EXAMINATION CONTINGENCY PLAN
QINES is an inclusive school that nurtures curiosity, creativity and global awareness through
an inspiring, broad and engaging curriculum. Children learn to become resilient and respectful in an
environment where each child is challenged and encouraged to thrive and achieve as an individual.
Mission Statement : To provide high quality childcare learning in a safe and clean environment
Our Vision : Empowering pupils to become confident compassionate and internationally minded learners.
Introduction
This policy has been developed by Quality International School.
AIMS OF THE EXAM CONTINGENCY PLAN
The aims of this plan are:
- To examine potential risks and issues that could cause disruption to the management and
administration of exams.
- To mitigate the impact of disruptions by providing actions or procedures to follow.
- To safeguard the interests of candidates while maintaining the integrity of the examination system and safeguarding qualification standards.
All awarding organisations are required to have their own well-established contingency plans in place to respond to such disruptions. The Examination Contingency Plan takes into account these processes and procedures and is designed to complement them, not replace them. This also applies to all other qualifications at Brine Leas School.
The priority when implementing contingencies will be to maintain three principles:
- Delivering assessments to published timetables
- Delivering results to published timetables
- Complying with regulatory requirements in relation to assessment, marking and standards.
LEGISLATION AND GUIDANCE
This plan complies with the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) General Regulations for Approved Centers which require all exam centres to have a written examination contingency plan/examinations policy. This plan also complies with our funding agreement and articles of association.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Head of School
The Head teacher will ensure that a written examination contingency plan is in place that
covers all aspects of examination administration.
SLT (examinations) and Examinations officer
The SLT (examinations) and Examinations officer will ensure arrangements are in place for the dynamic execution of the Examinations Contingency Plan.
Staff and invigilators
Staff and invigilators involved in the centre’s exam process are responsible for reading, understanding and implementing the contingency plan.
COMMUNICATIONS
In the event of local disruption, communication to teachers and students will take place through the Exams Officer following agreement with the Head teacher.
In the event of major disruption, details of specific contingencies agreed across organisations
involved in the examinations process will be confirmed on the Ofqual website and proactively
communicated to relevant stakeholders.
The organisations involved in this Joint Contingency Plan are committed to:
- Sharing timely and accurate information as required to meet the aims of the plan.
- Communicating with stakeholders so they are aware of disruption to the exams, the contingency measures being implemented and any actions required of them as a result.
- Ensuring any messages to the public is clear and accurate.
CAUSES OF POTENTIAL DISRUPTION TO EXAM PROCESS
Exam officer extended absence at key points in the exam cycle
Criteria for implementation of the plan.
Key tasks required in the management and administration of the exam cycle are not undertaken.
These may include:
- Planning
- Annual data collection exercise not undertaken to collate information on qualifications and awarding body specifications being delivered;
- Annual exams plan not produced identifying essential key tasks, key dates and deadlines;
- Sufficient invigilators not recruited and trained.
- Entries
- Candidates not being entered with awarding bodies for external exams/assessment
- Awarding body entry deadlines missed or late or other penalty fees being incurred
- pre-exams
- Exam timetabling, rooming allocation and invigilation schedules not prepared
- Candidates not briefed on exam timetables and awarding body information for candidates
- Exam/assessment materials and candidates’ work not stored under required secure conditions
- Internal assessment marks and samples of candidates’ work not submitted to awarding bodies/external moderators
- Exam time
- Exams/assessments not taken under the conditions prescribed by awarding bodies
- Required reports/requests not submitted to awarding bodies during exam/assessment periods, e.g. very late arrival, suspected malpractice, special consideration
- Candidates' scripts not dispatched as required to awarding bodies
- Results and post-results
- Access to examination results affecting the distribution of results to candidates
- The facilitation of the post-results service.
Centre actions
- Data manager to follow procedures and practices within the Examinations Officer remit
- Exams Officer to ensure essential information is available to Data Manager and SLT (examinations).
- Exams Officer to ensure exam policies and procedures are up to date at all times.
