Individual Student Needs (ISN) Policy

Author:	Caroline David
Date:	February 2022
To be reviewed:	February 2024

Principles

At Jersey College for Girls, we aim to provide a challenging, academic and broad curriculum delivered by experienced staff, who have high expectations and who model excellence. All students are equally entitled to have their needs recognised, supported and stretched and this is the responsibility of all members of staff. We aim to reduce under-achievement and nurture and develop talent.

We aim to promote best practice, not only within Jersey College for Girls but also in collaboration with the Department of Education. The College aims to provide equality of opportunity for all students to be inspired, motivated and enthused by an innovative curriculum that offers both enhancement and enrichment in order for them to excel. Students are encouraged to be both positive and proud of their abilities and to feel they belong. Jersey College for Girls aims to provide the opportunities and resources to ensure this occurs. Effectively meeting the individual needs of students will rely upon the College, the student and the parents working together.

Definitions

Individual Student Needs (ISN) – The term Individual Student Needs refers to the fact that every student will learn at different rates and in different ways, no two students are the same. They all have differing needs that have to be addressed to ensure they achieve academic success. There is no one definition as all students are individuals.

Special Educational Needs (SEND) – The term Special Educational Needs and Disability has a legal definition, referring to students who have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn or access education than most children of the same age.

Aims

To sustain a whole school ethos that accepts that everyone has the duty to provide for the needs of all students no matter what their talents, skills or abilities.
To ensure the correct provision is available for students with individual needs.
To create and maintain well-established partnerships with parents, the community, primary schools and outside agencies to ensure appropriate provision is made for all students with individual needs.
To ensure the individual needs of the students on the JCG Inclusion register are identified and provision made to meet those needs.
To follow the Jersey SEND Code of Practice (2017) on the Identification and Assessment and Transition of Special Educational Needs, including the Disability and Children’s Acts.
To aspire for all students to have access to all aspects of the curriculum.
To identify any difficulty as early and as thoroughly as possible.
To provide a positive and active approach to ensure all learners emotional and mental health and well-being is valued and addressed.

Objectives

Identify students with individual needs and provide support mechanisms for them.
Identify students who require an enhanced curriculum and provide individual enrichment programmes and timetables to suit.
Ensure good teaching practice (quality first teaching) is shared to promote the personalisation of materials and tasks for students of all abilities.
Maximise the use of SIMS to increase the communication and understanding of student’s individual needs.
Ensure students are proud to discuss their achievements.
Celebrate achievements in assembly, during academic mentoring sessions, on the school website, in the local media and in school publications.
Identify students who are experiencing difficulties through assessment of written work and on-going classroom observation including the use of psychometric testing where appropriate.

Identifying Individual Student Needs

SEND students may be identified prior to admission during visits to primary schools, references or via the Education Welfare Service. Further assessments may take place on entry to the school and during their time at Jersey College for Girls.
Any student with a borderline Year 5 mean CAT score may be assessed by the ENCO during the transition phase to ascertain any support required.
Any student with a lower than expected Year 9 mean CAT score or diverse scores in differing areas will meet with the ENCO during Year 9 to assess their individual needs. Parents will attend this meeting.
Progress in Maths and English tests will be reviewed by the ENCO, during the autumn term of Year 7, in conjunction with the English and Maths Departments, to identify individual student needs.
The Head of Lower School will gather data on students’ skills and abilities from their primary school. Students from primary schools can be identified on transfer in relation to specific subject areas.
Heads of Faculties will be asked to share good practice with faculty members to promote personalised learning for all students.
The Head of School team will be formally invited to identify students who they believe have an individual need, based on evidence from tutors and or subject teachers.
Parents can identify that their daughter may have an individual need. This would be done through the student’s tutor, subject teacher, ENCO.
A student’s individual needs may vary depending on the subject and may change throughout their time at JCG. Their needs will be monitored by tutors and subject teachers in conjunction with the ENCO.
Group screening tests in Year 7 and 9 to identify students at risk of specific learning difficulties for referral of more detailed assessment of their learning needs.
Assessment of specific learning needs will be carried out by a qualified member of the British Psychological Society (Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing).

The Curriculum

The school will aim to provide all students with full access to the Jersey Curriculum and, additionally, provide access to curriculum enhancement in other areas.
The school is structured to provide a personalised pathway to the curriculum e.g foundation Maths and French and combined science.
Subject teachers will be made aware of students who have individual needs and should monitor progress against published attainment data and where appropriate ILPs.
Heads of Faculty / Heads of Departments will advise colleagues within their subject area on strategies to challenge and support students with individual needs.
The school will utilise and continually update a range of strategies to improve the teaching and learning of all students with individual needs.
Students who are struggling with reading, spelling, mathematical language or gross/fine motor skills will, on occasions, be withdrawn to be given individual or group tuition by the ENCO, another member of staff, a voluntary teaching assistant, or Sixth Form student where appropriate.
Students may be offered 1:1 sessions, outside of lesson time, with a teaching assistant on a weekly basis where appropriate and when available.
Customised timetables, additional or reduced subject options and exam entries can be implemented dependent on individual student needs. Any changes to a student’s timetable would be recommended by the ENCO and would need to be approved by the Principal.
Specialist provision is available for other pervasive developmental conditions, e.g ASC, ADHD, or sensory disabilities, is provided through school ENCo/INSET and by relevant outside agencies ASCIT/SEMHIT/MIND/Educational Psychology, Primary Mental Health Team, Speech and Language.

