Statutory	No
Website	Yes
Last Review	January 2025
Next Review	January 2026
Reviewer	Exams Officer/Assistant Headteacher responsible for Exams and Curriculum
Governor Committee
Ratified by SLT	March 2025

 

Swanmore College is committed to:

• Ensuring the planning and management of all examinations is conducted efficiently and in the best interest of candidates;
• Abiding by all regulations set down by statute and examining bodies pertaining to public examinations;
• Compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 which extends the application of the DDA to general qualifications. The college will thus ensure that access arrangements and special consideration regulations and guidance used are consistent with the law;
• Ensuring any costs charges made in relationship to public examinations are in accordance with the college’s ‘Charging Policy’.

All candidates will be entitled, and enabled, to achieve an entry for qualifications from an external awarding body.

It is the responsibility of everyone involved in the college’s exam processes to read, understand and implement the procedures below in support of this policy.

1. Exam responsibilities

The Headteacher: Has overall responsibility for the conduct of the college as an examination centre including the reporting of any suspicion or actual incident of malpractice in line with JCQ guidance.

The Assistant Headteacher, Exams and Assessment will be responsible for:

• overseeing the link between college courses and appropriately validated external examinations
• monitoring, evaluation and review of procedures
• ensuring timely dissemination of information pertaining to regulations and arrangements to pupils, parents and teachers
• follow up of disciplinary action necessary where pupils do not comply with exam regulations
• analysis of examinations results to support self evaluation and college improvement
• advising the Headteacher on appeals and re-marks ensuring that these are actioned as appropriate.

The Examinations Officer will manage the administration of public and internal exams by:

• advising the senior Leadership team, subject and class teachers and other relevant support staff on annual exam timetables and application of procedures as set by the various exam boards
• overseeing the production and distribution to staff, governors and candidates of an annual calendar for all relevant exams and communicating regularly with staff concerning imminent deadlines and events
• ensuring that candidates and their parents are informed of those aspects of the exam timetable that will affect them
• circulating the exam timetables for both external and internal exams once these are confirmed
• identifying and managing exam timetable clashes
• consulting with teaching staff to ensure that necessary coursework/controlled assessments are completed on time and in accordance with JCQ guidelines
• providing and confirming detailed data to the boards on estimated entries
• receiving, checking and storing securely all exam papers and completed scripts
• submitting candidates’ coursework marks, tracking dispatch and storing returned coursework and any other material required by the appropriate awarding bodies correctly and on schedule
• forwarding any appeals/re-mark requests
• administering access arrangements and making applications for special consideration using the JCQ access arrangements and special considerations regulations and guidance relating to candidates who are eligible for adjustments in examinations
• accounting for income and expenditures relating to all exam costs/charges in liaison with Director of Finance and Administration
• recruiting invigilators in consultation with the College HR team. Securing the necessary Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) clearance for new invigilators is the HR. Invigilators’ rates of pay are set by the college in accordance with pay requirements of HCC).
• line managing a team of exams invigilators being responsible for their conduct in the execution of their duties
• organising the recruitment, training and monitoring of exam invigilators in liaison with HR Officer
• arranging for dissemination of exam results and certificates to candidates including remarks
• ensuring the timely entry of candidates for their exams.

Subject Leaders will support the processes by:

• providing guidance and pastoral oversight for candidates who are unsure about exam entries or amendments to entries
• being proactively involved in post-results procedures
• ensuring accurate completion of coursework mark sheets and declaration sheets
• ensuring accurate completion of entry and all other mark sheets and adherence to deadlines as set by the exams officer.
• Keeping pupil mock exam scripts safely should there be widespread issues with exam boards during an exam season.

The SENCO will:

• carry out the identification processes and testing of candidates’ requirements for access arrangements (A candidate’s special needs requirements are determined by suitably trained member of staff)
• inform subject teachers of candidates with special educational needs who are embarking on a course leading to an exam. The SENCO also will inform individual staff of any special arrangements that individual candidates may be granted during the course and in the exam.
• ensure the provision of additional support — with spelling, reading, mathematics, dyslexia or essential skills, hearing impairment, English for speakers of other languages, IT equipment in order to support equality of access for candidates

Lead invigilator/invigilators will ensure the:

• collection of exam papers and other material from the exams office before the start of the exam
• collection of all exam papers in the correct order at the end of the exam and their return to the exams office.
• Exams are conducted in accordance with JCQ regulations.

Exams Administrative staff are expected to support the input of data and the posting of exam papers.

Candidates are expected to confirm entries via signature and authenticate all required coursework as their own.

2. The statutory tests and qualifications offered

The statutory tests and qualifications offered at this centre are decided by the senior leadership team.

The statutory tests and qualifications offered are GCSE, Entry Level, NVQ, BTEC and AS Level.

3. Entries and retakes

• Candidates are selected for their exam entries by the subject leaders and the subject teachers.
• A candidate or parent/carer can request a subject entry, change of level or withdrawal. The final decision is then made by the Headteacher.
• The centre is not able to accept entries from external candidates.
• Entry deadlines will be circulated to staff by the exams officer and subject leaders are expected to ensure that all deadlines are met. Subject leaders are required to give particular scrutiny to the arrangements for modular exams.
• Late entries can only be authorised by the Assistant Headteacher, Exams and Assessment

4. Examination fees

• GCSE initial registration and entry exam fees are paid by the college
• Late entry or amendment fees will be paid by the centre unless they are the direct result of a parental request
• Candidates will not be charged for changes of tier initiated by a teacher, withdrawals made by the proper procedures or alterations arising from administrative processes,
• The college reserves the right to charge a parent/carer the full entry costs of a public examination should a pupil fail to attend a public examination for which they have been entered.
• Reimbursement will be sought from candidates who fail to sit an exam or meet the necessary coursework requirements for any reason not covered by medical evidence
• Candidates must pay the fee for an enquiry about a result, should the centre not uphold the enquiry and the candidate insist on pursuing the enquiry.

