Access Arrangements, Reasonable Adjustments & Special Considerations

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The Gateway Qualifications Centre Handbook is split into 4 categories. These categories include:

Introduction to Working with Gateway Qualifications
Quality & Compliance
Internal & External Assessment Practice
Access Arrangements, Reasonable Adjustments & Special Considerations

This Access Arrangements, Reasonable Adjustments & Special Considerations section includes links to centre guidance, forms and policies.

If you print this page of the Centre Handbook, please ensure you regularly check back here to ensure you are using the most up to date version.

To print, click on the Print this page button on the right hand side of the screen.

Reasonable Adjustments and Special Considerations

The Reasonable Adjustments and Special Consideration – Centre Guidance provides guidance for Centres on how to apply the Gateway Qualifications Reasonable Adjustments and Special Consideration Policy.

The Guide includes the following:

Information and guidance to support understanding and the proper management of reasonable adjustments.
Management and procedure for applying reasonable adjustments in Centre.
Information and guidance to support understanding and the proper management of special considerations.

Reasonable Adjustments

Reasonable adjustment is defined as:

an adjustment made to an assessment for a qualification so as to enable a disabled Learner
to demonstrate his or her knowledge, skills and understanding to the levels of attainment
required by the specification for that qualification.
(From Ofqual, General Conditions of Recognition).

Reasonable adjustments may be made by:
• the Recognised Centre in some circumstances, or by
• Gateway Qualifications.

You need to check the qualification specification to determine whether the Centre can apply an adjustment, or if an application for an adjustment needs to be made to Gateway Qualifications.

Centre permitted reasonable adjustments

If the qualification specification states that Centres do not need to apply for approval of reasonable adjustments then you must ensure that you have selected the adjustments made against the learner record. Guidance is provided on completing the registration template.

You must maintain records of adjustments that have been made. An exemplar Centre permitted – reasonable adjustments record form is available for record keeping of Centre permitted adjustments, alternatively you may use your own form providing it contains the same information. You must retain records of all centre permitted reasonable adjustments made as they may be requested by Gateway Qualifications.

Applying for reasonable adjustments

If you need to apply for a reasonable adjustment please complete the Reasonable Adjustments Request form.

Making Special Considerations

A special consideration is a post-assessment adjustment to a candidate’s mark or grade to reflect temporary illness, temporary injury or other indisposition at the time of the assessment, which has had, or is reasonably likely to have had, a material effect on a candidate’s ability to take an assessment or demonstrate their normal level of attainment in an assessment.

Gateway Qualifications reviews the circumstances and evidence surrounding each request for special consideration to ensure that the decision made maintains the equity, validity and reliability of the assessment for the learner and does not give the learner an unfair advantage.

A learner who is fully prepared and present for a scheduled assessment may be eligible for special consideration if:

Performance in an assessment is affected by circumstances beyond the control of the learner e.g. recent personal illness, accident, bereavement, serious disturbance during the assessment.
Alternative assessment arrangements which were agreed in advance of the assessment proved inappropriate or inadequate.
Part of an assessment has been missed due to circumstances beyond the control of the learner.
There is a sufficient difference between the part of the assessment to which special consideration is applied and other parts of the qualification that have been achieved to infer that the learner could have performed more successfully in the assessment.

A learner will not be eligible for special consideration if:

No evidence is supplied by the centre that the learner has been affected at the time of the assessment by a particular condition.
Any part of the assessment is missed due to personal arrangements including holidays or unauthorised absence.
Preparation for an assessment is affected by difficulties during the course, e.g. disturbances through building work, lack of proper facilities, changes in or shortages of staff, or industrial disputes.

Applying for special consideration

The Special Consideration Form can be found on the Forms and Guidance page of Gateway Qualifications’ website.