SEND-coordinator extended absence at key points in the exam cycle
Criteria for implementation of the plan
Key tasks required in the management and administration of the access arrangements process
within the exam cycle not undertaken.
These may include:
- planning
- candidates not tested/assessed to identify potential access arrangement requirements
- evidence of need and evidence to support normal way of working not collated
- pre-exams
-
approval for access arrangements not applied for to the awarding body
- modified paper requirements not identified in a timely manner to enable ordering to
meet external deadline
- staff providing support to access arrangement candidates not allocated and trained
- exam time
- Access arrangement candidate support not arranged for exam rooms.
Centre actions
- TA (responsible for adjustments for candidates with disabilities and learning difficulties) will
ensure essential information is available to Examinations Officer and SLT (examinations).
- Exams Officer to ensure exam cycle, policies and procedures are up to date at all times.
Curriculum Leaders' extended absence at key points in the exam cycle
Criteria for implementation of the plan
Key asks not undertaken. These may include:
- information not provided to the exams officer on time resulting in pre-release or NEA information not being received
- final entry information not provided to the exams officer on time; resulting in: o candidates
not being entered for exams/assessments or being entered late
- late or other penalty fees being charged by awarding bodies
- Internal assessment marks and candidates’ work not provided to meet submission deadlines.
Centre actions
- SLT (examinations) to ensure departmental continuity by requesting an alternative member of the takes responsibility for the actions above.
Invigilators–lack of appropriately trained invigilators or invigilator absence
Criteria for implementation of the plan
- Failure to recruit and train sufficient invigilators to conduct exams
- Invigilator shortage on peak exam days.
- Invigilator absence on the day of an exam.
Centre actions
- Examinations Officer to maintain a short list of suitable candidates.
- Examinations Officer to ensure that capacity is never exceeded on any one day
- SLT (examinations) / Examinations Officer to review training procedures regularly and put in place additional training as required.
- Examinations Officer to ensure a specific Emergency Evacuation Plan is in place
- Examinations Officer to ensure an Incident Log is in place
Exam rooms – lack of appropriate rooms or centre unable to open at short notice
Criteria for implementation of the plan
- Exams Officer unable to identify sufficient/appropriate rooms during exams timetable
planning.
- Insufficient rooms available on peak exam days.
- Main exam venues unavailable due to an unexpected incident at exam time.
Centre actions
- Pre-planning at all stages is essential
- SLT (examinations) and Examinations Officer to continually review all stages of the process
- Main hall and gymnasium to be first option as alternative venue for emergency accommodation. Alternatively, the school should use venues in agreement with relevant awarding organisations (e.g. share facilities with other centres or use other public building).
- Examinations Officer to inform each awarding organisation with which examinations are due to be taken as soon as possible.
- Head teacher to decide whether it is safe for the school to open for examinations.
- Head teacher responsible for taking advice, or following instructions from relevant local or national agencies in deciding whether the centre is able to open.
- Emergency Evacuation plan should be in place
- Examinations Officer to apply to awarding organisations for special consideration for candidates where they have met the minimum requirements
Disruption of teaching time – centre closed for an extended period
Criteria for implementation of the plan
- Centre closed or candidates are unable to attend for an extended period during normal teaching or study supported time, interrupting the provision of normal teaching and learning.
Centre actions
- SLT (examinations) to communicate with parents, carers and students about the potential
for disruption to teaching time and plans to address this
- Examinations Officer to advise the Examination Boards as appropriate
- The school should plan to facilitate teaching and learning by an alternative method or alternative location
Candidates unable to take examinations because of crisis – centre remains open
Criteria for implementation of the plan
- Candidates are unable to attend the examination centre to take examinations as normal
Centre actions
- Examinations Officer to communicate with relevant awarding organisations at the outset to make them aware of the issue and arrange to sit exams at a different venue in extremis
- SLT (examinations and / or pastoral) to communicate with parents, carers and candidates regarding solutions to the issue.
