This page contains information and links which will be of use to students sitting public examinations at the school. Please see below for JCQ regulations for students taking exams and important post-results information.

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SCD Exam Access Arrangements (EAA) 

Overview

Access Arrangements allow candidates / learners with special educational needs, disabilities or temporary injuries to access the assessment without changing the demands of the assessment. These may involve readers, scribes and Braille question papers. In this way Awarding Bodies will comply with the duty of the Equality Act 2010 to make ‘reasonable adjustments’.

Reasonable Adjustments

The Equality Act 2010 requires an Awarding Body to make reasonable adjustments where a disabled person would be at a substantial disadvantage in undertaking an assessment. A reasonable adjustment for a particular person may be unique to that individual.

How the reasonable adjustment is applied will depend on a number of factors, including the needs of the disabled candidate / learner. An adjustment may not be considered reasonable if it involves unreasonable costs, timeframes or affects the security or integrity of the assessment.

There is no duty on the Awarding Bodies to make any adjustments to the assessment objectives being tested in an assessment.

Exam Access Arrangements (EAA)

A diagnosis of a disability does not automatically qualify for EAA; the student would still have to meet the criteria set by JCQ (Joint Council for Qualifications).

Private assessments for learning difficulties are not accepted as evidence for EAA by JCQ and therefore there is no requirement for parents to obtain these. Medical requirements for EAA will be dealt with on a case by case basis, in consultation with the external assessor.

St Clement Danes School follows the Access Arrangements procedures that are set in place by the regulator JCQ. We have a stringent system in place as follows:

Year 7 We build up evidence of need through teacher feedback and assessment. This means that students who may have had test arrangements in primary school and / or a diagnosis will not automatically qualify for the same support until we build up our own evidence of need. Students identified through this process will be screened for trial access arrangements at the end of the summer term.

Year 8 We continue to build up evidence of need through teacher feedback and assessment. The Learning Support Faculty will run screening for trial access arrangements at various points throughout the year.

Year 9 We continue to build up evidence of need through teacher feedback and assessment. Students who have trial KS3 access arrangements will go through formal screening and / or assessment with an external assessor in the summer term of Year 9.

Year 10 Applications for EAA are made by the school for GCSE. Invitations for an information evening held in the Autumn Term for parents and students will be sent to those who have qualified for EAA.

Year 11 There will be no assessment for EAA beyond the October half term of Year 11. Injuries or exceptional circumstances will be dealt with on a case by case basis.

Sixth Form St Clement Danes students who have been awarded EAA for their GCSEs will automatically have these rolled over. External students will need to provide a contact from their previous setting so that we are able to confirm arrangements that were in place at GCSE. The Exams Team will then assess whether this arrangement is still required, and then make any formal applications to JCQ. Teachers are able to refer students of concern throughout Year 12. There will be no assessment for EAA beyond the October half term of Year 13. Injuries or exceptional circumstances will be dealt with on a case by case basis.

The final decision on all EAA awards are made by the school.

For more information, please refer to the JCQ guidance which can be downloaded here.