Exam responsibilities

Principal
Overall responsibility for the Academy as an exam centre:

• Advises on appeals and re-marks
• The Principal is responsible for reporting all suspicions or actual incidents of malpractice.  Refer to the JCQ document suspected malpractice in examinations and assessments.

Lead Exams Officer
Manages the administration of public and internal exams and analysis of exam results:

• Advises the senior leadership team, subject and class tutors and other relevant support staff on annual exam timetables and application procedures as set by the various exam boards
• Oversees the production and distribution to staff, governors and candidates of an annual calendar for all exams in which candidates will be involved and communicates regularly with staff concerning imminent deadlines and events
• Ensures that candidates and their parents are informed of and understand those aspects of the exam timetable that will affect them
• Consults with teaching staff to ensure that necessary coursework is completed on time and in accordance with JCQ guidelines
• Provides and confirms detailed data on estimated entries
• Receives, checks and stores securely all exam papers and completed scripts
• Administers access arrangements and makes applications for special consideration using the JCQ Access
• Arrangements and special considerations regulations and Guidance relating to candidates who are eligible for adjustments in examinations
• Identifies and manages exam timetable clashes
• Line manages the senior exams invigilator in organising the recruitment, training and monitoring of a team of exams invigilators responsible for the conduct of exams
• Submits candidates’ coursework marks, tracks despatch and stores returned coursework and any other material required by the appropriate awarding bodies correctly and on schedule
• Arranges for dissemination of exam results and certificates to candidates and forwards, in consultation with the SLT, any appeals/re-mark requests
• Maintains systems and processes to support the timely entry of candidates for their exams.

 Assistant Principal

• Organisation of teaching and learning
• External validation of courses followed at key stage 4 / post-16

Curriculum Area Leaders

• Guidance and pastoral oversight of candidates who are unsure about exam entries or amendments to entries
• Involvement in post-results procedures
• Accurate completion of coursework mark sheets and declaration sheets
• Accurate completion of entry and all other mark sheets and adherence to deadlines as set by the exams officer

Assistant Principal

• Guidance and careers information

Teachers

• Notification of access arrangements (as soon as possible after the start of the course)
• Submission of candidate names to Curriculum Area Leaders

SENCO

• Administration of access arrangements
• Identification and testing of candidates’ requirements for access arrangements
• Provision of additional support — with spelling, reading, mathematics, dyslexia or essential skills, hearing impairment, English for speakers of other languages, IT equipment — to help candidates achieve their course aims

Lead Exams Officer

• Collection of exam papers and other material from the exams office before the start of the exam
• Collection of all exam papers in the correct order at the end of the exam and their return to the exams office

Candidates

• Confirmation and signing of entries
• Understanding coursework regulations and signing a declaration that authenticates the coursework as their own

Administrative Staff

• Support for the input of data
• Posting of exam papers