What are ‘reasonable adjustments’ in exams?

The Equality Act 2010 requires an awarding exam body to make access arrangements and reasonable adjustments if a disabled person would be at a substantial disadvantage undertaking an assessment.

These are changes that are made to an assessment that reduce/remove a disadvantage caused by a student’s special educational needs or disabilities. This helps to create a fairer assessment for them.

Schools must apply to the relevant exam board in advance and any reasonable adjustment is based on evidence of need and the student’s normal way of working.

Examples

Reasonable adjustments could include:

• Extra time to complete assessments
• Taking exams in a smaller setting or a private room
• Supervised rest breaks
• Ability to bring snacks, drinks and medication
• Modified papers such as large print, coloured paper or braille
• Assistive software such as word processing or computer readers
• An oral rather than written assessment
• Help with tasks, such as reading the questions or writing dictated answers on the student’s behalf

It is important to understand that the adjustments will depend on how, and by how much, their disability affects them when taking a particular assessment.

What if your request is refused?

An adjustment may not be considered reasonable if it involves unreasonable costs, timeframes or affects the security or integrity of the assessment.

It is important to request written feedback as to why the request was denied as soon as possible and to try and work with the exam board to find another way to meet your needs.

If you cannot agree on a reasonable adjustment, and you believe the denial of your request constitutes discrimination under the Equality Act, you may want to seek legal advice from our specialist SEN team who can help you take your complaint to Tribunal.