Catch22 reserves the right to amend this policy, following consultation, where appropriate.
Date of last review: November 2025
Date of next review: August 2026
What is the policy about?
This policy outlines Catch22 College’s approach to implementing access arrangements and special considerations to ensure fair and equitable assessment for all learners. It sets out the principles and procedures for making reasonable adjustments for learners with disabilities or difficulties, as well as arrangements for learners who experience temporary illness, injury, or other exceptional circumstances at the time of assessment. The policy ensures compliance with the Equality Act 2010 and awarding organisation requirements, while maintaining the integrity, validity, and reliability of all qualifications and assessments delivered by Catch22.
Who does this policy apply to?
This policy applies to all Catch22 staff involved in the delivery and assessment of education and training programs within colleges, and to all those involved with quality assurance processes and Senior Management across the provision.
Policy requirements
Catch22 must have in place the necessary systems and procedures to allow the provision of access arrangements, including reasonable adjustments. These should reflect the needs of individual learners and must also ensure that assessment continues to enable a valid, reliable, and consistent judgement to be made about achievement of all learning outcomes against the stated assessment criteria.
Catch22 must arrange for special consideration to be given to learners that experience temporary illness, injury, or indisposition at the time of an assessment. This should allow them to demonstrate the achievement they are capable of for the units or qualification that are subject to special consideration.
This policy will be reviewed annually to ensure its effectiveness and relevance to the evolving needs of Catch22 colleges. Feedback from educators and observers will be considered in the review process.
- Qualifications and units approved for Catch22 to deliver
- Non-qualification units and courses approved by Catch22
The guidance sets out:
- The principles which should be followed when making decisions about adjustments to assessment;
- The procedures which should be followed when adjusting assessment requirements.
Catch22 has a duty to ensure that the integrity of our qualifications, units and assessments are always maintained. At the same time Catch22 have a duty to ensure that the rights of individual learners to access qualifications, units, and assessment in a way most appropriate for their individual needs are upheld. As well as The Equality Act 2010 legislation criteria is followed in relation to the 9 protected characteristics.
A reasonable adjustment is any action that helps to reduce the effect of a disability or difficulty that places the learner at a substantial disadvantage in the assessment situation- please refer to Catch 22’s reasonable adjustments policy. Catch22 should keep records for audit purposes where we are permitted by the awarding organisation to agree reasonable adjustments. These records are classed as assessment records and should be kept for at least 3 years from the end of the year to which they relate.
Catch22 should apply for special consideration using the special considerations form from the relevant awarding organisation. A separate form should normally be completed for each learner for each unit or qualification. However, in cases where a group of learners has been disadvantaged by a particular event (for example fire alarm) a single form should be submitted. A list of learners affected should be attached to the form.
The learner needs to submit evidence in support of special consideration. This may include medical evidence or a statement from the invigilator or any other appropriate information. The application should be signed and dated by a member of the centre staff who has formally been given delegated authority by the Head of Centre. The signatory must declare that the information given is accurate. The application for special consideration should be submitted as soon as possible after the assessment and not later than seven working days after the examination.
Requests for special consideration may only be accepted after the results of the examination have been released in the following circumstances:
- Application has been overlooked at the centre and the oversight is confirmed by the Head of Centre.
- Medical evidence comes to light about a learner’s condition, which demonstrates that the learner was affected by the condition at the time of the examination, even though the problem revealed itself only after the assessment.
- For on-screen assessments where results are immediately available If the application for special consideration is successful, the learner’s performance will be reviewed in the light of available evidence. It should be noted that a successful application of special consideration will not necessarily change a learner’s result
This policy will be reviewed annually to ensure that Catch22 remain compliant and up to date with changes (Legislation, codes of practice, and awarding organisation requirements).
Related policies
This policy should be read in conjunction with the following documents:
- Reasonable Adjustments Policy
- SEND Policy