Provision and Resources

ENCO Library
School Counsellor
SEND code of practice 2017
Teaching Assistants

Outside Agencies working with students with Individual Student Needs

Speech and Language Therapy Service
Occupational Therapy Service
Education Support Team
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
Children’s Services
Health Services
Other island secondary schools

The policy will be monitored and evaluated by the ENCO.

This policy should be read in conjunction with

Examinations policy Disability Policy
Teaching and Learning policy Improving behaviour policy
Education (Jersey) Law 1999 Revised Edition (1 January 2017)
Assessment Policy

Appendix 1

Role of the Student

Students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning and progress, seeking help and advice when needed.

Role of the Parent

Parents will be informed that their daughter has been identified as having an individual need. They will be given details of the school’s support and any individual programme on offer.

To encourage their daughter to access support and co-curricular programmes on offer at school.
To contribute to a student’s ILP where appropriate through meetings with the ENCO.
To support their daughter and JCG through regular meetings and attendance at parent evenings to discuss the progress of their daughter.
To develop a partnership where professionals and parents work together in the best interests of the student.
To ensure the ENCO is made aware of any individual needs that may become a barrier to a student’s learning.

Role of the ENCO

To co-ordinate the identification and provision of education for students with individual needs encompassing the Jersey Code of Practice where applicable. This will include assessing and raising awareness of the needs of individual students, to enable all teachers to differentiate class work and homework as necessary.
To maintain and update the JCG Inclusion register.
To maintain and update the access arrangements register in conjunction with the Exams Officer. To arrange, in conjunction with the Exams Officer and outside agencies, the access arrangement provision for all students who meet the various criteria.
To collate and retain all evidence for individual student needs.
To produce ILPs for students who have individual needs, where appropriate by liaising with students, parents, Heads of school, form tutors and subject teachers, in order to support students with individual needs.
To monitor the implementation and review of these plans in order to support student learning and to review and work to update the ILPs annually in conjunction with the subject teachers, tutor, Head of School, parents and students.
To ensure all subject staff have an up to date copy of a student’s ILP and gather feedback from subject staff on how the student is progressing with her targets.
To liaise with external agencies where appropriate.
To monitor the identification of students with individual student needs.
To run induction sessions on the individual student needs policy for new staff to explain JCG policies and procedures.
To closely monitor students who have a borderline CAT score and KS2 SATS score.
To contact parents of students who have an identified ISN following assessments.
To manage Teaching Assistants and to meet with them regularly to discuss the progress that individual students are making.
To liaise with Primary teachers and ENCOs to facilitate the transition of students with previously identified individual needs and to co-ordinate the support offered between Year 6 teachers and Year 7 tutors during the autumn term of Year 7.
To work closely with Prep colleagues, including the ENCO from Year 4 upwards to support with monitoring and identifying needs and transition.
To oversee the Assistant ENCO’s co-ordination of the testing of students using psychometric testing.
To monitor the work of the Assistant ENCO.
To provide annual updates and refresher courses for all staff.

Role of the Assistant ENCO

To manage support for EAL/MLL students.
To test students for Access arrangements using psychometric tests.
To deputise for the ENCO as appropriate.

Role of the Tutor

To take responsibility for ensuring whole student overview.
To monitor achievement, attainment and extra-curricular involvement of students identified as having individual student needs and record these during Academic Mentoring. Information should be used from periodics and reports.
To place particular focus on overseeing that all students with individual needs are meeting their target grades when periodics and reports are produced, informing the Head of School and ENCO if inconsistencies occur.
To liaise with the Head of School and all relevant subject teachers in order to make them aware of a student’s ability and any concerns which may be preventing the student from reaching their full potential.
To liaise with the ENCO to discuss tutees who have Individual Learning Plans.
To be involved, in conjunction with the ENCO in the review of any tutee’s ILPs and input any information gained from the student’s subject teachers.
To celebrate work of all students in their tutor group. This can be done in tutor groups, in assembly, in House or any relevant forum.
To inform the Head of School and ENCO of a tutee’s individual student need that has not previously been identified.
To encourage student participation in all activities on offer and all extra support classes.
To be aware of all tutees that are on the JCG Inclusion register and at what level their needs are defined as (see appendix 2).

Role of the Head of School

To be responsible for monitoring students with individual needs identified in their year group.
To track students with individual student needs within their year groups, using the data provided by subject staff and ENCO, giving feedback to the ENCO where appropriate.
To ensure SEND items are discussed at Year meetings when appropriate.
To liaise with the ENCO about students who have not previously been identified, or who have significant barriers to their learning which are preventing them from reaching their full potential.
To support the tutor with the monitoring of students with individual needs.

Role of the Subject Teacher

To personalise learning specifically for individual student needs, in lesson planning, homework, and the delivery of lessons. Teaching techniques and strategies within each class, including different resources and learning tasks, will accommodate those of differing abilities, including those with individual needs, wherever appropriate and necessary. This will enable all learning needs to be met and all students to maximize their potential in all areas of the curriculum.
To be accountable for planning for and accommodating students with individual needs within their lessons, by providing a range of teaching and learning strategies which extend (e.g. critical thinking, creative thinking and problem solving) and support students with individual needs.
To have an awareness of the characteristics of SEND students in order to aid identification of possible difficulties within their subject area.
To know which students in each class have been identified as having individual needs and for SEND students, the level of intervention (see appendix 2).
To set up activities with different ‘entry levels’ and elements of choice to accommodate all. This can include group work.
To monitor progress of students with individual needs using summative and formative assessment and own observations, contacting the tutor initially when issues arise.
To know which students in the class have an Individual Learning Plan and to assist them in meeting the specified targets relevant to their subjects.
To feed back to the ENCO regularly (upon request) on how the student with an ILP is progressing and whether they have met any of their targets.
To set new targets for students with individual needs when requested by the tutor or ENCO.

