Reasonable Adjustment and Fair Access to Assessment Policy

1.1 Results Consortium Ltd. (thereafter the College) has a duty to ensure that the integrity of awards is maintained at all times and that assessment and internal verification are carried out to the requirements of the Awarding Body and to National Standards.

1.2 The policy is part of the College’s planned compliance with:

• The UK Quality Code for Higher Education expectations: `Q9: The provider supports all students to achieve successful academic and professional outcomes’
• The Equality Act 2010, which requires all organisations to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled students, as defined by the Act, are not placed at a substantial disadvantage in comparison to students who are not disabled.

1.3 This policy applies equally to all students of all accredited qualifications delivered by the College and is based on the concepts of equality, diversity, clarity, consistency, and openness. The College will endeavour to ensure that assessment processes are implemented in a way which is fair and non-discriminatory.

2 Underlying Principles

2.1 To comply with the law and the Quality and Conditions Standards the College will:

• Request details of individual student’s requirements for reasonable adjustments prior to registration.
• Provide procedures for the application of extenuating circumstances for assessment activities
• Provide procedures for students to appeal against a decision to decline a request for reasonable adjustments or extenuating circumstances

2.2 Requests for Reasonable Adjustments should normally be made by students prior to registration.

2.3 The College will notify the student within 5 days of receipt of the request, if the request can be fulfilled.

2.4 Any access arrangements for specific assessments should normally be agreed before an assessment. Such arrangements will allow students with specific needs to access the assessment without changing the demands of the assessment. The intention behind an access arrangement is to meet the needs of an individual student without affecting the integrity of the assessment

2.5 Where a student has additional needs, allowable support strategies for assessments will be put in place in accordance with guidance from the relevant awarding organisation.

2.6 Learning outcomes, performance criteria and other significant elements of learning and assessment should be made clear to students at the start of each unit and when assignments are set.

2.7 Students will be offered appropriate assessment opportunities during the programme with feedback provided on the quality of the work.

2.8 Students and staff should be made aware of the existence of this policy and have open access to it.

3 Reasonable Adjustment

3.1 A Reasonable Adjustment is any action that helps to reduce the effect of a disability or difficulty that places a student at a substantial disadvantage in the assessment process. Where the difficulty is minor, the college will assist and support the student by offering support with study and assessment skills.

3.2 Reasonable Adjustments may be granted in certain circumstances, according to the awarding organisation policies, regulations and requirements.

3.3 Students who are temporarily experiencing an illness, injury, or other event outside of their control at the time of the assessment which significantly affects their ability to take that assessment, and/or demonstrate what they can do in that assessment, must follow the Extenuating Circumstances process.

3.4 Reasonable Adjustments must not give students an unfair advantage over other students or affect the reliability and validity of the assessment outcomes. The work produced by the student must be assessed in the same way as the work of other students.

3.5 Reasonable Adjustments should not compromise the integrity or credibility of the qualification and must be clearly tracked for audit, with supporting documentation where appropriate.

3.6 Adjustment to assessment should only be considered where the difficulty experienced places the student at a substantial disadvantage, in comparison with other students.

4 Responsibilities

4.1 The College will ensure that any details that students share will be kept confidential. However, anonymised data may be used to monitor the College’s equal opportunities and open access policy

4.2 Any special needs or special assessment requirements discussed will be recorded on the appropriate documentation and only necessary information will be shared with the Assessor, Internal Verifier and External Examiner.

4.3 Reasonable Adjustments are recommended and approved by the Principal in collaboration with the Higher Education Manager and/or the Lead Internal Verifier.

4.4 Where reasonable adjustments are required by a student the Higher Education Manager will ensure that the adjustments are in place. Students who believe that their request has not been reasonably implemented should raise their concerns with the Higher Education Manager.

4.5 The College will offer adjustments that are ‘reasonable’ in terms of giving access. What is reasonable may depend on the individual circumstances, the impact of the disability on the individual, cost implications and the practicality and effectiveness of the adjustment.

4.6 All assessment activities should be designed with due regard to equality and the diversity of students.

4.7 Students are always expected to submit valid, sufficient, current and authentic evidence, whether or not Reasonable Adjustments have been made.

Fair Access and Reasonable Adjustments Form

This form is intended for students who wish to apply for adjustment(s) to be made to their assessment arrangements.

Students should read the Reasonable Adjustment and Fair Access to Assessment Policy before making an application. Students should also contact the Student Support Team (studentsupport@resultsco.org.uk) before submitting their application if they have any queries.