performed to provide quantitative data on the student’s abilities. Reading scores are not needed to apply for a reader as this needs to the normal way of working within the centre. However, reading can still be assessed in order to help the SENCo in identifying candidates who have ‘persistent and significant reading difficulties’ which have ‘a substantial and long term adverse effect, and that ‘there is a genuine need for the arrangement.’
The assessment will consist of the selection and administration of appropriate tests of reading, writing, spelling and cognitive-processing speed.
As a minimum, a ‘skeleton’ Part 1 of Form 8 must be completed, prior to the assessment by the SENCo or the assessor working within the centre, detailing the candidate’s background and history of support. All three questions within Part 1 of Form 8 must be addressed. Following this, in close liaison with the educational centre, Part 2 of Form 8 will be completed by the assessor. The centre then submits this to Access Arrangements Online, alongside their own evidence. The head of centre must ensure that evidence of the assessor’s qualifications is obtained at the point of employment and prior to the assessor undertaking any assessment of a candidate. If you engage me for this work, I will provide a copy of my qualifications for your own records and JCQ inspection purposes.
Access Arrangements can be carried out in flexible ways, depending on what access arrangements are required. For example, certain aspects, such as spelling and writing, can be performed with a group of 10 students. Other aspects, such as speed of processing, would take place on a 1:1 basis with each student in turn. Using this scheme, I can usually get through around 10 children during a school day, with school staff organising the children to turn up at pre-arranged times.
Education Access also offers mentoring about Access Arrangements aimed at either SENCOs and/ or Specialist Assessors, charged at an hourly rate of £72.00.
Cost
The cost includes completion of Form 8, section 2, with school having already completed section 1 prior to the assessment. These prices do not include reading assessments, as these are no longer required for access arrangements. Of course, if you would like me to include them please contact me for a quote.
- Cost per individual student is £60.00
Please do get in touch:
- rebecca@educationaccess.co.uk
- 07999 016437