Role of the Head of Faculty / Head of Department

To have an awareness of the characteristics of SEND students in order to aid identification of possible difficulties within their subject area.
To request information on - and to monitor the progress of - students in each class who have been identified with ISN.
To set up activities with different ‘entry levels’ and elements of choice to accommodate all. This can include group work.
To monitor progress of students with individual needs using summative and formative assessment and own observations, contacting the tutor initially when issues arise.
To monitor and support teachers in their faculty in providing for students’ individual needs in their classes.
To ensure schemes of work and schemes of learning include personalised curriculum pathways.

Role of the Teaching Assistant

To work with students on a 1:1 or small group basis to assist them with their learning
To support students with Emotional Literacy To keep data on work completed with students during individual sessions.
To work with whole classes or sets to support students with individual needs where appropriate.

Role of Sixth Form Students / Student Leadership Team

To work with students in younger years in all subjects where needed.
To go into classes and work on a 1:1 basis or to work with individuals who are withdrawn from lessons or have a reduced timetable.
To offer support to students during lunchtime and before and after school sessions in a variety of subjects.
To run workshops / sessions to encourage and inform students about career opportunities and to pass on knowledge to other year groups.

Role of the Assistant Headteacher (Student Progress and Welfare)

To support the ENCO in implementing and updating this policy.
To meet regularly with the ENCO and discuss individual student needs.

Appendix 2 - Jersey SEND Code of practice 2017 (excerpt)

Jersey College for Girls models its approach on the guidelines given in the SEND Code of Practice (2017). This is a graduated approach in the secondary phase.

Special educational provision in schools

4.36 Teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of the pupils in their class, including where pupils access support from teaching assistants or specialist staff.
4.37  High quality teaching, personalised for individual pupils, is the first step in responding to pupils who have or may have SEN. Additional intervention and support cannot compensate for a lack of good quality teaching. Schools should regularly and carefully review the quality of teaching for all pupils, including those at risk of underachievement. This includes reviewing, monitoring and evaluating and, where necessary, improving teachers’ understanding of strategies to identify and support vulnerable pupils and their knowledge of the SEN most frequently encountered. Training should take place at least annually. Class teachers should use the provision mapping process developed by their schools to use the identified strategies and approaches for each child/young people.
4.38  In deciding whether to make special educational provision, the teacher and SENCo should consider all of the information gathered from within the school about the pupil’s progress, alongside national data and expectations of progress. This should include high quality and accurate formative assessment, using effective tools and early assessment materials. For higher levels of need, schools should have arrangements in place to draw on more specialised assessments from external agencies and professionals.
4.39  This information gathering should include an early discussion with the pupil and their parents/carers. These early discussions with parents/carers should be structured in such a way that they develop a good understanding of the pupil’s areas of strength and difficulty, the parents’/carers’ concerns, the agreed outcomes sought for the child/young person and the next steps. A short report with agreed actions for the school and parents/carers of these early discussions should be added to the pupil’s record on the school information system and a copy given to the parents/carers. Schools should also advise children/young people and their parents/carers about available information on additional school support, additional agencies and support groups.
4.40  Consideration of whether special educational provision is required should start with the desired outcomes, including the progress and attainment and the views and wishes of the pupil and their parents/carers. This should then help determine the support that is needed and whether it can be provided by adapting the school’s core offer or whether something different or additional is required.
4.41  More detailed information on what constitutes good outcome setting is given in Chapter 7, Exceptional Action assessments (paragraphs 7.64 to 7.69). These principles should be applied to planning for all children/young people with SEN. From Year 9 onwards, the nature of the outcomes will reflect the need to ensure young people are preparing for adulthood.
4.42  The outcomes considered should include those needed to make successful transitions between each year group, phases of education and to prepare for adult life. Schools should make provision for class teachers to liaise and engage with secondary schools or the further education provider as necessary to help plan for these transitions. The agreed actions may also include those taken to make sure the school meets its responsibility to ensure that pupils with SEN engage in school activities together with those who do not have SEN.
4.43 However support is provided, a clear date for reviewing progress should be agreed and the parent/carer, pupil and teaching staff should each be clear about how they will help the pupil reach the expected outcomes. The overriding purpose of this early action is to help the pupil achieve the identified outcomes and remove any barriers to learning. Where it is decided that a pupil does have SEN, the decision should be recorded in the school records and the pupil’s parents/carers must be formally informed that special educational provision is being made. Arrangements for appropriate support should be made through the school’s approach to SEN support.

Special educational need support in schools

4.44 Where a pupil is identified as having SEN, schools should take action to remove barriers to learning and put effective special educational provision in place. This SEN support should take the form of a four-part cycle through which earlier decisions and actions are revisited, refined and revised with a growing understanding of the pupil’s needs and of what supports the pupil in making good progress and securing good outcomes. This is known as the graduated approach. It draws on more detailed approaches, more frequent reviews and more specialist expertise in successive cycles in order to match interventions to the SEN of children/young people in a more tightly structured way. There is no longer a requirement to register at School Action and School Action Plus as these will be collapsed under SEN support with appropriate information about additional support (see the Reference chapter for useful links).

