Exam access arrangements

For schools and colleges:

I regularly work with SENCos to assess students in year 9 and above for exam access arrangements, whether this is part of a privately-commissioned full diagnostic assessment where the school/college would like to use the results from my report or when I'm asked to come in to assess cohorts of students, such as year 10s. These assessments are very quick and I can get through a lot of students in a single day where the school/college can provide me with a runner who brings the students to the assessment room. Form 8s are completed with the results of age-appropriate standardised tests and returned to the SENCo within 48 hours. With notice, I can travel anywhere in the UK or internationally if face-to-face is preferred although the testing can also be done over Zoom (and is usually much quicker to schedule). SENCos, please contact me regarding my fee. I can provide a copy of my current SpLD APC and enhanced DBS certificates. Payment is asked for within 30 days of the invoice date.

For families:

Exam access arrangements refer to the type of help which students may benefit from in exams, such as extra time. Such arrangements must reflect students' normal way of working and therefore schools and colleges take the lead in determining if any help is needed. If you think your child needs help in exams, you must talk to the SENCo in the first instance. Having a formal diagnosis of a specific learning difficulty or other need does not provide automatic right to exam access arrangements. 

In the vast majority of cases for GCSE and A' level exams, short assessments are handled in-house from year 9 onwards. If this is not possible, the school is likely to have an established working relationship with external educational psychologists and specialist teacher assessors, and can advise families who to approach whilst following the regulations set by JCQ (Joint Council for Qualifications). However, if the school/college might like to use the scores from my diagnostic reports or wish for me to conduct these very quick assessments, I'm always happy to forge new links but parents must speak to the SENCo about this.

Please contact me regarding me fees and let me know a) which school/college your child goes to, b) which year they're in and c) whether the SENCo has asked you to contact me.

Professional exams:

I often see clients taking professional exams, such as UK legal qualifications, UK pharmaceutical qualifications, US state bar exams, etc. Clients are advised to check with the professional body about exactly what evidence is needed (i.e. a report from a full diagnostic assessment or short exam access arrangement assessment) and whether additional paperwork needs to be completed for which there may be an additional cost. Please send any written guidance about what evidence is needed so that I can ensure that I'm meeting your needs.