Reasonable Adjustment and Special Consideration Policy
Rinova Ltd is committed to developing and delivering in line with the current legislations. We are committed to ensuring all learners have fair and equal access to assessment where possible and practical. A reasonable adjustment may be required where a learner has a disability, medical condition, learning needs or is indisposed at the time of assessment.
The purpose of the policy is to set out the steps that learners are required to follow when requesting reasonable adjustments and special considerations and the service Rinova provides for some of these arrangements.
There are two ways in which access to fair assessment can be maintained:
- through reasonable adjustments
- through special considerations
Reasonable Adjustments
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.
Reasonable adjustments must not compromise the assessment process or the assessment objectives and may involve:
- changing standard assessment arrangements, for example, allowing Learners extra time to complete the assessment activity.
- adapting assessment materials.
- providing access facilitators during assessment, for example a sign language interpreter or a reader.
Reasonable adjustments must be approved by Rinova in advance of the assessment activity taking place and where applicable, Rinova will notify the awarding body of the adjustment within the specified timescales. This will constitute an agreement to give the learner access to the assessment activity. The nature of the reasonable adjustment should be determined according to the assessment needs of the individual learner, without detracting from the level of performance required by the standards.
Requesting Reasonable Adjustments
Upon joining a programme the advisor/tutor will undertake a diagnostic and complete an Individual Learning Plan / Bespoke Training Plan, where disabilities/difficulties will be discussed. Based on these discussions the need to reasonable adjustments will be identified. If the Learner has identified a need for a reasonable adjustment which was not identified when the initial diagnostic exercise took place they can raise this with their tutor/advisor.
The tutor/advisor is to inform the relevant Rinova staff member (this may be the tutor/advisor) responsible for applying to the awarding body with any reasonable adjustment request (where appropriate). Requests must be made at least 7 working days (where the awarding body has not specified a specific timescale for the adjustment)
in advance of any assessment being undertaken and in line with the relevant awarding body’s own policy relating to adjustments and special considerations.
Special Consideration
Special considerations can be applied after an assessment, if there was any genuine reason the learner may have been disadvantaged during the assessment.
Examples of special considerations:
- learners who have a temporary Illness, injury or indisposition
- Some other event out of the learner’s control
If the learner is aware of a reason why they may be disadvantaged before the assessment, a request for Reasonable Adjustment should be made, as it may be possible for an extension to be granted to give the learner more time to prepare.
Requesting Special Consideration
Any requests to an awarding body must be made by the Rinova staff member responsible for liaising with the awarding body within 7 working days of any assessment taking place and in line with the awarding bodies own policy.
Special consideration, if successful may result in a small post assessment adjustment to the mark of the learner. The size of the adjustment will depend on the circumstances and reflect the difficulty faced by the learner.
All documents relating to reasonable adjustment requests and outcomes must be saved and stored securely within Rinova’s sharepoint system under the relevant project/funding folders. Access to these documents and information will be granted to the awarding body upon request.