Assess

4.45  In identifying a child/young person as needing SEN support, the class or subject teacher, working with the SENCo, should carry out a clear analysis of the pupil’s needs. This should draw on the teacher’s assessment and experience of the pupil, their previous progress and attainment, as well as information from the school’s core approach to pupil progress, attainment, and behaviour. It should also draw on other subject teachers’ assessments and accredited assessments where relevant, the individual’s development in comparison to their peers, island and national data, the views and experience of parents/carers, the pupil’s own views and, if relevant, advice from external support services. Schools should take seriously any concerns raised by a parent/carer. These should be recorded and compared to the setting’s own assessment and information on how the pupil is developing.
4.46  This assessment should be reviewed regularly, at least half-termly if not more frequently. This will help ensure that support and intervention are matched to need, barriers to learning are identified and overcome, and that a clear picture of the interventions put in place and their effect is developed. For some types of SEN, the way in which a pupil responds to an intervention can be the most reliable method of developing a more accurate picture of need.
4.47  In some cases, outside professionals from Health and Social Services may already be involved with the child/young person. These professionals should liaise with the school to help inform the assessments. Where professionals are not already working with school staff, the SENCo should contact them if the parents/carers agree.

Plan

4.48  Where it is decided to provide a pupil with SEN support, the parents/carers must be formally notified, although parents/carers should have already been involved in forming the assessment of needs as outlined above. The teacher and the SENCo should agree in consultation with the parent/carer and the pupil the adjustments, interventions and support to be put in place, as well as the expected impact on progress, development or behaviour, along with a clear date for review.
4.49  All teachers and support staff who work with the pupil should be made aware of their needs, the outcomes sought, the support provided and any teaching strategies or approaches that are required. This should also be recorded on the school’s information system. Such support must be monitored and evaluated as to its effectiveness and value for money.
4.50  The support and intervention provided should be selected to meet the outcomes identified for the pupil, based on reliable evidence of effectiveness, and should be provided by staff with sufficient skills and knowledge.
4.51  Parents/carers should be fully aware of the planned support and interventions and, where appropriate, plans should seek parental/carer involvement to reinforce or contribute to progress at home. The information set out in chapter 6.39 should be readily available and discussed with the pupil’s parents/carers.

4.52 The class or subject teacher should remain responsible for working with the child/young person on a daily basis. Where the interventions involve group or one-to-one teaching away from the main class or subject teacher, they should still retain responsibility for the pupil. They should work closely with any teaching assistants or specialist staff involved, to plan and assess the impact of support and interventions and how they can be linked to classroom teaching. The SENCo should support the class or subject teacher in the further assessment of the child/young person’s particular strengths and weaknesses, in problem solving and advising on the effective implementation of support.

Review

4.53  The effectiveness of the support and interventions and their impact on the pupil’s progress should be reviewed in line with the agreed date.
4.54  The impact and quality of the support and interventions should be evaluated, along with the views of the pupil and their parents/carers. This should feed back into the analysis of the pupil’s needs. The class or subject teacher, working with the SENCo, should revise the support in light of the pupil’s progress and development, deciding on any changes to the support and outcomes in consultation with the parent/carer and the pupil.
4.55  Parents/carers should have clear information about the impact of the support and interventions provided, enabling them to be involved in planning next steps.
4.56  Where a pupil has a RoN, the Education Department must review that plan, as a minimum, every 12 months. Schools must co-operate with the Education Department in the review process and, as part of the review, the Education Department requires schools to convene and hold annual review meetings on its behalf. Further information about RoN annual reviews is given in Chapter 7.

Appendix 3 - Access Arrangements

Rationale

The Examination Access Arrangements Appendix explains the actions taken to ensure inclusion throughout the college for all students with individual student needs (ISN), including those with formally diagnosed Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND). The appendix forms an integral part of our teaching and learning philosophy, which seeks to create a learning environment whereby every individual student may fulfil her full potential.

Definitions

The term Individual Student Need is used as an umbrella term to incorporate ALL students known to be receiving intervention, learning support provision and access arrangements including those pupils identified as having SEND.

Education Law

The Education (Jersey) Law 1999, reviewed 2017,(as amended, referred to as “The Law") is the primary legislation governing the legal requirements and duties for all areas of Jersey education, including Special Educational Needs (SEN). Part 1, Article 4 of the Law defines the term “special educational needs” in Jersey, as well as the defined meaning of “learning difficulty”, “special educational provision” and “special school”. Part 5 of the Law, Articles 28 to 32 precisely define the duty of the Education Minister in relation to a child/young person with SEN; the power of the Education Minister to require assessment; parental/carer’s rights in relation to SEN, and other powers. In addition, children/young people with SEN have rights defined in other parts of the Law, for example, in accessing the Jersey Curriculum (Article 16).

What are Access Arrangements?

Access arrangements are agreed before an assessment/exam. They allow students to demonstrate their skills, knowledge and understanding without changing the demands of the assessment. The intention behind access arrangements is to meet the particular needs of a candidate without affecting the integrity of the assessment. Access arrangements are the principal way in which awarding bodies comply with the duty under the Equality Act 2010 (UK) to make ‘reasonable adjustments.’

