Supporting candidates with mental health difficulties:Additional Information for Schools

Additional guidance:

In response to requests from practitioners for advice on gathering appropriate evidence for assessment arrangements for candidates with mental health difficulties, we have produced this additional guidance.

Section 1 exemplifies the good practice in centres in supporting the provision of assessment arrangements and Section 2 gives examples of different types of evidence that can support the provision of an assessment arrangement for candidates with mental health difficulties.

Remember: These are only examples and it is perfectly acceptable to provide different evidence reflecting actual practice in your centre. Your evidence must clearly support the provision of the assessment arrangement.

If you have any specific queries regarding assessment arrangements for candidates with mental health difficulties please contact the Assessment Arrangements Team on 0345 213 6890

Section1: Examples of different types of evidence that can support the provision of an assessment arrangement for candidates with mental health difficulties

Evidence of confirmation from the candidate that they have agreed to the provision of assessment arrangements and for relevant details of their disability/difficulty to be disclosed to SQA
In Castle Semple High School, the support-for-learning department has devised a pro forma for each candidate which summarises the assessment arrangements to be put in place for both internal and external assessments in each subject.
The pro forma also explains that relevant information about the candidate’s difficulties may be passed on to SQA.This and the arrangements which are to be put in placearefully discussed with each candidate ensuring that candidates are (a) aware of and agree to the support to be provided and (b) reassured. This is particularly important for those candidates with mental health difficulties for whom such reassurance can often allay anxiety and stresswhich is often exacerbated in assessment situations.
All candidates are encouraged to discuss the arrangements with their parents or carers before signing. For candidates under 16, a parent or carer is also asked to sign.
Subject and support-for-learning teachers also use parent evenings as an opportunity to discuss with parents/carers the assessment arrangements required for the candidate.
Evidence of disability/additional support needs and how this generally affects the learning and teaching situation
Craignure High School keeps relevant information on candidates with mental health difficulties in one file. Part of the file contains the pupils’pastoral information, including any details transferred from primary school, medical records including GP reports and reports from CAMHS, educational psychologist reports, personalised learning plans (PLPs) and individualised educational programmes (IEPs),etc.
The second part of the file contains current evidence. This includes records of support given, discussions about the candidates’ current support needs, for example, consideration of whether there have been any changes to the candidate’s assessment needs. For candidates with mental health issues, there are records of the different strategies that have been put in place to reduce the stress and anxiety associated with the assessment situation and also specific arrangements such as,extensions of time for submission of assessments outwith the main diet and the provision of separate or small group accommodation in the external assessments.
Together these files give details of the difficulty each candidate has experienced and how it affects the candidate’s learning and teaching.
Evidence of need for current support, how it is met and how it relates to the assessment arrangements requested
In Dundee Grammar School, the support-for-learningdepartment keeps detailed records of those pupils who are currently receiving additional learning support for difficulties associated with mental health. This also includesrelevant information from subject teachers about support needed and provided in class across different subjects.
In one pupil’s case, the file indicates that he has reading support from an auxiliary for some of his subjectswhere he is required to read for extended periods of time.The pupil has a tendency to fixate on one particular word or sentence and is often unable to read the whole text. He also attends the support base for one hour a week to finish off work he cannot complete in other classes. Subject teachers also record that they have needed to act as a reader for this pupil on occasion.
In another pupil’s file, there is a note to explain that she requires to be allowed to play quiet background music during her assessments to alleviate her anxiety.
The file for another candidate outlines that he needs to be accompanied at the start of an assessment by someone he feels comfortable with and that he needs to bring some of his personal items into the assessment.
In addition, the school also provides a range of pre-assessment support that can help candidates with mental health difficulties prepare for assessments. This includes offering exam tips and techniques prior to assessments and providing feedback from practice assessments so candidates are clear about what is expected of them. This is also noted in the candidates’ files.
Evidence of the internal verification meeting(s)
In St Barnabas’s High Schoolthe internal verification meeting is held in November each year. It is chaired by the local authority psychologist. The principal teacher of support-for-learning and the SQA co-ordinator are also present. Relevant information/evidence available for each candidate requiring assessment arrangements is fully considered against the guidance from SQA using the SQA checklist (see Appendix 1). This includes all the relevant information and appropriate evidence available for those candidates who have been identified as having mental health issues.
Only assessment arrangements for those candidates with mental health issues whose evidence is complete are verified. Where evidence is unclear or incomplete, decisions are made as to whether it is possible to reasonably produce the evidence, whether the provision of the assessment arrangement is appropriate, or if there is a need to contact SQA for further guidance.
Minutes of the meeting are taken, noting those present and the decisions taken. The minutes are dated and signed by the SQA co-ordinator.
The local authority psychological service also takes responsibility for trying to achieve a consistent approach to the provision of assessment arrangements across the authority. It does this by monitoring the provision of assessment arrangements and suggesting common approaches and processes.
Evidence that varying needs across subjects have been taken into account
In Lammermuir High School the detailed records kept in the learning support base show that, for one candidate with mental health difficulties, all subject teachers have been consulted and made aware that assessment arrangements might be required for the candidate given his particular difficulties.
Teachers in subjects where extensive writing is required, (for example, in the class assessments for Higher History, and Higher Modern Studies), confirm that the candidate has access to an auxiliary who helps keep him on task when he is writing extended responses in these assessment as he has significant difficulties with concentration.
Evidence of a whole-school system for the management of SQA assessment arrangements which is supported by senior management
In St Joan’s High School, there is policy documentation and guidance which provides all staff with relevant information on the school’s approach to providing appropriate evidence for assessment arrangements.This highlights the need for partnership working across the school and clarifies roles and responsibilities of subject and learning support staff.This makes clear that consideration of mental health difficulties is included in the types of difficulties which may require the provision of assessment arrangements.

