SV ACADEMY ACCESS TO FAIR ASSESSMENT POLICY

Policy owner: Headteacher / Head of Learning / Quality Assurance Lead
Strategic oversight: Executive Headteacher
Approved by: Executive Headteacher
Operational leads: Headteacher, SENCO / Access Arrangements Coordinator, Examinations Officer and Quality Assurance Lead
Version: 3.0 - September 2026
Last reviewed: September 2026
Next review: September 2027, or earlier if requirements change

1. Statement of Intent

SV Academy is committed to ensuring that every learner has fair, equitable and appropriately supported access to assessment and qualification opportunities. Assessment must enable learners to demonstrate the knowledge, skills and understanding required by the relevant programme or qualification without unnecessary barriers and without compromising the integrity, validity or required standard of the assessment.

Assessment at SV Academy will be transparent, consistent, inclusive and carried out in accordance with the requirements of the relevant awarding organisation, examination board, regulator and, where applicable, Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) regulations. Where qualification-specific rules differ from this policy, the applicable awarding organisation or regulatory requirement will take precedence.

This policy should be read alongside the Academy's Assessment Appeals and Procedure Policy, Malpractice and Plagiarism Policy, Examinations Policy, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy, SEND Policy, Accessibility Policy and AI-related guidance.

2. Scope

This policy applies to internal and external assessment activity undertaken by SV Academy, including classroom assessment, vocational and technical qualifications, coursework, portfolios, non-examination assessment, practical assessment, controlled assessment and formal examinations where applicable.

It applies to learners in compulsory school-age provision and Post-16 provision, including learners with SEND, disabilities, medical needs, temporary injuries, English as an additional language and other needs that may affect access to assessment.

3. Legal and Regulatory Framework

• Equality Act 2010, including the duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled learners.

• Ofqual General Conditions of Recognition, including Condition G6 on reasonable adjustments.

• JCQ General Regulations for Approved Centres and the regulations in force for the relevant examination year.

• JCQ Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments guidance and current evidence requirements.

• JCQ Instructions for Conducting Examinations, coursework and non-examination assessments where applicable.

• JCQ and awarding organisation malpractice, plagiarism and AI-use requirements.

• The specific rules, specifications and centre requirements of each awarding organisation used by SV Academy.

Where SV Academy acts as an approved examination or assessment centre, the person formally registered with the awarding organisation as Head of Centre retains the specific regulatory accountability attached to that role. This policy does not reassign those regulatory duties by job title.

4. Principles of Fair Assessment

5. Roles and Responsibilities

5.1 Executive Headteacher

• Provide strategic oversight of fair assessment, compliance and quality assurance.

• Ensure significant compliance risks, awarding organisation concerns or systemic assessment issues are addressed.

• Ensure sufficient resources are available for assessment, quality assurance and approved access arrangements.

5.2 Headteacher

• Lead day-to-day implementation of this policy across the Academy.

• Ensure assessment practice is consistent, inclusive and aligned with awarding organisation requirements.

• Ensure appropriate staff are appointed to assessment, internal quality assurance, access arrangements and examination roles.

• Ensure concerns, complaints and appeals are handled through the correct Academy and awarding organisation procedures.

5.3 Head of Learning / Quality Assurance Lead

• Coordinate assessment quality assurance and standardisation.

• Ensure assessors understand qualification criteria and assessment requirements.

• Monitor sampling, internal verification and corrective actions.

• Support fair and timely resolution of assessment concerns and internal reviews.

5.4 SENCO / Access Arrangements Coordinator

• Coordinate the access arrangements process and maintain appropriate evidence.

• Work with teaching staff, learners, parents/carers and qualified assessors as appropriate.

• Ensure arrangements reflect the learner's needs, normal way of working where required and current awarding organisation rules.

• Ensure applications and evidence are completed within published deadlines where formal approval is required.

5.5 Examinations Officer

• Administer examination and assessment arrangements in accordance with current awarding organisation and JCQ requirements.

• Work closely with the SENCO / Access Arrangements Coordinator so approved arrangements are implemented correctly.

• Maintain secure and accurate records required for examination administration and inspection.

5.6 Assessors, Teachers and Internal Quality Assurers

• Apply assessment criteria accurately and consistently.

• Give learners clear information about assessment requirements and permitted support.

• Identify possible support needs promptly and refer them through the correct process.

• Maintain accurate assessment and quality assurance records.

• Only authenticate work where satisfied that it is the learner's own.

