In the UK education system, ensuring that SEND learners are given equitable opportunities to succeed is a legal requirement. With the right strategies, adjustments and collaboration between educators, families and support staff, exams can become a more accessible and less stressful experience.
This article explores practical approaches to help SEND learners feel confident, prepared and supported throughout their exam journey both in primary and secondary schools.
Contents
- Understanding SEND and exam challenges.
- Exam access arrangements.
- Creating an inclusive revision strategy.
- Supporting emotional wellbeing.
- Exam day preparation.
- After the exams: reflections and next steps.
Understanding SEND and exam challenges
The 2015 Send Code of Practice defines that a child or young person under the age of 25 who has a learning difficulty or disability requiring special education provision will have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) status.
This status confirms that the child or young person has substantial difficulties when learning compared to their peers and may need additional or tailored support to help them achieve their potential.
Some of the common barriers that SEND learners face during preparation for exams or assessments are:
- Cognitive challenges, such as memory complexities or processing speed.
- Emotional and mental health factors, including anxiety.
- Sensory or physical needs.
One of the key factors that SEND specialists have identified is that early identification and support are so important in making the difference for SEND children.
This is because, with appropriate support, SEND learners can reduce anxiety around exams and acquire helpful strategies to approach and succeed in the exams or assessments they are able to sit.
Browse these SEND learner resources for additional information and support:
- Tourette Syndrome - presentation for secondary school students
- Understanding Tourette Syndrome in an educational setting
- 20 teaching ideas and strategies to students with dyslexia
- Using assistive technology to support dyslexic writers
- Supporting dyslexia: text-to-speech assistive technology
- Writing for different genres - SEND
- Practical strategies to students with dyspraxia
- Closing the word gap - activities for the classroom - primary
- Closing the word gap - activities for the classroom - secondary
Exam access arrangements
The SENCO has a vital role in coordinating support for SEND learners in primary or secondary school settings and maintains the evidence base for each student in terms of teacher feedback, medical reports or parent questionnaires.
Exam access arrangements typically reflect the student’s normal way of working. This means that arrangements must reflect support consistently provided in the classroom for the pupil, not just for exams.
Common access arrangements that are often provided for students include:
- Extra time
- Rest breaks
- Use of scribes or readers
- Modified papers, such as larger print or coloured options
Creating an inclusive revision strategy
Flexibility in approach is essential when producing an inclusive revision strategy for a SEND learner. When learning is adapted to suit the learner’s styles and strengths, it's more likely that this will enhance their learning experience and help them to achieve their goals.
Evidence shows that routine and structure help the majority of SEND learners to understand how to manage exams or assessments. The familiarity of an established revision routine will encourage the student to feel calmer and help them to accept the activities they need to accomplish.
Useful for all students, structuring revision in learning chunks also better supports many SEND learners to revise a set amount then repeat this learning until it moves from short term memory to long term memory.
Having a daily or weekly structure to revision creates a more positive attitude as learners become aware of revision techniques, such as visual tasks, which help them move through the learning process more effectively.
Differentiated revision techniques:
- Visual aids, mind maps or graphic organisers.
- Key term or concept flash cards.
- Storytelling around the topic to boost memory retention.
- Revision split into learning blocks or time-related blocks.
- Multi-sensory learning approaches - drawing images to accompany learning, watching revision videos.
Using personalised revision timetables and assistive technology, such as text-to-speech tools, can also help boost students’ access to revision processes.
Browse these SEND learner revision resources:
Supporting emotional wellbeing
SEND learners often share that they feel anxious about exams and experience increased levels of worry or stress before assessments or during revision periods. This is perfectly normal for any student, but it can be more common for SEND learners with revision.
There are many strategies teachers, support staff and students can adopt to help reduce stress and boost confidence around exams and revision.
Here are some popular techniques that can help:
Familiarisation with exam settings
Feeling safe, secure and familiar with exam rooms, exam timetables and exam structures really help SEND learners reduce their stress levels ahead of exams or assessments.
Spending time in the rooms where they may sit an exam or assessment will help them feel relaxed when the assessment takes place. Running through a typical day or time period before it happens will help pupils understand how to move from an ordinary day to a time where they have an exam.
Having this knowledge of an exam setting will help build confidence and resilience in a SEND learner, as well as supporting them to understand their personalised learning plan and exam timetable so they have a clear idea of what to expect.
Relaxation techniques
Everyone is different and some SEND learners may find a technique more helpful than others. The important thing is to try a range of different methods and see which one works best for the individual student.
Here are some stress relieving and relaxation techniques to try:
- Mindfulness practices, such as deep breathing exercises.
- Regular time outdoors and some physical activity the student enjoys.
- Time away to enjoy hobbies and leisure activities.
- Nutritious diet and enough sleep.
- Visualisation exercises, such as visualising themselves succeeding at their exams.
- Having stress balls or noise-cancelling headphones to create a sense of calm.
A huge part of confidence and resilience is having a positive attitude. Celebrating small or large achievements, using motivational techniques like chatting or music can also help students feel more confident and ready to complete exams.
Students often respond well to regular check-ins and collaboration from staff they know and trust who can offer them clear instructions, feedback and encouragement.
It’s also imperative to work with parents and carers and to keep the communication lines with home open. This will provide the opportunity to offer advice around home revision techniques and gain support from home for students who find exams or assessments challenging.
Emotional wellbeing resources:
- 10 ways to find support with children and young people’s mental health
- Building resilience (primary)
- Making a worry jar
- Managing emotions
- What can I do when I feel?
- Five tips to promote wellbeing
- Supporting students in developing resilience
- Tourette Syndrome - managing exam stress
Exam day preparation
A personalised study programme will help SEND learners to build in essential revision time with plenty of breaks and opportunities to have time out to rest and take their mind off the stress related to exams or assessments.
Students, especially SEND learners, need to know what to expect from revision and exam periods. They will respond better if they know how a transition to an exam room will happen and experience it before the day of the exam itself.
SEND learners should also be aware of the access arrangements that are in place for them as part of their personalised learning plan so they know what to expect. Something as simple as knowing the timings of breaks or lunches during exams can help bring clarity.
Checking in with students on the day of their exam and talking through what will happen can help increase feelings of calm and focus for the student.
A helpful resource:
After the exams: reflections and next steps
Chatting through an exam or assessment experience after the event can help better prepare SEND learners for the next time they have to complete an assessment.
It can help the student to:
- Reflect on what worked well.
- Plan for future assessments or transitions.
- Celebrate effort and achievement.
Teaching SEND learners that they have the power of self advocacy can transform their experience of exams and assessments. It’s beneficial if they practise how to use language and take the space to express how they feel and what their specific needs are around exams.
Build confidence with peer mentoring, sessions around how to express themselves and their needs and ways to ask for time out when they need it.
Discover more with our Looking after yourself during exams resource.
