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 (whether a specific learning difficulty, neurodiversity, physical health, mental health, sensory impairment, etc.) 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 around year 10. 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, I'm always happy to forge new links with education settings if the school/college might like to use the scores from my diagnostic reports or wish for me to conduct a very quick assessment specifically for exam access arrangements.

Please speak with the SENCo in the first instance to establish whether your child is already on the list of students to be assessed and, if not, whether the school will be willing to work with me. If the SENCo asks you to contact me to set up an assessment, please let me know which school/college your child goes to and which school year they're in. I'll then advise you of my fees and availability. Where families are asked to arrange and pay for this quick assessment, I'll return the necessary paperwork to the SENCo within 48 hours of the assessment and send you a short report that has a record of the scores as well as very practical strategies and information.

Next availability: Usually within days of the school/college sending me JCQ form 8 for GCSE and A' level students