How do I appeal SEND status?

Most senior schools are expected to refer to the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) guidelines to help them determine whether to approve or appeal access arrangement applications. However, as those guidelines were not written with this age group in mind or for online tests, senior schools should use their discretion and consider each request carefully. ISEB will provide senior schools with guidance, including details on documentation and which guidelines to follow. All guidance will also be available to parents, guardians and current schools.

The ISEB Access Arrangements for the Common Pre-Tests

To question an application for Common Pre-Tests access arrangements, a senior school must initiate an appeal by completing the ISEB appeal form. Select 'SEND Appeal' from the dropdown box.

Once this appeal has been initiated, the senior school will investigate the access arrangement request.

They should:

• Contact the parent or guardian to inform them of the appeal and to request further information;
• Contact the current school to request supporting documentation (a form for this request can be found on the ISEB website); and
• Conduct any other activities needed to reach a final decision.

Senior school decision

If, after investigation, the senior school is satisfied that this applicant's request for access arrangements is valid, the senior school should inform ISEB, and the access arrangements will remain on the profile. The appeal will be closed.

If the investigation leads the senior school to conclude the evidence does not meet their requirements, they should inform the parents or guardians. They must also notify ISEB of the outcome to remove the access arrangements from the registration.

Explore related topics:

What if there is a disagreement between senior schools about SEND requests?

I approve the SEND request, what do I need to do?

Reasonable adjustments should be provided to any candidate who is considered disabled for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010.

The JCQ guidelines are specific to a range of examinations and not the Common Pre-Test. Allowing extra time in this assessment will not give automatic rights to the candidate to have extra time for their GCSE examinations. For schools which would like to make this position clear to parents we have suggested the use of a signed pro-forma which is shared with senior schools and kept on the candidate's file.

Restricting access to extra time for candidates who have appropriate professional evidence indicating that they require additional time to access the assessment could place them at a substantial disadvantage. Schools should therefore consider each request carefully and, where supported by evidence and consistent with the candidate’s normal way of working, provide reasonable adjustments. Failure to do so may amount to discrimination under the Equality Act 2010, as independent schools must not disadvantage a person in the arrangements they make for deciding who is offered admission.