• Participate in standardisation, moderation and relevant continuing professional development.

5.7 Learners

• Complete and submit their own work and follow assessment conditions.

• Meet deadlines or communicate promptly where support is needed.

• Declare access or support needs as early as possible.

• Acknowledge sources, permitted assistance and AI use where required.

• Raise concerns or appeals through the appropriate procedure.

6. Learner Information, Initial Assessment and Programme Suitability

Fair assessment begins before the assessment itself. Learners will receive clear and accessible information about programme requirements, qualification standards, assessment methods and any essential competence requirements. Where applicable, SV Academy will consider at recruitment or enrolment whether the proposed programme is suitable and what support may reasonably be required.

Initial and baseline assessment may be used to identify starting points, support needs and appropriate programme levels. These assessments will not be used to create unnecessary barriers to participation or to deny access because a learner requires reasonable adjustment.

7. Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments

Access arrangements are agreed before an assessment to allow an eligible learner to access the assessment without changing the knowledge, skills or understanding being tested. A reasonable adjustment is an adjustment made for a disabled learner in accordance with equality law and awarding organisation arrangements. The terms overlap in practice but are not interchangeable in every context.

SV Academy will identify needs as early as possible and will not wait until an examination is imminent where a pattern of need is already known. No adjustment is automatic solely because a learner has a diagnosis; the arrangement must be appropriate to the individual, supported by the evidence required for the qualification, and permitted by the relevant rules.

• Extra time.

• Supervised rest breaks.

• A reader, computer reader or reading pen.

• A scribe or speech recognition technology.

• Use of a word processor or assistive technology.

• Modified papers or enlarged materials.

• A practical assistant, prompter or communication professional.

• Alternative rooming arrangements.

• Other adjustments expressly permitted by the relevant awarding organisation.

An access arrangement must not change the competence standard or assessment objective. The exact rules for each qualification and component will always be checked.

Where current regulations require an assessment of need by a qualified assessor, SV Academy will ensure the assessor holds the required qualification and that evidence of qualification is retained for inspection. Where JCQ rules require an arrangement to reflect the learner's normal way of working, this will be established in teaching and internal assessment, not introduced solely for the final examination.

8. English as an Additional Language, Temporary Injury and Medical Need

English as an Additional Language does not by itself create an entitlement to extra time or other access arrangements. Bilingual dictionaries or other support may be used only where the relevant awarding organisation permits them and the required conditions are met.

Temporary illness, injury or a newly arising medical need will be considered promptly. The Academy will determine whether an access arrangement can be put in place before assessment or whether special consideration should be requested after the assessment, in line with awarding organisation requirements.

9. Special Consideration

Special consideration is different from an access arrangement. It is a post-assessment adjustment that may be available where a learner was temporarily disadvantaged at or near the time of an assessment by circumstances outside their control, such as illness, injury or serious adverse circumstances.

Special consideration is not automatic, cannot compensate for lost teaching or learning, and cannot be used to change the competence standard being assessed. Applications will only be made where the relevant awarding organisation rules allow and the required evidence is available.

10. Assessment Information, Feedback and Marking

Learners will be given appropriate information about assessment criteria, deadlines, conditions, resubmission opportunities and any restrictions on support before assessed work is undertaken.

Assessment decisions will be based on the published criteria for the programme or qualification. Feedback will be constructive, proportionate and sufficiently clear to support progress without giving prohibited assistance on controlled or externally regulated assessments.

SV Academy aims to return internally assessed work and feedback within 10 working days of submission unless the qualification, assessment schedule, staff absence, moderation requirement or other exceptional circumstance reasonably requires a different timescale. Learners will be informed where a longer timescale applies.

11. Internal Quality Assurance and Standardisation

• Standardisation meetings.

• Internal verification or moderation.

• Sampling of assessment decisions and learner evidence.

• Observation of assessment practice where appropriate.

• Review of feedback and assessment records.

• Action planning following internal or external quality assurance findings.

• Staff training and continuing professional development.

Where an assessor is also involved in an appeal or dispute, the review will be undertaken by a person who is sufficiently independent of the original decision wherever practicable.

12. Academic Integrity, Malpractice and Plagiarism

Learners must submit work that is their own and comply with the conditions set for each assessment. Examples of malpractice include plagiarism, collusion, impersonation, falsification of evidence, unauthorised assistance, use of prohibited materials, breach of controlled assessment or examination conditions, and misuse of artificial intelligence.