Reasonable Adjustments

The Discrimination Law states that we must make reasonable adjustments where a disabled person would be at a substantial disadvantage in undertaking an assessment. A reasonable adjustment for a particular person may be unique to that individual and may not be included in the list of available Access Arrangements. How reasonable the adjustment is will depend on a number of factors including the needs of the disabled candidate/learner. An adjustment may not be considered reasonable if it involves unreasonable costs, timeframes or affects the security or integrity of the assessment. There is no duty on the Awarding Bodies to make any adjustment to the assessment objectives being tested in an assessment.

Special Consideration

Special Consideration is a post examination adjustment to a candidate's mark or grade to reflect temporary injury, illness or other indisposition at the time of the examination/assessment.

Access Arrangements at Jersey College for Girls

Jersey College for Girls aims to ensure that all students have equal access to examinations and are neither advantaged nor disadvantaged over their peers by any long term, substantial SEND/or ISN which fall into the following four categories:

Communication and interaction.
Cognition and learning.
Social, emotional and mental health.
Sensory and/ or physical needs.

We will do this by applying the rules for Access Arrangements as set out in the most recent Joint Council for Qualifications. We believe it is important to abide by the JCQ regulations, so that there is parity in how access arrangements are awarded throughout a student’s secondary schooling. We will use every opportunity to identify students’ needs from their first contact with the school. Professional reports are requested that demonstrate a SEND/ISN and a recommendation for a reasonable adjustment to be made to meet the student’s needs and the type of access arrangements that are appropriate. Access arrangements reflect the support that is usually given to the student in the classroom, internal exams and mock examinations. This is commonly referred to as ‘normal way of working.’

When might students need to be given Exam Access Arrangements?

An Exam Access Arrangement (EAA) is a provision or type of support given to a student (subject to exam board approval) in an exam, where a particular need has been identified (through psychometric testing by a competent test user by the British Psychological Society (BPS) Verified Assessor or other psychologist reports) and is provided so that the student has appropriate access to the exam.

