Draft reasonable adjustments policy
Click outlined fields to configure the policy. Save an edited HTML copy to retain changes; there is no automatic saving or upload. Protect completed copies and case records through your authorised systems.
Adoption instructions
Complete the editable controls, select proportionate timescales, verify the policy against your actual assessment arrangements and obtain authorised approval before operational use. Replace the adopting organisation’s details and publish an accessible final version. The template does not claim regulatory compliance, approval or current Avenor service commitments.
1. Purpose and scope
The adopting organisation will consider individual assessment barriers and arrange approved support that enables apprentices to demonstrate the required knowledge, skills and understanding fairly. This policy covers requests before and during the assessment process, implementation of decisions and review of arrangements. It applies to the standards, versions, methods and delivery settings actually offered by the organisation. Support must preserve what the assessment is intended to measure. A diagnosis does not automatically determine a particular arrangement, and a request must not be rejected merely because it differs from a familiar example or was raised late.
2. Responsibilities and accessible information
The policy owner will maintain the procedure, allocate an authorised decision-maker and make application information available in accessible formats. Operational teams will explain how to request support, the information required, the anticipated decision timetable and the review route. Tutors, employers and apprentices will be encouraged to discuss access needs early and revisit them when assessment methods or circumstances change. The apprentice’s own account will inform the discussion. Staff will avoid assumptions about disability and will seek specialist advice where necessary rather than asking an apprentice to justify their needs repeatedly to unrelated teams.
3. Receiving and understanding a request
The coordinator will acknowledge the request using the locally approved timescale and record the apprentice reference, applicable assessment route, method affected, planned date and practical barrier. The coordinator will ask what support is requested, how it is expected to help and which existing ways of working are relevant. Requests may be made through the published accessible alternatives rather than a single compulsory channel. Where information is incomplete, the coordinator will explain the gap clearly and agree a reasonable route to provide it. Urgent cases will be escalated to the named responsible person without promising an unapproved outcome.
4. Evidence, confidentiality and decisions
Only information necessary to understand the barrier and decide the arrangement will be requested. Health and other sensitive information will be transferred securely, restricted to authorised personnel and retained under the organisation’s approved privacy and retention arrangements. General cohort trackers will record operational status without unnecessary medical detail. The decision-maker will consider relevant evidence, the apprentice’s circumstances and the requirements of the actual assessment. The written decision will explain the support agreed, any conditions, the reasons for a refusal or alternative proposal, and how a review can be requested. Decisions must be consistent, fair and recorded without using a blanket rule as a substitute for individual consideration.
5. Implementing approved arrangements
The coordinator will translate the decision into practical instructions covering the venue, equipment, accessible format, software, timing, facilitator role and contingency arrangements, as relevant. The apprentice and appropriate staff will receive the information they need through a proportionate briefing. Where useful, an access check will use non-live material and approved technology. The assessor or delivery lead will confirm that the agreed arrangements are available before the session begins. If an approved arrangement cannot be provided, staff will escalate promptly and agree a suitable resolution through the authorised process rather than improvising a change that may affect fairness or assessment validity.
6. Changes, special consideration and review
An apprentice may report that an arrangement is ineffective or that their needs have changed. The organisation will consider the new information and explain any revised decision and practical consequences. Relevant temporary illness, injury or events outside the apprentice’s control may require the separate special-consideration procedure; staff will explain the distinction and assist with the correct route. A disagreement about an adjustment decision will be handled through the published review or appeal arrangements, with locally specified contacts and timescales. Staff will explain whether any planned assessment remains scheduled while that process is underway, and will not discourage a request for review.
7. Monitoring and improvement
The policy owner will review anonymised themes from requests, decisions, delivery checks and feedback. The review will examine avoidable barriers, consistency, timeliness and whether approved arrangements were delivered in practice. Completion of an assessment or a successful result will not be treated as proof that no access problem occurred. Improvement actions will have named owners and review dates. Staff who handle requests will receive role-appropriate guidance and updates. The policy will be reviewed at the locally approved interval and sooner where relevant rules, assessment methods, technology or evidence of an accessibility problem indicate a need for change.