We encourage candidates with disabilities to enter examinations. To do so, please see the Equal Opportunities Policy below for guidance, and the Application for Reasonable Adjustments form which can be downloaded, completed and returned by email or post to the Customer Services and Quality Assurance department.
An Application for Reasonable Adjustments form must be completed and sent to the Customer Services and Quality Assurance department each time the candidate takes an examination as their condition and the requirements of the examination may vary over time. It is important though, that teachers and parents realise that the reason for requesting the information is to make sure that we have time to adjust the examination conditions if necessary, and to fully discuss and inform the examiner. Sometimes it is important for us to just let the examiner know so that they can identify the candidate, but in addition changes can be made depending on the candidate’s disability, for example by allowing extra breaks and more time. It does not change the standard of the marking, as this would be unfair to all other candidates, so it is important that teachers and parents consider the reason for them taking the examination, especially if there is a chance they might not meet the minimum standard. It is important that the process is handled and recorded fully by the department, and teachers are requested to send the Application for Reasonable Adjustments form direct to Customer Services and Quality Assurance at least three weeks before they submit the timetable entry, so that adjustments can be made as necessary.
We appreciate that often a child with a disability may wish to take part to be like everyone else, but in some cases, this could mean they will not pass the examination, so in such cases please contact the Customer Services and Quality Assurance Department who are happy to discuss and advise, especially in complex situations. Over 700 such candidates entered our examinations in the last year, at all levels and with many different types of disabilities. Feedback from them shows that they were happy with their experience, the challenge it presented to them, and gained satisfaction in their achievements.
Applications for Reasonable Adjustments and the General Data Protection regulations – September 2018
Changes in data protection means that the information we need to be sent to us in order to make any reasonable adjustment, including just informing the examiner of any medical condition, is regarded as sensitive data under the new GDPR Regulations.
This means that we need the candidate’s signed consent if they are over 16, or the parent’s/carer’s signed consent for a child – NOT yours as the teacher. Application forms have been redesigned to include this, and we must reject them if not properly signed.
The permission is for us to hold the data for as long as necessary including time for any potential appeal, and to convey it securely to the examiner. We will securely destroy the information when no longer required, but may hold anonymised data to be aggregated for reports and analysis.