Access Arrangements	What is it?	Criteria
Scribe	A trained adult writes for the student. The student would dictate their answers. The scribe would write exactly what they say.	A student has a physical disability; where her writing is illegible and may hamper her ability to be understood; writing speed is too slow to be able to complete the exam in the allotted time. In MFL, the student must dictate every word in the target language and must do so letter by letter.
Reader	A trained adult who would read the question and any relevant text (with the exception of Section A of an English GCSE Exam) for the student. The student would then write the answer/s themselves.	A student has a standardised score – (LUCID, WIAT II or CTOPP 2) of 84 or below in a test delivered by Specialist Teacher (100 is the average).
	A reader can read instructions and questions to the student, read the whole paper if necessary or the student may prefer to just ask for some specific words to be read to them.
Prompter	A trained adult can prompt student with a few permitted phrases to refocus, move the student on to the next question or indicate how much time is left.	A student who persistently loses concentration/focus, and is not aware of time and this can also be put in place for students who are affected by OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). Students with OCD often focus on one question in particular rather than moving on to look at other questions in the exam paper.
Transcript	An exact copy of a student’s exam script made after the exam without the participation of the student.	Only to be used where a student’s handwriting or spelling is difficult to decipher for those not familiar with it. This can also be put in place for students with a temporary injury where the use of a laptop is not appropriate.
Read Aloud	Where a candidate is reading difficult text she may work more effectively if she can hear herself read.	A student who persistently struggles to understand what they have read, but who does not qualify for a reader, to read aloud.
	The arrangement must reflect the candidate’s normal way of working in internal school tests and mock examinations. A candidate who reads aloud to herself must be accommodated separately within the centre.
Separate Room	A student with a medical condition such as epilepsy/diabetes where it isn’t appropriate for them to sit an exam in the main exam hall. Students who are agoraphobic/have a psychological condition may also need to sit an exam in a separate room. Medical evidence must be provided in advance to support this arrangement and then be approved by the ENCo.
Modified Papers	Individually prepared papers for candidates. The modification of papers involves additional resources. Therefore centres are required to provide the awarding bodies with early notification that a candidate will require a modified paper	Students for whom other access arrangements are unsuitable, for example, large print
	Modified papers must be ordered in advance of a specific examination series. Centres must not order papers for candidates unless they intend to enter them for the relevant examination series. Access arrangements online allows centres to place orders for GCSE and GCE modified papers.
Laptop	Access to a laptop for an exam (if appropriate – not for subjects such as Maths) so the student would word process their answers. Spelling and grammar checks would be disabled and a special exam account would be used with no internet access.	The provision to use a laptop is put in place to address an underlying difficulty such as: speed of handwriting; medical condition; physical disability; sensory impairment; planning and organisational difficulties or poor legibility.
	The use of a laptop in exams reflects the student’s normal way of working at the school and has been agreed as appropriate to the student’s needs. The use of a laptop cannot be granted to a student simply because this is their preferred way of working. Centres are allowed to provide a word processor with the spelling and grammar check facility/predictive text disabled (switched off) to a candidate where it is their normal way of working within the centre and is appropriate to their needs. For example, the quality of language significantly improves as a result of using a word processor due to problems with planning and organisation when writing by hand. (This also extends to the use of electronic braillers and tablets.)
Rest Breaks	Students are permitted to stop for short break/s during the exam and the time stopped is added to the finish time, with the effect of elongating the exam but not actually using any extra time. Students are not permitted to have exam materials with them during rest breaks.	A student has a physical disability which prevents them from concentrating for long periods of time.
	This is now the recommended option from the exam boards before considering extra time. Rest breaks are not included in any Extra Time allowance that the student may have. The amount of time awarded is granted at the discretion of the ENCo.
Extra Time	Students may be entitled to an allowance of 25% depending on the history of evidence of need and the recommendation of the Designated Specialist Teacher and 2 standardised scores of 69 or below from Psychometric Testing are evident. Extra time between 25 and 50% can be granted in extraordinary circumstances.	Students will have an assessment to determine their speed of processing. A standardised score of 84 or below (100 being average) can qualify for extra time. In exceptional circumstances, a candidate may require more than 50% extra time in order to manage a very substantial impairment.
	There are cases where students get a score of more than 84. In these cases more evidence is needed to prove that a student should receive extra time. This could be in the form of an extensive history of need, formal diagnosis of a significant learning difficulty, or evidence of a substantial long term adverse effect on the performance of a child’s speed of a working. The amount of time that students should receive is decided by the Specialist Tester and based upon their processing speeds
Live Speaker	A live speaker for pre-recorded examination components, e.g. MFL listening examinations, to a candidate where it is their normal way of working within the centre. The live speaker will speak or read aloud the contents of the CD or tape in a Listening examination.	Students who have persistent and significant difficulties in following speech at normal speed.
Oral Language Modifier	A responsible adult who may clarify the carrier language used in the examination paper when requested to do so by a candidate. The Oral Language Modifier must not explain technical terms or subject specific terms. The ability to understand these terms is part of the assessment. If such terms are explained to the candidate then the demands of the question will have been compromised and may constitute malpractice.	Students whose disability has a very substantial and long term adverse effect resulting in very persistent and significant difficulties in accessing and processing information.
	An Oral Language Modifier must be seen as a rare and exceptional arrangement. An Oral Language Modifier is an adjustment of last resort so an application must only be made once all other relevant access arrangements have been considered and found to be unsuitable or unworkable. There must be a very strong justification as to why an Oral Language Modifier is required. An Oral Language Modifier may also act as a reader. An Oral Language Modifier will not be allowed to read questions or text in a paper (or a section of a paper) testing reading. A candidate who would normally be eligible for an Oral Language Modifier, but is not permitted this arrangement in a paper (or a section of a paper) testing reading may be granted up to a maximum of 50% extra time. An approved application for an Oral Language Modifier will allow the centre to grant the candidate up to a maximum of 50% extra time in a paper (or a section of a paper) testing reading.
Bilingual translation dictionaries (with up to a maximum of 25% extra time)	Only to be used by student’s whose first language is not English. The bilingual dictionary must be held in the centre to ensure no unauthorised information e.g. notes/revision is enclosed or written inside.	Should reflect the student’s normal way of working.
	Such dictionaries must not be used in English Language, Irish Language or Welsh Language examinations or Modern Foreign Language examinations testing one of the languages of the dictionary or a similar language, for example, a Portuguese dictionary in a Spanish examination. Exceptions to these rules are: The Writing Test in GCSE Arabic, GCSE Bengali, GCSE Dutch, GCSE Greek, GCSE Gujarati, GCSE Japanese, GCSE Modern Hebrew, GCSE Panjabi, GCSE Persian, GCSE Polish, GCSE Portuguese, GCSE Russian and GCSE Turkish where the specification states that all candidates must have access to a bilingual dictionary. Candidates who are permitted to use bilingual translation dictionaries may also be allowed up to a maximum of 25% extra time, depending on need, if they have been resident in the UK for less than two years at the time of the examination, the candidate still has a very limited knowledge of the English language, extra time reflects the candidates normal way of working.
Aural Tests	For aural tests, clear amplification may be necessary to improve the candidate’s ability to hear, or a transcript of a listening test may be read to enable the candidate to also lip/speech-read. The centre must consult a specialist teacher, i.e. a qualified Teacher of the Deaf, to identify the most appropriate arrangement for a candidate with hearing loss. The live speaker will speak or read aloud the contents of the CD or tape in a Listening examination. Extra time of 25% should always be considered on account of the additional repetition which may be required. Additionally, 25% extra time may also be required in light of the candidate’s persistent and significant difficulties in following speech at normal speed. In very rare and exceptional circumstances the candidate may require up to 50% extra time.
Sign language interpreter	A trained adult who presents the questions in a different language without: changing the meaning; providing any additional information; or providing an explanation as to what the question requires of the candidate.	Students whose ‘normal way of working’ requires sign language interpretation.
	A Sign Language Interpreter is not a reader. However, the same person may act as a reader and a Sign Language Interpreter. Permission must have been given for the use of a reader and a Sign Language Interpreter. The Sign Language Interpreter can sign the instructions and questions to candidates taking written papers except in Modern Foreign Languages or English examinations. The Sign Language Interpreter may repeat the translation if requested to do so by the candidate. An alternative translation of the carrier language may be provided. However, under no circumstances may an explanation of the question or clarification of the carrier language be given. These actions would be deemed as giving the candidate an unfair advantage and may constitute malpractice. Candidates may only sign their answers in question papers or in controlled assessment/coursework where it is possible to finger spell the answers or where the answers involve single words. Sign Language interpretation is done ‘live’ in the presence of the candidate during the examination in order to allow for the candidate’s regional variations in BSL/ISL signs. Consequently, sign language interpretation cannot be checked by the awarding body for accuracy. Great care must be taken not to disadvantage or advantage the candidate. Candidates requiring the use of a Sign Language Interpreter may need to be accommodated separately in which case a separate invigilator will be required.
Alternative site	The candidate will be sitting his/her examination(s) at a residential address or at a hospital which is a non-registered centre due to, for example: - a medical condition which prevents the candidate from taking examinations in the centre; or - Social, Mental and Emotional Needs.	The candidate has: - an impairment which has a substantial and long term adverse effect giving rise to persistent and significant difficulties; or - a temporary illness or injury at the time of the examination(s).
	The centre must be satisfied that the candidate is able to take examinations. The ENCo, or a senior member of staff with pastoral responsibilities, must produce written evidence confirming the need for an alternative site arrangement to a JCQ Centre Inspector upon request.
Practical Assistant	Practical assistants must perform practical tasks according to the candidate’s instructions, unless the skill to be performed is the focus of the assessment. Is not a reader or a scribe. The same person may act as a practical assistant, a reader and/or a scribe as long as permission has been given for these arrangements. The regulations for the use of each arrangement must be strictly adhered to.	Students with: poor motor co-ordination or/and severe vision impairment.
	A practical assistant must not be allowed to carry out physical tasks or demonstrate physical abilities where they form part of the assessment objectives. A practical assistant will not normally be permitted in subjects such as Art & Design, Design & Technology and Music. Candidates using a practical assistant in externally set practical or written examinations may need to be accommodated separately, in which case a separate invigilator will be required. The invigilator must be made aware, prior to the examination, of the particular task(s) the practical assistant will be performing.
Other Arrangements	- Amplification equipment - Braillers - Closed circuit television (CCTV) - Colour naming by the invigilator for candidates who are Colour Blind ] - Coloured Overlays (this would also include reading rulers, virtual overlays and virtual x reading rulers) - Low vision aid/magnifier - Optical Character Reader (OCR) scanners - Separate invigilation within the centre	Centres must note that candidates are only entitled to arrangements if they are disabled within the meaning of the Equality Act. The candidate is at a substantial disadvantage when compared with other non-disabled candidates undertaking the assessment and it would be reasonable in all the circumstances to provide the arrangement.
	In the case of separate invigilation, the candidate’s difficulties are established within the centre and known to a Form Tutor, a Head of Year, the ENCo or a senior member of staff with pastoral responsibilities. Separate invigilation reflects the candidate’s normal way of working in internal school tests and mock examinations as a consequence of a long term medical condition or long term social, mental or emotional needs.
Exemptions	An exemption is an agreement reached by an awarding body, before the examination, for a disabled candidate to miss a component or components. An indication will be placed on the candidate’s certificate to show that not all of the assessment objectives were accessible. An exemption will not be granted if an alternative and accessible route through a qualification is available to the candidate.
	The centre in the first instance should select ‘Other’. This will result in an automatic rejection. The centre must then make a referral to the relevant awarding body. The centre must indicate the candidate’s disability in order that an awarding body has the necessary information to hand when considering an application for an exemption. The awarding body must be assured that the exemption is an arrangement of the last resort. In Functional Skills English where barriers to access remain, candidates can be exempted from up to two of the three assessed components. Such an arrangement does not apply to Functional Skills ICT and Mathematics qualifications, as these qualifications consist of only one component.
Examination Reading Pen	A candidate may work more effectively if they can hear themselves read. JCQ approved.

