Access arrangements, SEND-aware support and careful information sharing
If a student has dyslexia, ADHD, anxiety, a medical condition or another learning need, a tutor can adapt practice routines and lesson delivery. For example, they might build in planning time, practise under the student’s usual exam conditions, use shorter retrieval tasks or help the student organise notes.
Official access arrangements are different. JCQ states that “Reasonable Adjustments may be tailored to individual students”, but schools, colleges and exam centres manage the evidence, applications and official arrangements. Latimer’s contact guidance also asks families to keep initial messages factual and proportionate: it is fine to describe learning goals, timetable constraints, access needs or safeguarding context in broad terms, without sending unnecessary sensitive details in a first message.
- Tell the tutor about relevant learning preferences, access arrangements already in place and what has helped before.
- Practise in a way that reflects the student’s real exam setup where appropriate.
- Keep sensitive details proportionate in initial messages and use the right channel if more detail is needed.
- For official access arrangements, speak to the school, college or exam centre rather than relying on a tutor alone.
- What a tutor can support
- Planning, timing, confidence, note organisation, practice routines and feedback.
- What the exam centre manages
- Evidence, official access arrangements, reasonable adjustments and special consideration processes.
- What to share early
- Subject, level, exam board if known, support needs, availability and broad access context.
- What not to send first
- Card details, passwords, unrelated identity documents or unnecessarily sensitive records.