5.  Access arrangements

• Making special arrangements for candidates to take exams is the responsibility of the exams officer
• Submitting completed access arrangement applications to the awarding bodies is the responsibility of the exams officer
• Rooming for access arrangement candidates will be arranged by the exams officer
• Invigilation and support for access arrangement candidates will be organised by the exams officer.

 

6. Examination sessions/invigilation 

• The exams officer will book all exam rooms after liaison with other users and make the question papers, other exam stationery and materials available for the invigilator.
• Site management will be responsible for setting up the allocated rooms on instructions from the exams officer.
• The lead invigilator will start all exams in accordance with JCQ guidelines.
• In practical exams subject teachers may be on hand in case of any technical difficulties.
• Exam papers must not be read by subject teachers or removed from the exam room before the end of a session. Papers will be distributed to subject leaders at the end of the exam session.
• External invigilators will be used for exam supervision except in the case of any internal exams other than Year 11 mocks
• Invigilators will be timetabled and briefed by the exams officer
• Invigilators will use pupil photographs to ensure the expected candidates are sat in the correct seats. A random check on correct seating will take place each exam.

 

 

7. Candidates, clashes and special considerations

7.1 Candidate Protocols

• The college’s published rules on acceptable dress, behaviour and candidates’ use of mobile phones and all electronic devices will apply at all times.
• Disruptive candidates are dealt with in accordance with JCQ guidelines.
• Candidates may leave the exam room for a genuine purpose requiring an immediate return to the exam room, in which case a member of staff or invigilator must accompany them and log details of the incident.
• The exams officer will attempt to contact any candidate who is not present at the start of an exam and deal with them in accordance with JCQ guidelines.
• The following procedures will apply for cases of disturbance and other breaches of the regulations/procedures:
  • a) Verbal warning by Invigilator
  • b) Final warning by Assistant Headteacher, Exams and Curriculum with a letter home from the Exams Officer
  • c) Consideration of withdrawal of candidate from public examinations at the College and notification to the examination board of persistent disruption to public exams.
• Invigilators must remove any candidate from the exam room who is creating a disturbance or communicating with any other candidates. A written statement with details of the incident must be given to the Exams Officer.

7.2 Clashes

• Where a clash occurs the exams officer will be responsible for identifying candidate escorts, identifying a secure venue and arranging overnight stays if and when appropriate.

7.3 Special considerations

• Should a candidate be too ill to sit an exam, suffer bereavement or other trauma or be taken ill during the exam itself, it is the candidate’s responsibility to alert the centre, or the exam invigilator, to that effect.
• Any special consideration claim must be supported by appropriate evidence within five days of the examination, for example a letter from the candidate’s doctor.
• The exams officer will then forward a completed special consideration form to the relevant awarding body within seven days of the examination.

8. Coursework/controlled assessments

• Candidates who have to prepare portfolios should do so by the date specified by subject areas
• Subject leaders will ensure all coursework/controlled assessment samples are ready for dispatch at the correct time and the exams officer will keep a record of what has been sent when and to whom.
• Marks for all internally assessed work are provided to the exams office by the subject leaders
• Any candidate that wishes to appeal the grades of coursework marked by Swanmore Staff must follow the procedure documented in the policy “Internal Exams Appeals Procedure”
• Coursework will be retained until the end of the term in which certificates were made available. Any coursework not collected by that time will be disposed of.

 

9. Results/enquiries about results (EAR)/Access to scripts (ATS)

9.1 Results

• Candidates will receive individual results slips on results days in person at the centre / by post to their home addresses / or collected by 3^rd party if that person is authorised so to do with a signed authority.
• Arrangements for the college to be open on results days are made by the exams officer.
• The provision of staff on results days is the responsibility of the Assistant Headteacher, Exams and Curriculum

9.2 Enquiries About Results (EARs)

• EARs may be requested by staff or candidates if there are reasonable grounds for believing there has been an error in marking.
• When the college does not uphold such a request the candidate may apply to have an enquiry carried out. If a candidate requires this against the advice of subject staff, they will be charged.

9.3 Access To Scripts (ATS)

• After the release of results, candidates may ask subject staff to request the return of papers within three days’ scrutiny of the results.
• If a result is queried, the exams officer and teaching staff will investigate the feasibility of asking for a re-mark which will be at the candidates expense.
• Centre staff may also request scripts for investigation or for teaching purposes. For the latter, the consent of candidates must be obtained.

10. Certificates

• Certificates will only be presented in person. (Any candidate requiring the posting of a certificate will be charged the full cost of the process in advance of the certificate being posted.)
• Certificates will normally be presented on Certificate Evening in November
• Certificates may be collected in person by the candidate at other times in arrangement with the College
• Certificates may be collected on behalf of a candidate by a third party, provided they have been authorised to do so and have evidence of such
• Certificates are not withheld from candidates who owe fees
• The centre retains certificates for one year only after which time they will be disposed of if not collected

11. In the absence of the Examinations Officer

• Control of the Exams will be the responsibility of the Exams Assistant under guidance from the Assistant Headteacher, Exams and Assessment.