EP for Schools

What should a SENCo review when supporting a pupil being considered for exam access arrangements?

A useful SENCo review links the pupil’s experience, classroom evidence, family knowledge and the impact of current provision. Further professional advice is most useful when school can state the unanswered question and explain how the answer would change provision.

By Dr Ian Corban · Educational psychologist · Last reviewed 2 October 2026

Involve the SENCo when should a senco review when supporting a pupil being considered for exam access arrangements is persistent, severe, worsening, affecting attendance or safety, or remains unclear after appropriate classroom teaching and adjustments.

Start with the pupil's experience

Talk with the pupil in a way they can access and ask what makes school easier, harder or more tiring. Gather the family’s knowledge and compare this with classroom observation, work samples, attendance or participation patterns and the pupil’s response to previous support. For exam access arrangements, the same outward behaviour can have very different causes, so a description of the difficulty is more useful than an assumption about motive.

The practical test in this case is whether support for should a senco review when supporting a pupil being considered for exam access arrangements changes the pupil’s experience in school. Agree what staff will try, what they will notice, and how the pupil can contribute their view. This keeps provision responsive rather than routine.

What school can do

Apply this principle specifically to should a senco review when supporting a pupil being considered for exam access arrangements. Gather a few concrete examples, identify what makes the situation easier or harder, and choose a response that addresses the barrier rather than the surface behaviour. Review whether the pupil becomes more able to participate independently.

The practical test in this case is whether support for should a senco review when supporting a pupil being considered for exam access arrangements changes the pupil’s experience in school. Agree what staff will try, what they will notice, and how the pupil can contribute their view. This keeps provision responsive rather than routine.

Keep expectations ambitious and realistic

For should a senco review when supporting a pupil being considered for exam access arrangements, avoid assuming that one strategy will suit every pupil. Use examples from ordinary lessons, ask the pupil what helps, and make one purposeful change at a time. Keep changes that improve access or independence and reconsider those that do not.

Apply this principle specifically to should a senco review when supporting a pupil being considered for exam access arrangements. Gather a few concrete examples, identify what makes the situation easier or harder, and choose a response that addresses the barrier rather than the surface behaviour. Review whether the pupil becomes more able to participate independently.

Try this: Choose one recurring situation connected with exam access arrangements. Write down what happens before it, what the pupil appears to find difficult, the adjustment adults will make and one observable sign that access has improved.

Work with families and other professionals

Apply this principle specifically to should a senco review when supporting a pupil being considered for exam access arrangements. Gather a few concrete examples, identify what makes the situation easier or harder, and choose a response that addresses the barrier rather than the surface behaviour. Review whether the pupil becomes more able to participate independently.

Review the response to should a senco review when supporting a pupil being considered for exam access arrangements using a short before-and-after comparison. Look across more than one occasion and include the pupil’s view where possible. A strategy is worth keeping when it produces a meaningful improvement in the intended outcome, not merely because adults feel busy or the pupil appears compliant.

How to review impact

The practical test in this case is whether support for should a senco review when supporting a pupil being considered for exam access arrangements changes the pupil’s experience in school. Agree what staff will try, what they will notice, and how the pupil can contribute their view. This keeps provision responsive rather than routine.

For should a senco review when supporting a pupil being considered for exam access arrangements, avoid assuming that one strategy will suit every pupil. Use examples from ordinary lessons, ask the pupil what helps, and make one purposeful change at a time. Keep changes that improve access or independence and reconsider those that do not.

Questions for the SENCo

For should a senco review when supporting a pupil being considered for exam access arrangements, avoid assuming that one strategy will suit every pupil. Use examples from ordinary lessons, ask the pupil what helps, and make one purposeful change at a time. Keep changes that improve access or independence and reconsider those that do not.

Further reading

Use these sources alongside current statutory guidance, professional advice and the individual pupil’s circumstances.

More practical advice: Browse the advice.

Share this article

Know someone who would find this useful?

FacebookLinkedIn