Section 2: Good practice in supporting the provision of assessment arrangements.

Use of a computer/human reader
In St Barnabas’s School, a candidate is identified as having mental health difficulties which means that she has significant difficulty in accessing the examination question paper/assessment material. She is unable to concentrate sufficiently to read an examination paper thoroughly. The school decides to provide the candidate with a reader as she needs to have someone read to keep their maintain concentration. In addition to recording the evidence detailed in Section A, the support-for-learningstaff also produce a support plan. The candidate is given the opportunity to be trained in the use of ICT with text-to-speech software, and she does choose to use it regularly in internal assessments but does not feel confident enough to use the ICT in the external assessment. The support-for-learning staff maintain records of when the computer/human reader is used in class and in assessments.
Another candidate, who has severe anxiety difficulties finds it difficult to hand write answers, in this case, the school allows him to produce his responses on a laptop or, when necessary, to work with a scribe. The candidate’s need for this support and a detailed record of the difference it makes to his ability to complete an assessment and demonstrate his attainment is logged in his file. As part of his support plan, a number of strategies have been developed to overcome his anxiety-related reading difficulties. Subject teachers are made aware of his difficulty and allow him to complete class tasks in his own time. For all of his assessments, support staff ensure he has access to a computer reader. The above details are included in the candidate’s file.
Transcription with correction
In Castle Semple High School there is one pupil who has a well-documented mental health difficulty which means that she is unable to write legibly or accurately— samples of writing are available on file. Her writing is extremely untidy and gets very hard to decipher when she is anxious and particularly when she is under any time pressure, especially in timed assessments. As she gets more nervous and anxious, she stammers and this makes using a scribe difficult. She is not sufficiently competent in the use of ICT and, in fact this increases her anxiety. The centre are concerned that markers might not be able to read her scripts and allocate appropriate marks, so the decision is taken torequest transcription with correction in her external assessment. Her support-for-learning teacher knows her writing sufficiently well to be able to transcribe her written responses in her external assessments.
Extra time, rest breaks and adjusting the start time of an assessment
One pupil at Lammermuir High School who experiences mental health difficulties has difficulty in prioritising his work and managing time. Subject teachers record that he rarely completes tasks in class. He regularly attends the support base to complete work and this is recorded in his personal learning and support plan. Learning support staff are working with him to develop strategies to improve his time management. The evidence on file shows that in timed exercises he is unlikely to finish in the allocated time. It is noted in the records that 25% extra time is usually sufficient. The pupil is happy with this.
Another pupil with sleeping difficulties who is on a particular medication, experiences lethargy first thing in the morning. In response, the school make adjustments so that he can take his assessments in the afternoon. These adjustments and the reasons for them are recorded in the candidate’s pastoral file.
One pupil, who experiences increased anxiety levels, has significant difficulties with concentration. His condition also involves ritualised behaviour which means he spends extensive periods of time reading and re-reading questions and checking and rechecking work. He is significantly disadvantaged in timed assessments. In response, the school has provided him with extra time in his assessments to compensate for the time lost. In addition, to ensure that the extra time does not simply increase the amount of time he spends re-reading and re-checking work, he is provided with a prompter to keep in him on task. Details of the impact of the candidate’s particular difficulties, and the need for the assessment arrangements to be provided, are recorded in his file.
The school also provides scheduled rest breaks, or “stop the clock breaks” during the course of the assessment for one of their candidates who experiences concentration difficulties.

Appendix 1: Suggested checklist for internal verification process

Checklist of evidence to support the provision of an assessment arrangement
Centre
Candidate
Assessment arrangement
Date
Types of evidence / 
Documented evidence of the internal verification meeting.
Documented evidence of confirmation from the candidate that they have agreed to the provision of assessment arrangements and for relevant details of their disability/difficulty to be disclosed to SQA.
Documented evidence of disability/additional support needs and how this generally affects the learning and teaching situation.
Documented evidence of need for current support, how this is met, and how it relates to the assessment arrangements requested.
Documented evidence that varying needs across subjects have been taken into account.
Documented evidence for particular arrangements.
Documented evidence of a whole-school system for the management of SQA assessment arrangements which is supported by senior management.

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