Reasonable Adjustments Policy

Supporting evidence of the candidate’s disability must be from an appropriate authority to summarise the adjustments requested:

For health issues or where candidates receive accommodations at work, a letter from:

• a hospital consultant, or
• the candidate’s GP, or
• the college tutor or supervising consultant, to accompany the report as noted below.

   

And/or

For physical or mental disability, neurodivergence, specific learning difficulty (SpLD) (dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, auditory processing disorder, ADHD), a report/letter from:

• CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services),
• an Educational Psychologist, Clinical Psychologist or appropriately qualified psychologist registered with the Health Care Professions Council or the Psychological Society of Ireland; or
• an appropriately qualified psychiatrist; or
• a Local Authority Educational Psychology Service; or
• the Local Authority Sensory Impairment Service; or
• a Speech and Language Therapist (SaLT)
   

For pregnancy, a MatB1 form, a letter from a midwife/ GP, or a hospital letter.

If a candidate is seeking reasonable adjustments for a Specific Learning Disability (SpLD), they must provide a report from an approved assessor* who is familiar with the components of the FRCA/FFICM/FFPMRCA examinations. It may be helpful for candidates to explore whether there is a referral for assessment service at their local deanery.

*Approved assessors include:

• Specialist teachers who hold a practicing certificate, such as Dyslexia Action, BDA or PATOSS. Candidates can check if an assessor holds the appropriate qualifications on the SASC (SpLD Assessment Standards Committee) website.
• A practicing chartered or educational psychologist who is registered with the Healthcare Professionals Council. A candidate can check if an assessor is registered on the HCPC website.

It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure that the documentary evidence is true and accurate. When assessed by a disability assessor, candidates should ensure that:

• the assessor is familiar with the exam component(s) and guidance provided in sections 10 and 11.
• educational psychologists and experts understand the professional nature of the examinations and the competence standard being assessed.
• the experts have access to the appropriate extract of the curriculum so that they are aware of the knowledge and skills that are tested.
• experts are aware of the structure of the examination.
• reports from experts must confirm that they reviewed the disability assessor guidance documentation which outlines the competence standards for the relevant exam component.