How can home educated children get GCSE access arrangements?

[accessarrangements]

How do we get extra time and separate room in private GCSEs?

I’ve read that a SENCo has to complete an assessment to apply but ds is home educated so we don’t have a SENCO? Can we access this any other way it doesn’t seem to be an option to apply to the exam boards for the access arrangements any other route and i can’t find any info online ?

Access arrangements are a nightmare to be granted now. As a school we need years of evidence! I dont know the answer but hope someone else does

Just to add extra time is also the hardest to grant. You need significant evidence and proof it is required

I don’t know exactly how it is done, but it is certainly possible. My subject is MFL and I conduct speaking exams each year with several exam centres around England (just finished!), which are accessed for YP who are doing the qual out of school – often (not always) bc they are not in school but are HE.

It’s not at all unusual for a YP to have extra prep time as part of their exam access arrangements in these assessments. I don’t make the speaking test longer (! unless I guess someone had a real issue communicating) but extra 25% prep is fairly common.

I suggest you enquire of the exam centre you are proposing to use. I imagine you will need medical evidence. All the best.

ETA just see you also said a separate room. IME the exam centres that I work with have multiple rooms in each centre so they are usually able to accommodate requests for a smaller room.

Without professional assessments how would you know if dc needs this
The same goes for the exam centres
You need proof through professional assessments of the need

Private candidates can still receive exam access arrangements. The exam centre you use can apply for EAA. They will need evidence to support this and some require you to sit mocks with them. Not all centres offer all types of access arrangements for external candidates. For example, not all can accommodate separate invigilation and where they do, they can get booked up quickly.

We have been advised from hospital consultants that it is necessary, they’ve written reports plus we also have a separate dyslexia report from time of diagnosis as well as medical requests but we didn’t realise that it requires a SENCO too

When is this for @accessarrangements? Next summer GCSEs?

And which exam centre are you using? I suggest you contact the centre today and find out what the specific process is and how long in advance it needs to be done.

Have you found a suitable exam centre already? Talk to them about access arrangements.

Next year. So far every centre we’ve contacted has said they can’t facilitate a separate room so we are still
trying to find a centre that will. If we could just try without we would but it’s as much for other candidates as it is for ds (he has Tourette’s and medical devices that make noises so it would distract others and be unfair)

Have you asked Tourette’s Action

Have you joined your local home ed group? Find out which exam centres people use, lots of home ed children have SEN so will have access arrangements.

It is also possible to take exams at home, though you would need to find a centre willing to oversee and it requires two invigilators so would be expensive.

No
it has to be a registered exam centre

We had to have a report commissioned by an educational psychologist to produce the evidence needed. It cost around £900 and was extensive but indicated appropriate access arrangements to create parity with peers.

@BrownTroutBluesAgain There is provision for exams to be taken at home - I know of cases in the last couple of years where this has happened. Whether there are any registered centres that would be willing to do it is a different matter, but it is possible under exam board rules and regulations. In all cases this is due to exceptional circumstances, and students are registered at the exam centre but then an alternative site is used.

My son did yes but he was at a college doing the Elective Home Education gcse course so they organised it all.

Hi OP

One of my children sat exams as a HEd candidate at an exam centre last year. You're timing this research exactly right - guidelines suggest sorting it all out by the January of the exam year. As you already have consultants' reports and a dyslexia diagnosis (which presumably specifies access arrangements) you may well have all the proof you need, and you just need to find a centre that will be able to provide what you need. Be prepared that this may not be particularly close to where you live, and you might need to think about transport, overnight stays nearby, etc etc. I am talking potentially hundreds of miles here!

I just did an online search and this is what came up - I think it may be helpful. The last line, re the JCQ, in particular:

Exam centres that provide access arrangements for home-educated students (private candidates) include specialized centers like Tutors & Exams Ltd (nationwide), Lionheart Education, and specialized, smaller private centres. These locations, along with some local schools/colleges, can facilitate approved arrangements such as extra time, word processors, readers, scribes, and separate rooms. 1, 2, 3]
Key Exam Centres Supporting Access Arrangements:
Tutors & Exams Ltd (Multiple Locations): Specializes in home-educated learners and provides comprehensive support for access arrangements, including 25% extra time, word processors, supervised rest breaks, and separate rooms. 1, 2, 3]
Lionheart Education: An experienced centre that supports students with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) and accommodates approved access arrangements. 1]
The Bridge Examinations Hub (Trowbridge): Designed with a calm, welcoming environment. 1]
Private Exam Centres in London: Tutors & Exams London is noted for SEND support. 1]
Local Schools/Colleges: Some schools (e.g., in Cumberland) or local authorities may act as exam centres, though private centers often offer better support for tailored needs. 1, 2, 3]
Important Information for Access Arrangements:
Evidence Required: Access arrangements are not automatic; they must be based on evidence of need and the student's normal way of working. 1]
Deadlines: You should contact centres and initiate the process with the assessment of need at least a year in advance of the exam, generally by the end of January of the exam year (e.g., Jan 31, 2025 for Summer 2025 exams). 1, 2]
Types of Support: Common arrangements include 25% extra time, word processors, readers, scribes, and separate invigilation. 1, 2, 3, 4]
It is recommended to find an approved Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) Centre that has specific experience working with private candidates and familiar with the 2024/2025 JCQ guidelines. 1, 2, 3]

Are you near a Tutors and Exams centre? I used them for two of mine who were home ed. One who needed a keyboard and one who needed extra time. I had dyslexia assessments to show them but they did their own assessments and it all went through quite smoothly.

Tutors & Exams is who I have a connection with and I find them very good. Like I say, smaller rooms definitely and maybe a room for just one candidate.

Is there a hospital school at the hospital where your ds sees the consultant? They are registered as exam centres for children not attending school due to medical conditions and provide Access Arrangements.
PS when I worked in a school, children with Tourettes did end up in separate rooms to prevent them from disturbing other students.

Not all centres offer separate invigilation. Those that do are in demand. Some centres who do, may already be fully booked for individual invigilation next summer.

@BrownTroutBluesAgain, @handmademitlove is right. Home invigilation is possible where it is necessary. It can be even harder to arrange home invigilation for private candidates who are EHE. I have 2 DC with EOTAS/EOTIS packages who have home invigilation. Remote invigilation is possible for some IGCSEs too.

Remote invigilation is possible for some IGCSEs too.

Yes @scoopofmintchocchipicecream I carried out a remote speaking assessment this year for an international qualification. Not something I had done before (well, not since 2020!) so I am not sure if it is a new thing?

My DD is home educated and is doing exams as a private candidate at an independent school.

We gave the school co ordinator all her documents (community paeds report and ed psych report) annoyingly they could not accept her dyslexia report as it was issued privately.

She got small room and 25% extra time on the basis of her anxiety and sensory issues. The school is in Northampton if any use to you they’ve been brilliant,

How did you find it? Do you know how the candidates found it? I think there are positives to remote invigilation but also potential problems/pitfalls.

Remote invigilation is a relatively recent addition. It was piloted in 2023 and 24. Then rolled out for some IGCSEs in the summer 2025 series and has expanded to a few more this year. Some are remote onscreen exams and some are remote invigilation of paper-based exams.

It was OK to do the actual tasks but I was not super happy about the fact that it would have been very possible for the candidate to cheat tbh – phone in a desk drawer that they snuck out. Pretty sure they didn't do that tho. Well if I thought they had I would have flagged it. I mean I don't think they needed to.

One possible issue was the candidate not hearing what I was saying with WiFi not always being perfect.