Title:  Access Arrangements Policy

 

Control of document:      Adult Community Learning Senior Leadership Team

 

Policy aims and intention:

 

Adult Community Learning, Essex, ensures that all learners who disclose a support need at any point during their learning will be assessed fairly and consistently for any support required in line with the relevant examination awarding body regulations and will be contacted by a Learning Support Lead (LSL) of the outcome of that assessment.

 

Responsibility group:      Adult Community Learning Senior Leadership Team

 

Date of acceptance:         November 2022

 

Reviewed:                         August 2023

 

Next review date:             September 2024

 

Audience                          All Managers, Tutors, Learning Support Assistants, Business Support Staff, Examinations Officers, Invigilators, Operations Managers, Assessors, Volunteers, Learners and other service users.

 

The policy:

 

The policy for access arrangement adjustments for learners with disabilities and learning difficulties follows the examining Awarding Bodies and JCQ requirements.

 

References

• JCQ (Joint Council for Qualifications) Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments issued at the start of the academic year.

 

Adult Community Learning Essex takes active steps to ensure that the policy is adhered to:

• All tutors will request information from learners at the start of courses, and throughout learning, about support needs the learners feel they may have in order to gain fair access to examination success.

 

 

 

The process:

• A learner who discloses a support need at any point during their learning will be contacted by a Learning Support Coordinator (LSL)
• LSL will complete a Support Plan.
  Permission must be gained from the learner in order to pass information to relevant ACL staff.
• LSL identifies that a need for access arrangements in exams exists (eg: a reader/scribe/extra time etc).
• Tutor requests that the learner completes the Data Protection Notice and then passes this to exams teams
• LSL decides if further formal assessment is needed to gather data to make the application.
• Tutor provides the LSL with evidence as to the learner’s normal way of working, such as timing adjustments in mock tests and level of support given in class
• LSL forwards all information to the Access Arrangements Assessor, if assessment is required, or in the case of an assessment not being needed directly to the exams team
• Assessor arranges to meet with the learner and completes assessments giving access arrangement recommendations, then passes the Form 8 and other evidence to the designated signatory who signs the Form 8. The signed form and evidence is then sent to relevant exams officer for the learner’s centre, ready for inspection.
• LSL and Exams Officer will work together to formally request the access arrangement(s) with the awarding body
• Exams Officer will finalise the application with the examining board
• LSL will advise Exams Officer if learner withdraws their application for access arrangements

 

Notifying Learner of outcome

Successful Outcome

Exams Officer sends letter of confirmation to learner and makes necessary examination arrangements.  The Exams Officer will also notify the tutor and LSL of the successful application

 

Unsuccessful Application

LSL to revisit procedure as insufficient evidence may have been supplied. LSL liaises with the learner and tutor to decide next course of action.

 

If you require this document in any other format, please email jaimie.huckfield@essex.gov.uk stating the document name in full and the format you need.