- Should a significant number of candidates need to be isolated due to sickness, use DG05/DG06 and request a first-aid trained colleague to be on hand
- If a small number (<5) are affected, isolate students in a classroom with separate invigilation.
- Examinations Officer to apply for Special Consideration for those affected. Candidates are only eligible for special consideration if they have been fully prepared and have covered the whole course but are affected by adverse circumstances beyond their control.
Disruption in the distribution of examination papers
Criteria for implementation of the plan
- Disruption to the distribution of examination papers to the centre in advance of
examinations.
Centre actions
- Examinations Officer to communicate with awarding organisations to organise alternative delivery of papers
- Arrange with exam boards for alternative means of receiving papers either electronically or alternative courier.
- Examinations Officer to ensure papers are kept securely until needed.
- Awarding organisations provide electronic access to examination papers via a secure external network, or fax examination papers to centres if electronic transfer is not possible.
Disruption to the transportation of completed examination scripts
Criteria for implementation of the plan
- Delay in normal collection arrangements for completed examination scripts
Centre actions
- Examinations Officer to communicate with relevant Exam Boards at the outset to resolve the issue.
- Alternative transport should only be used with the agreement of the relevant Exam Boards
- Scripts must be stored securely until such time transport is confirmed.
Assessment evidence is not available to be marked
Criteria for implementation of the plan
- Large scale damage to or destruction of completed examination scripts/assessment evidence before it can be marked
Centre actions
- SLT (examinations) communicates this immediately to awarding organization(s) and subsequently to students and their parents / carers.
- Exam boards may generate candidate marks for affected assessment based on other evidence, as defined by the exam boards and the regulators.
- It may be necessary for the candidate to retake the assessment at the next available opportunity
Disruption to the scanning process - where completed scripts are scanned for onscreen marking
Criteria for implementation of the plan
-
Examination boards scanning process is disrupted, resulting in a risk to the delivery of results by scheduled dates.
Centre actions
- Awarding organisations should implement their existing contingency plans for disruption to onscreen marking process
- Awarding organisations should revert to traditional form of marking
- Awarding organisations should recruit, train or re-standardise qualified new markers.
Failure of IT systems
Criteria for implementation of the plan
- MIS system failure at final entry deadline
- MIS system failure during exams preparation
- MIS system failure at results release time
Centre actions
- SLT (examinations) to contact in-house IT department.
- Examinations Officer to contact all Examination Boards for alternative route for dissemination of results.
Awarding organisations unable to fulfill their role
Criteria for implementation of the plan
- Awarding organisation unable to mark examination scripts to schedule.
- Awarding organisation unable to issue results to schedule.
- Awarding organisation unable to issue accurate results.
Centre actions
- SLT (examinations) to inform candidates and parents/carers.
- Examinations Officer to contact awarding bodies ascertain their contingency measures and work with awarding bodies to implement these at school-level
Centre unable to distribute results as normal
Criteria for implementation of the plan
- The school is unable to access or manage the distribution of results to candidates, or to facilitate a postal results services
Centre actions
- Examinations Officer to contact awarding bodies ascertain their contingency measures and work with awarding bodies to implement these at school-level
- SLT (examinations) and Examinations Officer to make arrangements to access its results at an alternative site.
- SLT (examinations) and Examinations Officer to coordinate access to post result services from an alternative site.
- The school will share facilities with other centres where possible
SUMMARY OF SCHOOL RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE EVENT OF DISRUPTION TO EXAMINATIONS
- Preparing plans for any disruption to exams as part of centre’s general emergency planning
- Preparing candidates for examinations.
- Ensuring examinations and assessments are taken under the conditions prescribed by awarding organisations.
- Ensuring, where relevant, that assessment materials and candidate work are stored under secure conditions
- Deciding whether the centre can open for examinations as scheduled and informing relevant awarding organisations if the centre is unable to open.
- Exploring the opportunities for alternative arrangements if the centre cannot open for examinations and agreeing such arrangements with the awarding organisations.
- Assessing and liaising with awarding organisations in the event of disruption to the transportation of papers.
