School leaders say they need more support in the face of the “challenging” rise in demand from students for alternative access arrangements, such as extra time or being seated away from main exam halls, when sitting GCSEs, A levels and AS-levels
The number of approved requests for access arrangements rose to nearly 625,000 - 12.3 per cent up on last year, (556,000). It continues an upward trend seen since 2020, according to Ofqual figures released today.
Nearly a third of students (30.1 per cent) asked for 25 per cent extra time to complete exams, up from 28 per cent.
In independent centres - mainly private schools - 41.8 per cent of candidates were granted 25 per cent extra time in their exams in 2023-24, compared with 35 per cent in sixth-form and further education colleges and 26.5 per cent in non-selective state schools.
The Department for Education says it is committed to identifying what is driving this gap and whether there are “systemic barriers in place preventing state schools from accessing these arrangements” as part of wider work on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) identification in schools.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the school leaders’ union NAHT, said members had seen a rise in requests for access arrangements, particularly for students to move away from main exam halls to smaller rooms.
This was “likely to be a result of a variety of factors, including the impact of the pandemic and increasing anxiety and mental health issues”. He added: “Those may be exacerbated by the number of high-stakes final exams students face in their GCSE subjects.”
Mr Whiteman said it could be “challenging for schools to meet that increasing demand for separate or small-room invigilation as it needs additional staffing and space”, so more support was needed.
‘Excessive’ quantity of assessment
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said it was not surprising that requests for access arrangements had risen, as the number of students with special educational needs and mental health issues was also rising.
“At least some of the wellbeing issues are directly linked to the exam system itself, where the sheer quantity of assessment in a short period of time is excessive and the stakes are too high,” he said.
David Holloway, senior policy manager (SEND) at the Association of Colleges, agreed that the rise in students presenting with SEND and mental health conditions may have led to more adjustments.
The five most common types of access arrangements were: 25 per cent extra time, computer reader or reader, scribe or speech, extra time above 25 per cent and “other”.
Approved computer-reader or reader-access arrangements were equivalent to 9.4 per cent of all candidates taking exams (9.2 per cent last year). Scribe- or speech-recognition access arrangements were equivalent to 3.5 per cent of all candidates, the same as last year.
There were 69,095 requests granted for modified papers, up 10 per cent. Non-interactive electronic question papers remain the most common modified paper granted (38.1 per cent), up from 35.3 per cent last year. Nearly 34 per cent asked for question papers in 18-point bold print (34.5 per cent in 2023); 17.9 per cent for 24-point bold (18.9 per cent in 2023); and 1.6 per cent for Braille (1.7 per cent in 2023).
The DfE said it is crucial that students with disabilities, learning difficulties or temporary illness are provided with access arrangements.
A spokesperson said: “This ensures they are not unfairly disadvantaged when taking their exams compared to their peers and that all pupils get the best life chances. All schools, including independent schools, are required to apply for access arrangements on behalf of their students and provide evidence to awarding organisations to support their application.”
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