← All policies DAIS-POL-012 Quality and Assessment

Reasonable Adjustments

Version

1.3

Policy owner

Access Arrangements Coordinator (Khadija Khan)

Approved

September 2026

Next review

April 2027

DAIS-POL-012
Special Considerations and Reasonable Adjustments Policy
Data and AI School of London, NCFE Approved Centre

Policy Owner: Access Arrangements Coordinator (Khadija Khan)
Version: 1.3 | Date: September 2026 | Review: April 2027
NCFE Risk Level: High
Mode of Delivery: Fully Online

12.1 Purpose and Scope

This policy ensures that learners with a disability, learning difficulty, or who experience adverse circumstances at the time of assessment are not unfairly disadvantaged. It operates in compliance with NCFE's Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments Policy and the JCQ A Guide to the Special Consideration Process.

The duty applies from the point of first contact. A person who has applied, or who is enquiring about applying, is covered by this policy in the same way as an enrolled learner.

12.2 Reasonable Adjustments

A reasonable adjustment is a change to the way in which an assessment is delivered or submitted, to enable equitable access. Adjustments must not give the learner an unfair advantage or compromise assessment integrity. Examples for the online context:

• Additional time allowance, sometimes called extra time, for timed online assessments
• Use of screen-reading software or text-to-speech tools
• Submission in an alternative format, for example an audio recording instead of written text
• Adjusted font size or colour contrast settings within the assessment platform
• More frequent short breaks during longer assessments
• Access to a spellchecker for learners with dyslexia, where permitted by the qualification specification

12.3 Applying for a Reasonable Adjustment

1. Learner notifies the Access Arrangements Coordinator (Khadija Khan) at application, at enrolment, or as soon as the need arises.
2. Learner provides appropriate evidence of their need, for example an educational psychologist report, a medical letter, or a confirmed diagnosis.
3. Learner completes a Reasonable Adjustments Request Form. Learners who have started their course will find the form on the VLE. Applicants who have not yet enrolled, and any learner who would rather not wait, can use the form at dataaischool.com/reasonable-adjustment, which does not require a registration number. A request may also be made by telephone or email to the Access Arrangements Coordinator, and the Coordinator completes the form on the learner's behalf.
4. The Coordinator assesses the request and, where approved, records it using JCQ Form VQ/IA.
5. The adjustment is communicated to the learner's assessor and IQA.
6. Adjustments requiring prior NCFE approval are submitted by the Examinations Officer.

12.4 Technology-Related Adjustments

All assessment platforms are tested for compatibility with assistive technology before adoption. Where a learner's primary device is incompatible with a required platform, the centre will explore alternative access arrangements. Persistent internet disruption during a controlled assessment is treated as grounds for special consideration, see 12.5.

12.5 Special Consideration

Special consideration is applied after the assessment to acknowledge that a learner's performance was adversely affected by circumstances beyond their control. Grounds for the online context include:

• Recent bereavement or serious illness
• Physical injury affecting the ability to complete an assessment
• A significant technical failure, for example an internet outage or platform crash, during a timed online assessment
• Extreme personal or domestic circumstances

Learners must notify the Examinations Officer as soon as possible after the assessment, using the Special Consideration Application Form on the VLE, supported by evidence where reasonably obtainable. The section for special consideration also appears on the public request form at dataaischool.com/reasonable-adjustment, which requires no registration number and no login. That route exists because a platform crash or an internet outage during a timed assessment is itself grounds for special consideration, and a form held only inside the VLE is unreachable to a learner whose VLE access is what failed. The Examinations Officer submits the application to NCFE using JCQ procedures.

12.6 Record Keeping

All reasonable adjustment applications, approvals, and outcomes are recorded on the learner's digital record and available to the IQA and NCFE EQA. Records are retained for a minimum of 3 years.