What evidence is needed to apply for EAA?

There are a number of pieces of evidence that can be used to apply for EAA to Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ):

Form 8 report from Specialist Teacher or Specialist Teaching Assistant
Previous EAA from Primary Schools/ other Education Providers
Subject teachers – examples of work as appropriate
Results of baseline tests e.g. reading/comprehension age, writing tests

Private Educational Psychologists Reports

A growing number of parents are having their children assessed by private educational psychologists and submitting the reports to the ENCo as evidence that their child should be awarded extra time, or EAA. Private educational psychologist’s reports cost a significant amount of money. This therefore means that parents who are unable to obtain a private report through their financial circumstances are put at a disadvantage. As an exam centre we must be consistent in our decisions and ensure that no student is either given an unfair advantage or disadvantaged by any arrangements put in place. Often private educational psychologists, recommend that children should receive EAA which may be in conflict with what the centre tester (Specialist Teacher) recommends. Testing will be undertaken by the centre and we will also look for evidence of a history of need before any access arrangement is applied for.

KS2 SAT EAA

Students who have EAA at KS2 are screened for EAA at KS3 and KS4. Although they may have received EAA at KS2, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they automatically receive it at KS3 or KS4 because their needs may have changed. For example, a student who had a Reader for KS2 may not qualify for a Reader at KS4 because their reading has improved to the extent it does not meet the exam board criteria.

Baseline Testing in Year 7

All students in Year 7 are tested on the CATs Days in September. We use the Cognitive Ability Tests (CATs), Reading and Comprehension, and a spelling test. These tests can help identify learning difficulties such as dyslexia. The ENCo will contact parents where this is the case, do further testing, and if necessary put an appropriate intervention into place.

