What do Tutors & Exams charge for Access Arrangements?
Any learner booking their exams directly with Tutors & Exams, regardless of centre venue, will receive Access Arrangement services Free at Point of Delivery*, subject to resource availability.
Please note we have limited resources at our centres (e.g. Single rooms available for Reader/Scribe or candidates needing to read aloud) and they are provided on a first come, first served basis.
To initiate Access Arrangement requirements you need complete our online application form specifying your need for Access Arrangements in the appropriate section. Once we have received payment for your exam entry we will be in touch to discuss your AA requirements.
* There is one exception; Candidates requesting ‘home invigilation’, due to medical or mental health issues, will be charged invigilator and chaperone travel expenses plus chaperone attendance expenses.
What are Access Arrangements?
Access Arrangements allow candidates/learners with special educational needs, disabilities or temporary injuries to participate in an assessment without changing the demands of said assessment. Notification allows us, as the examining centre, to organise readers, scribes and other required arrangements where needed/requested. This ensures Awarding Organisations can comply with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 to make ‘reasonable adjustments’.
The Equality Act 2010 requires an Awarding Organisation to 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.
The Access Arrangements Process
To initiate Access Arrangement requirements you will need to complete our online application form and indicate the need for Access Arrangements in the appropriate section. Once you have paid your exam entry fees we will be in touch to discuss your requirements.
Our SEN Specialist will discuss with you what evidence is required to apply and complete the necessary paperwork. The Access Arrangements process varies from candidate to candidate and the evidence required is likely to differ for each application. We will work with you throughout the process to ensure you are kept informed at all stages.
Learner Appointments are available between 10am-1pm Monday to Friday during term time, by prior arrangement.
Deadline for Access Arrangements
To ensure you don’t miss out; the deadlines for applying for Access Arrangements are:
Autumn 2024
Access Arrangements Deadline (including Modified Papers)
Cambridge: Deadline is 24th June 2024
JCQ: Deadline is 2nd September 2024
January 2025
Our Internal Access Arrangements date for January 2025 exams is Monday 4th November 2024.
Summer 2025
Cambridge (Modified Papers): 6th January 2025
Cambridge (Access Arrangements inc. Evidence): 13th January 2025
JCQ (Modified Papers): 13th January 2025
JCQ (Access Arrangements inc. Evidence): 27th January 2025
Please note: the deadline date is for when all evidence for Access Arrangements needs to be received by. After entries are made, expect an email from [email protected] requesting the relevant evidence.
If you do not receive an email, please check your junk/spam folders before reaching out to us. Thank you.
Customer Charter – Access Arrangements – Tutors & Exams
When you engage with our centres, our aim is to ensure that:
- We have a dedicated SEN communication channel.
- We provide Access Arrangements Free at Point of Delivery.
- We are polite, friendly, approachable, courteous, and professional.
- All areas are clearly signposted, well maintained, clean and tidy, with a range of relevant information on display.
- All areas are accessible to all customers including wheelchair users. Should we be unable to fulfil your specific Access Arrangements requirements, we will endeavour to offer alternative arrangements or venues.
- We ask for your views and listen to you.
- We provide straightforward information about our services.
- We correct things promptly when they are wrong, and learn from complaints that are made about us
- We promote equality and fair treatment.
- We continuously strive to improve our services.
- We respond promptly to calls, letters, queries, and emails.
- We will communicate with you in plain English using terms that are clear and easy to understand.
- We provide an environment suitable to the needs of the candidate.
- We deal with complaints promptly and guarantee a full investigation and a considered response
Service for all
We aim to provide services and premises that are accessible to every candidate. We also aim to treat everyone fairly. No candidate should receive less favourable treatment because of their race, colour, nationality, age, religion, ethnic origin, sex, sexuality, marital status, or disability.
Contacting us
You can phone or visit our offices (by prior appointment only), between 8.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Thursday and 8:30am to 3:30pm on Friday’s. These are our aims:
- We will aim to answer phone calls promptly, politely, giving our name and the name of our organisation.
- Communicate with you in plain English using terms that are clear and easy to understand.
- If we need to contact you again, we will arrange a suitable time with you and we will keep to our promise of the time and date agreed with you.
- We will provide feedback on a regular basis to customers on service improvements which we have made.
- Access Arrangements appointments are available between 10am-1pm Monday to Friday during term time.
- We will acknowledge any email within two working days. If a member of the Access Arrangements team is unavailable, we will aim to get back to you within 24 hours.
Our documents
We will aim to use plain English in everything we send to you, where we have to use a legal term we will explain it.
Our expectations of you to help us to improve the service we provide and to deal with your query or complaint efficiently please:
- Give us the information we need to help you.
- Treat our staff appropriately and with respect.
