Ref: Access arrangements — Candidate H
To Whom It May Concern,
The letter should: "Confirm that the candidate has persistent and significant difficulties when accessing and processing information and is disabled within the meaning of the Equality Act 2010", for example:This student has bilateral colobomatous microphthalmia and is registered as severely sight impaired. This eye condition affects the optic discs and macula in both eyes. Student H has extremely limited vision and a visual field loss in both eyes.
The letter should: "Include evidence of the candidate's current difficulties and how they substantially impact on teaching and learning in the classroom", for example:The impact of these visual difficulties on the candidate is as follows:
- Her distance vision is 3/60, meaning that she sees at 3 metres what a normally sighted person can see at 60 metres. She needs information presented very close in order to make sense of it.
- Her near vision is severely reduced and she requires large print in 32 point to access the curriculum. Her reading speed is very slow because she cannot see whole words at a time.
- She has an upper right visual field loss and a restricted visual field on her left side. This means she can only access small amounts of visual information at a time and may not be able to see diagrams in their entirety.
- She has poor contrast sensitivity which means that learning materials have to be presented with strong contrast in order that she can access them independently.
In addition to modified learning materials in hard copy and electronic formats, the candidate receives regular human support at school.
She has a teaching assistant who works to promote her independent access to the curriculum but also acts as a reader and/or scribe where needed. In practical lessons she may need individual supervision to enable her to carry out practical tasks safely. She receives one to one pre-teaching on visual aspects of the curriculum and specialist training in the use of ICT.
The letter should: "Confirm that without the application of H's access arrangement the candidate would be at a substantial disadvantage; (the candidate would be at a substantial disadvantage when compared with other, non-disabled candidates undertaking the assessment.)", for example:The candidate uses a range of equipment to access the curriculum:
- Apple Macbook Pro laptop to touch type all her work
- Zoom Text magnification software with text to speech functions to record and read back her work
- Magnilink distance camera to access boardwork
- Pebble magnifier to enlarge print materials
- IPad and associated apps for a range of additional access tasks and specialist functions (e.g. scientific calculator)
Access arrangements for GCSE
The candidate requires the following:
- A3 Modified 36 point bold GCSE exam papers. In any subject where it is not possible to provide this format, she requires an electronic copy of the A3 24 point bold paper which she can access on his laptop.
- Additional specialist low and high tech equipment (e.g. IPad) to give her equitable access to all exam questions
- Up to 100% extra time for all GCSE exams
- Supervised rest breaks due to visual fatigue
- Record all answers via touch typing on a laptop.
- A reader and a scribe to supplement the above arrangements as required.
- A practical assistant to ensure safe independent working in practical exams
- To work in a separate room for all exams.
Throughout her school career, the candidate has been provided with these access arrangements as a result of her vision impairment and related difficulties for internal examinations and tests and for mock exams, in order to prepare her for public examinations and to ensure that she is able to show what she knows and can do.
The letter ends, for exampleIf you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Jill Brown
SENCo