[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-619240-105":3,"doc-detail-619240-en":80,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":96},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":73,"head_meta":75,"extra_data":77,"updated_unix":79},105,"en","practitioner-views-on-current-and-future-access-arrangements-executive-summary-and-findings","Practitioner views on current and future access arrangements - Executive summary and findings","","The study examines attitudes and concerns about current access arrangements for GCSE, AS and A-level exams in England, prompted by a rise in access arrangement requests (Ofqual, 2022). Interviews and focus groups with special educational needs coordinators and exams officers (n=17) used reflexive thematic analysis to identify three themes: patterns in access arrangements, factors shaping them, and accessibility of on-screen assessment. Findings highlight increased requests for social, emotional and mental health needs, resource inequality, parent influence issues, and both benefits and risks of digital assessment for learners with SEND.",{"@graph":14,"@context":72},[15,34,55],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/","Exam",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/practitioner-views-on-current-and-future-access-arrangements-executive-summary-and-findings/619240/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/practitioner-views-on-current-and-future-access-arrangements-executive-summary-and-findings/619240.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Olivia Brown","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-29","2026-10-20",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":22},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",{"@type":56,"mainEntity":57},"FAQPage",[58,64,68],{"name":59,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":61},"What prompted the investigation into access arrangements for exams?","Question",{"text":62,"@type":63},"A recent increase in access arrangement requests for GCSE, AS and A-level exams prompted the study, alongside the need to understand what is working now and what may require reform in the future.","Answer",{"name":65,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":66},"Which key themes were generated from the interviews and focus groups?",{"text":67,"@type":63},"The analysis produced three themes: patterns in access arrangements, factors affecting access arrangements, and accessibility of on-screen assessment.",{"name":69,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":70},"How do participants view on-screen exams for students with SEND?",{"text":71,"@type":63},"Participants noted potential benefits such as greater independence, but also emphasized that integrating technology into assessment may introduce new accessibility challenges.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":74,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":76,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":78,"site_id":7},619240,1792462726,{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":82},"success",{"doc_id":78,"user_id":83,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":84,"doc_module":4,"category_id":33,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":85,"file_id":86,"file_url":87,"file_type":88,"file_size":89,"view_count":22,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":90,"language":91,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":92,"faqs":93,"seo_title":94,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":79,"read_time":95,"preview_page_count":4},16904993612988,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_a8503ba1806abce46bf441b54a3ca4cd","Practitioner views on current and future access arrangements  \nResearch and Innovation  \nPhoebe Surridge, Katy Finch and Alina Husain  \nExecutive summary  \nA recent increase in the number of access arrangement requests for GCSE, AS and A-level exams (Ofqual, 2022) has prompted an investigation into what is working well in the current system and what may need reforming in the future. The current study sought to gain insights into the attitudes and concerns of special educational needs coordinators and exams officers via interviews and focus groups.  \nThree main themes were generated from a reflexive thematic analysis of the data: patterns in access arrangements, factors affecting access arrangements, and accessibility of on-screen assessment. Participants highlighted the following:  \n• an increase in access arrangement requests for students with social, emotional and mental health needs  \n• inequality in terms of access to resources, both at the student and the school level  \n• issues arising from the influence that parents can exert, exacerbated by a lack of awareness among parents and professionals as to the breadth of access arrangements available  \n• potential benefits of on-screen exams include greater independence for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND); however, new accessibility issues may arise with the integration of technology into assessment.  \nA key message that arose from all the interviews and focus groups was that the needs of a student are unique to the individual, and access arrangements cannot be based on diagnosis alone. Rather, the focus must be on the support that each student needs to overcome the impact of their condition.  \nWith a move towards greater digital assessment, ensuring adequate access and preparation for all learners must be paramount. It is crucial that the challenges that digital screens and accompanying functionality may bring for learners with SEND are considered alongside the benefits of integrated accessibility features.  \nIntroduction  \nIn England, it is a legal requirement to ensure all groups of students have equitable access to assessment (Equality Act, 2010) . An adjustment that makes an exam more equitable for a student is referred to as an access arrangement. Access arrangements are outlined by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ, 2022) and vary depending on the needs of the student; examples include extra time, rest breaks,  \nmodified papers and using a communication professional such as a British Sign Language interpreter. A‘one size fits all’ approach to accessibility cannot be taken; access arrangements should be tailored to the needs of the individual student (Leveroy, 2013). While two students may have the same diagnosis, their support needs are likely to differ. However, the literature suggests that there may exist inequalities in terms of the access arrangements that students receive (Woolrich, 2017), and some groups of learners may currently be underserved by the system (Wood & Happé, 2020) .  \nWithin a school, the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) and the exams officer undertake the majority of the work to ensure that students have equitable access to assessment. A SENCo is responsible for documenting the needs of students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and applying for access arrangements. Exams officers make the practical arrangements for exams, such as ensuring there are enough rooms. Exams officers are also involved in organising access arrangements. For example, they play a key role in ordering large-print papers, ensuring rooms are accessible for students with physical disabilities and arranging extra time.  \nData from Ofqual (2022) indicates an increase in the number of access arrangement requests for GCSE, AS and A-level exams, which may have been exacerbated by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic (Communicate-ed, 2022) . In light of this increase, it is more important than ever that we unders","cbCaikuVdbbndngR","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaikuVdbbndngR","pdf",212581,16,"English","# Executive summary\n# Introduction\n# Methods\n# Findings and discussion","[{\"question\":\"What prompted the investigation into access arrangements for exams?\",\"answer\":\"A recent increase in access arrangement requests for GCSE, AS and A-level exams prompted the study, alongside the need to understand what is working now and what may require reform in the future.\"},{\"question\":\"Which key themes were generated from the interviews and focus groups?\",\"answer\":\"The analysis produced three themes: patterns in access arrangements, factors affecting access arrangements, and accessibility of on-screen assessment.\"},{\"question\":\"How do participants view on-screen exams for students with SEND?\",\"answer\":\"Participants noted potential benefits such as greater independence, but also emphasized that integrating technology into assessment may introduce new accessibility challenges.\"}]","Practitioner views on current and future access arrangements - Executive summary and findings | PDF",40,{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":97},[98,102,106,109,114,119,123,128,133,136,140],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":99,"show_sort_weight":100,"slug":101},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":108},70,"exam",{"id":110,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":111,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":120,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":121,"show_sort_weight":95,"slug":122},7,"Healthcare","healthcare",{"id":124,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":125,"show_sort_weight":126,"slug":127},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":129,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":130,"show_sort_weight":131,"slug":132},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":131,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":134,"show_sort_weight":131,"slug":135},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":137,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":138,"show_sort_weight":137,"slug":139},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":141,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":142,"show_sort_weight":110,"slug":143},19,"General","general"]