A survey of SEN practitioners’ experiences of identifying and supporting exam access arrangements.

Access arrangements aim to support students to demonstrate their knowledge in high-stakes examinations. With an increase in the number of arrangements being granted each year, this study aimed to capture the experiences of practitioners providing this support. The sample comprised 134 SEN practitioners (SENCOs and Specialist Assessors) based in secondary schools across England. Participants completed a survey asking about identification and monitoring the need of an access arrangement, they rated their confidence in these processes, and identified any challenges experienced. The findings highlighted inconsistencies in when students are being identified for access arrangements and a lack of processes in place to monitor the support being offered. Confidence to support provision was generally high, but SENCos rated themselves as less confident than those that had the assessor qualification. Thematic analysis of open-text responses elicited three key themes: (1) Lack of time to fulfil duties; (2) Poor understanding of access arrangements raises further challenges; and (3) Meeting the increase in demands puts a strain on resources. The findings suggest that senior leaders ought to reflect on the roles of their SEN team, as well as equipping them with the training, resources and staffing to support the provision of access arrangements.