Guidance

DAO reasonable adjustment and special consideration policy

Updated 17 November 2022

1. Scope

The Defence Awarding Organisation (DAO) develops and provides nationally and internationally recognised qualifications from levels 1 to 7 on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF). The DAO approve Centres to deliver its regulated qualifications through current and future education and training programmes. The DAO is responsible, and reports annually, to the Office of Qualifications and Examination Regulation (Ofqual).

This policy is aimed at helping Learners to achieve formal recognition of their achievements, without compromising the assessment process or the assessment objectives of a qualification. Reasonable adjustments are made to ensure that Learners who have a disability are not disadvantaged in any way. Learners must declare their needs prior to the assessment period and all necessary reasonable adjustment arrangements must have been implemented before the time of their assessment. Special considerations are made to ensure that Learners are not disadvantaged by any exceptional circumstances that may arise prior to, or during the assessment.

2. 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 are approved or set in place before the assessment activity takes place; they constitute an arrangement to give the Learner access to the assessment activity. The use of a reasonable adjustment will not be taken into consideration during the assessment of a Learner’s work. DAO and Centres are only required by law to do what is reasonable in terms of giving access. What is reasonable will depend on the individual circumstances, cost implications and the practicality and effectiveness of the adjustment. Other factors, such as the need to maintain competence standards and health and safety, will also be taken into consideration.

3. Making Reasonable Adjustments

The DAO and Centres have a responsibility to ensure that the assessment process is robust and fair and allows the Learner to demonstrate his or her full potential. Centres must have a policy in place to accommodate learners requiring reasonable adjustments.

Adjustments to assessments should:

• not invalidate the assessment requirements of the qualification
• not give Learners an unfair advantage
• reflect the Learner’s normal way of working
• be based on the individual need of the Learner

4. Applications for Reasonable Adjustment

Requests for making a reasonable adjustment should be made using the Reasonable Adjustment Request Form which is available on the DAO website. The process for reporting reasonable adjustments should be included within the Joining Instructions (JI) for the course leading to the qualification.

The Reasonable Adjustment form, with supporting evidence from a qualified and registered SpLD Advisor/Assessor, should be completed and returned to DAO as soon as possible. This is to allow sufficient time for the reasonable adjustment application to be reviewed, and, if approved, put in place. The minimum amount of notice required is 15 working days prior to the assessment requiring the adjustment. DAO will log the request and the reasonable adjustment made, as appropriate.

A Reasonable Adjustment can be requested by anyone who has a disability or a difficulty that places them at a substantial disadvantage in the assessment situation and a reasonable adjustment would reduce the effect of this and provide a fair assessment. Examples of a reasonable adjustment include:

• allowing extra time, eg assignment extensions (up to a maximum of 25%)
• using a different assessment location
• use of coloured overlays, low vision aids
• use of assistive software
• assessment material in large format or Braille
• readers/scribes
• assessment material on coloured paper or audio format
• British Sign Language
• Irish Sign Language
• use of ICT/responses using electronic devices

5. Registering Learners

Centres should use their integrity when identifying and registering Learners. Centres must ensure that Learners have sufficient information and advice on their chosen qualification and that the qualification will meet their needs.

Centres must assess each Learner’s potential to successfully complete the assessment and achieve the qualification. Such assessment must identify, where appropriate, the support that will be made available to the Learner to facilitate access to assessment. Where the initial assessment identifies that the Learner may not be able to achieve the full qualification, this should be communicated clearly to the Learner.

6. Special Consideration

Special consideration can be applied after an assessment if there was a reason the Learner may have been disadvantaged during the assessment. The following is a list of examples which might be eligible for special consideration (the list is not exhaustive):

• serious illness of the Learner
• serious illness of a parent
• bereavement of an immediate family member
• incapacitating illness of the Learner
• recent domestic crises
• accident and injury to the Learner
• trauma caused by a recent event or experience

Learners cannot enter a plea for special consideration for assessment solely on the grounds of disability or learning difficulty. Special consideration should not give the Learner an unfair advantage. The Learner’s results must reflect his or her achievement in the assessment and not necessarily his or her potential ability.

Special consideration may result in a small post-assessment adjustment (up to a maximum of 5%) the mark of the Learner. The size of the adjustment will depend on the circumstances during the assessment and will reflect the difficulty faced by the Learner but will always be a minor adjustment, as to do more may jeopardise the standard. For example, 5% is the maximum allowance and will be reserved for the most exceptional cases, such as terminal illness of the candidate or parent/carer.

Where an assessment requires a competence to be met fully, it may not be possible to apply any special consideration. In some circumstances it may be more appropriate to offer the Learner an opportunity to re-take the assessment at a later date or to extend the registration period so that the Learner has more time to complete the assessment activity.

7. Applications for Special Consideration

Learners who believe that they have been disadvantaged through circumstances beyond their control can request that special consideration is made regarding the outcomes of their assessment. The Learner must inform the assessor/invigilator at the time. The Centre must then complete the Special Consideration Request Form, available on the DAO website, and send it to DAO as soon as possible but no later than 7 working days after the assessment. Applications must be accompanied by supporting evidence, eg in the case of an illness, a doctor’s letter or a statement of events from the Centre.

DAO will confirm receipt of the request within 5 working days and provide written feedback on the decision to both the Centre and the Learner within 7 working days of receipt of the request. DAO will log the request and record the decision made.

8. Appeals

Appeals against the decision to provide reasonable adjustments or special consideration can be submitted by following the Enquiries and Appeals Policy.

9. Review of the Policy

The policy will be reviewed annually and revised as necessary in response to customer feedback, changes in legislation and guidance from Ofqual.