Parent Referral

Parents can contact the school to ask for advice about testing if they have concerns with the progress and learning of their child. Once contact has been made with the parent, the ENCO will investigate their concerns by sending a “round robin” to the child’s teachers to gain information. Following this, a decision will be made as to whether it is appropriate to test a student.

Teacher Referral

As with Parent Referrals, teachers can refer a student to the ENCo where they have concerns about the learning and progress of a student in their class. All of the students current teachers will be asked to give feedback to gain information, and following this a decision will be made as to whether to test a student for EAA. Where a teacher thinks that a student requires extra time, they are asked to get the student to change the colour of the pen that they are using once the allotted time is up, and continue writing until they are finished. This is then used as proof to JCQ and the exam boards of a history of need. Teachers are asked to refer students to the ENCo initially if they feel that a child may be dyslexic rather than contacting parents about their concerns. The ENCo will then contact the parents if the concerns are founded.

How do staff and parents know whether a student has Exam Access Arrangements?

Teaching and support staff can access the list on Staff Shared Area. It is updated on a monthly basis or whenever students become entitled to it. The information about results of assessments for EAA are kept confidentially in line with school policy and shared on a need to know basis.
Staff will be informed of any changes to the EAA list via email.
Parents will be informed of any tests results via a letter home which states what they are entitled to, why and when.

How are Exam Access Arrangements applied for?

Students need to be tested at each Key Stage for EAA. Just because they were entitled to EAA at KS2 does not automatically entitle them to it at KS3 or KS4. Therefore the Specialist Teacher tests students who are referred to us, or who have had EAA in earlier Key Stages.

The Specialist Teacher will assess students using a variety of nationally recognised tests such as:

Detailed Assessment of Speed of Handwriting (DASH)
Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT II)
Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing 2 (CTOPP)
LUCID Exact – A comprehensive assessment of literacy from age 11-24 years and 11 months

The tests that the Specialist Tester uses are replaced/upgraded periodically in line with current practice. The test that the Specialist Tester uses depends very much upon the type of barrier to learning that the student may have. Should the student need further testing to assess for other learning issues or further EAA, the Specialist Tester will arrange this. Following a report produced by the Specialist Tester an application is made to the Exam Boards for permission to implement the specified arrangement/s. Students are tested formally in April/May of Year 9 in order to comply with the 26 month rule; so that any permitted exam access arrangements are in place for the full GCSE period of both Year 10 and 11.

What support is given to students with EAA?

Students with EAA take part in small group sessions to show them how to effectively use EAA. In addition, students with EAA are encouraged to use their EAA during internal assessments and exams so that they gain practice at using it effectively.

Students who have access to a reader or scribe are shown how to use them appropriately in exam situations, and it is explained to them what they can and can’t do with the reader/scribe during the exam, and how much support the adult is allowed to give. Students with extra time are given sessions with a teaching assistant on how to use the additional time allowance effectively. They then need to apply the techniques and strategies given to them in internal exams and assessments.

All teachers are given access to the list of students with EAA monthly, and they are asked to give the ENCO at least two weeks’ notice before they assess students so that support can be provided for students who require it during the tests/exams. Students who have a reader can be supported by the Teaching Assistant supervising the test. The ENCO/Exams Officer can provide a separate room, access to ICT and a scribe with the required amount of notice. The ENCO require two weeks’ notice so that teaching assistants can be redeployed if necessary to other students.

Students with EAA are monitored regularly through the use of ‘The Watch List’/link teacher. In the event that a student does not wish to make use of their EAA in any given exam, they will be required to sign a form to indicate that they were aware that EAA was available to them, but it was their choice not to use them. However, where a student is deemed under the Mental Health Act (Code of Practice 2017 - Jersey) to be unable to make this decision the use of EAA will actively be encouraged.

What are the procedures for processing an application?

Once the tests have been conducted and there is a recommendation from the tester for EAA, the ENCO or Exams officer then applies to the exam boards. The feedback is instant and at this point the EAA is added to the list of students and the parents are informed of the EAA by letter.

The application will require evidence of need, and the centre needs to hold evidence in its files that can be inspected at short notice. This can include:

Recommendations by teachers
Educational psychologist reports
Letters from outside agencies such as CAMHS (Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services), hospitals or doctors
Information from Speech and Language Team
Statement of Educational Need (Record of Need) or Education, health & Care Plans (EHCP) Permission from the exam boards for the arrangement/s
A signed copy of the Form 8 report by the designated tester
A data protection form signed by the student
For Extra Time – history of evidence of need in the form of copies of work where a student has regularly used more than the allotted time.

Deadlines for submitting applications for access arrangements and modified papers on-line for GCSE and GCE qualification

Access arrangements may cover the entire course and for GCSE and GCE qualifications must be processed using access arrangements online as early as possible.

Arrangements must be processed and approved before an examination or controlled assessment/coursework as per JCQ deadlines (to be calendarised annually by the ENCO and Examinations Officer).

The dates are set by the JCQ and we will endeavour to test students after the dates above but they will not receive dispensation for that period. This is due to allocation of time to test late entries.

The deadline set by the JCQ is final, late entries will incur further inspections by the JCQ.

The decision to apply for access arrangements is based on evidence of a history of need, history of provision and a specialist teacher access arrangements report.

Individual Student Needs (ISN) Policy

Appendix 1

Appendix 2 - Jersey SEND Code of practice 2017 (excerpt)

Appendix 3 - Access Arrangements

Assessment and Feedback Policy

Archive Donations Policy

Copyright Declaration