Suspected malpractice will be handled under the Academy's Malpractice and Plagiarism procedures and the current rules of the relevant awarding organisation. Where reporting to an awarding organisation is required, SV Academy will do so.

13. Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Assessment

AI tools may only be used where their use is permitted by the assessment rules. Learners remain responsible for ensuring that submitted work is demonstrably their own and that use of external sources or AI is acknowledged in the form required by the awarding organisation.

Where current JCQ rules apply, learners who use AI-generated material in permitted assessment preparation or production may be required to identify the tool, retain relevant prompts and outputs or other evidence, acknowledge how the tool was used, and reference underlying sources where applicable. Content generated by AI cannot be rewarded as evidence that the learner has independently met assessment criteria unless the assessment explicitly allows that use.

Teachers and assessors must investigate genuine authenticity concerns and must not authenticate work they are not satisfied is the learner's own. AI detection software, if used, will not be treated as sole proof of malpractice; it will form part of a wider evidence-based review.

Where computers or word processors are used in assessments, staff will ensure that prohibited internet, communication or AI functionality is disabled where required by the assessment conditions.

14. Appeals Against Assessment Decisions

1. Stage 1 - Informal discussion: the learner should raise the concern with the assessor or teacher as soon as possible so the criteria, evidence and decision can be explained.

2. Stage 2 - Internal review: if unresolved, the learner may request review by the Internal Quality Assurer, Quality Assurance Lead or another suitably competent person who was not responsible for the original decision where practicable.

3. Stage 3 - Formal appeal: the learner may use the Academy's Assessment Appeals and Procedure Policy. Where an awarding organisation route exists, the learner will be informed of any further process available after the Academy's internal procedure is complete.

For centre-assessed marks subject to JCQ or awarding organisation review procedures, the applicable published deadlines and processes will take precedence. Learners must therefore raise concerns promptly.

15. Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Safeguarding

Assessment practice will promote equality of opportunity and will not unlawfully discriminate against learners. Reasonable adjustments will be considered for disabled learners and assessment materials and methods will be reviewed for unnecessary barriers, stereotyping or irrelevant disadvantage.

Safeguarding information will only be shared where relevant and lawful. Assessment support arrangements must not compromise safeguarding, examination security or the integrity of the qualification.

16. Records, Confidentiality and Data Protection

Assessment, access arrangement, quality assurance and appeals records will be accurate, secure and retained for the period required by the relevant awarding organisation, regulator, Academy retention schedule and data protection law. Access will be limited to those who need the information for a legitimate purpose.

Sensitive information about disability, medical conditions or support needs will be handled confidentially and shared only where necessary to implement lawful support, safeguard the learner, administer assessment or meet a regulatory requirement.

17. Monitoring and Review

The Headteacher and Quality Assurance Lead will monitor day-to-day compliance and assessment quality. The Executive Headteacher will maintain strategic oversight and will review significant trends, external quality assurance findings, appeals, malpractice concerns and systemic issues.

This policy will be reviewed at least annually and sooner where legislation, Ofqual requirements, JCQ regulations, awarding organisation requirements or Academy procedures change.

Appendix A - Learner Entitlement

• Clear information about what will be assessed and the standards required.

• Fair, consistent and evidence-based assessment decisions.

• Appropriate consideration of access arrangements and reasonable adjustments.

• Assessment conditions that protect both fairness and qualification integrity.

• Constructive feedback within a reasonable timescale.

• The opportunity to raise a concern or appeal.

• Respectful handling of personal, disability and support information.

• Clear guidance on academic integrity, plagiarism and use of AI.

Appendix B - Access Arrangements Workflow

1. Identify a possible barrier or need as early as possible.

2. Gather teaching evidence, learner information and evidence of normal way of working where required.

3. Refer to the SENCO / Access Arrangements Coordinator.

4. Obtain qualified assessment or medical/professional evidence where the regulations require it.

5. Check the exact rules for the qualification and assessment component.

6. Submit any required application by the published deadline.

7. Implement the approved or delegated arrangement in internal practice where required.

8. Brief the learner and relevant staff before the assessment.

9. Record the arrangement, evidence and implementation securely.

10. Review arrangements when needs, programme or regulatory requirements change.

Appendix C - Key References

• JCQ General Regulations for Approved Centres - effective from 1 September 2026

• JCQ Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments resources

• JCQ AI Use in Assessments

• Ofqual Handbook - General Conditions of Recognition, Section G

• Equality Act 2010