Special Consideration Policy

Company: Tyrogen Limited (16884876)
Owner: Quality Assurance
Approved by: Governing Body (or delegated authority per Delegation of Authority)
Status: Draft (controlled policy)
Version: 0.2
Last updated: 2026-04-05
Next review: 2026-04-30

1) Purpose

This policy defines how Tyrogen considers, decides, records, and reviews Special Consideration where a learner’s performance may have been affected by temporary adverse circumstances at or immediately before the time of assessment.

Tyrogen’s arrangements ensure that Special Consideration:

• is used only for genuine temporary adverse circumstances,
• is supported by proportionate evidence,
• is decided through a controlled and auditable route,
• protects fairness without weakening validity or public confidence,
• and remains distinct from planned pre-assessment access arrangements.

1.1 Policy ownership boundary

This file is the canonical policy owner for post-assessment or time-of-assessment allowances arising from temporary adverse circumstances.

This file does not own:

• planned pre-assessment access arrangements, which are owned by Reasonable Adjustments Policy,
• the appeal process for challenging a Special Consideration decision, which is owned by Appeals Policy,
• malpractice or maladministration investigation mechanics, which are owned by Malpractice and Maladministration Policy and Malpractice Process,
• or the qualification lifecycle accessibility-review method, which is owned by Qualification & Assessment Lifecycle.

1.2 Ofqual alignment

This policy supports Tyrogen’s compliance with requirements and expectations including:

• G7 (arrangements for Special Consideration),
• PR1 (fairness, integrity, and public confidence),
• and the wider distinction between access arrangements planned in advance and post-event allowance decisions.

2) Scope

This policy applies to Tyrogen assessments and associated qualification decisions where a learner experiences temporary circumstances that:

• are outside the learner’s control, and
• have had a credible impact on performance during assessment or immediately around the time of assessment.

This policy does not replace planned access arrangements agreed in advance. Those are owned by Reasonable Adjustments Policy.

3) Principles

Tyrogen manages Special Consideration in a way that is:

• Fair and consistent across learners and Centres,
• Evidence-based and proportionate so that the decision reflects the nature and severity of the circumstances,
• Standards-safe so that any allowance does not compromise validity,
• Timely so that requests and outcomes are handled promptly,
• and Auditable so that the decision, rationale, and basis are retained.

Taken together, these principles show that Special Consideration is a fairness control for temporary adverse circumstances, not an informal concession route: requests must be evidenced, handled promptly, and resolved in a way that protects standards while recognising genuine disadvantage at the time of assessment.

4) Definitions

• Special Consideration: a post-assessment or time-of-assessment allowance to account for temporary adverse circumstances that occurred at or around the time of assessment.
• Reasonable Adjustment: an agreed change to assessment arrangements planned in advance, owned by Reasonable Adjustments Policy.
• Temporary adverse circumstances: short-term events or conditions that may affect performance but do not themselves create a standing entitlement to planned access arrangements.

5) Eligibility and exclusions

5.1 When Special Consideration may apply

Special Consideration may be considered where the learner was prepared for, or was attempting, a scheduled assessment and performance was affected by circumstances beyond the learner’s control, such as:

• illness or injury at or immediately before the assessment,
• bereavement of a close family member or friend,
• serious domestic crisis,
• significant disturbance during an assessment session,
• or failure or inadequacy of an agreed Reasonable Adjustment.

5.2 When Special Consideration will not normally apply

Special Consideration will not normally be applied where:

• the learner was absent without authorisation,
• there is insufficient supporting evidence,
• the issue relates only to general Centre or training disruption unless it had a direct and unavoidable impact at the time of assessment,
• or the assessment requires demonstration of competence in a way that cannot appropriately be adjusted after the event.

6) Request and decision route

6.1 Submission window

Requests should normally be submitted within 10 working days of the assessment date or of the learner / Centre being notified of the relevant decision.

6.2 Who may request

Requests may be made by:

• the Centre on behalf of the learner,
• the learner directly where the route permits,
• or another authorised representative where appropriate.

6.3 Evidence requirements

Evidence should be proportionate to the request and may include:

• medical evidence or professional statement where appropriate,
• a Centre statement describing the circumstances and impact,
• invigilator or proctor evidence where relevant,
• and other documentation supporting the claim.

6.4 Decision process and outcomes

Tyrogen:

1. acknowledges requests within 2 working days,
2. reviews the submission, evidence, and assessment context,
3. and normally communicates a decision within 10 working days of acknowledgement, subject to sufficient information being provided.

Possible outcomes include:

• Special Consideration approved,
• Special Consideration refused with rationale,
• alternative handling determined where appropriate,
• or further information requested.

Special Consideration is not applied automatically; each case is decided individually.

The process is intended to show a defined post-assessment decision route: requests are submitted within a controlled window, supported by proportionate evidence, reviewed against the assessment context, and determined individually with a recorded rationale rather than by automatic allowance.

7) Exceptional circumstances and exceptional-award boundary

In exceptional circumstances, a learner may be unable to complete all assessment requirements due to serious evidenced circumstances.

Where the relevant qualification and assessment rules allow this, Tyrogen may consider an exceptional-award route based on:

• performance in completed assessment components,
• evidence of likely attainment,
• the extent to which remaining requirements can still be evidenced,
• and whether an award can be made without undermining competence requirements or public confidence.

Any such route is subject to individual scrutiny, conflicts checks, competent decision-making, and a clear refusal point where standards or confidence would otherwise be weakened.

Where exceptional-award routes are available, they remain genuinely exceptional, with individual scrutiny, conflicts checks, and a clear refusal point where public confidence or competence requirements would otherwise be weakened.

8) Records

Tyrogen retains records including:

• the request and supporting evidence,
• the decision record and rationale,
• relevant communications,
• any conditions, actions, or follow-up,
• and any linked corrective or escalation action.

Retention follows Data Retention Policy.

9) Monitoring, misuse detection, and review

Tyrogen monitors the operation and impact of Special Consideration arrangements to ensure that they are:

• fair and consistently applied,
• evidence-based and proportionate,
• not being misused,
• and not undermining the validity of assessment outcomes.

Monitoring activity may include:

• tracking request and approval patterns by qualification, assessment, and Centre where applicable,
• reviewing the effect of approvals on outcomes where relevant and proportionate,
• reviewing related complaints, appeals, and enquiries,
• targeted Centre monitoring or audit activity,
• and review of possible misuse or inappropriate application.

Where Tyrogen identifies potential misuse or inappropriate application, Tyrogen takes corrective action and may escalate the matter through the maladministration or malpractice route where appropriate.

Monitoring is therefore expected to test both fairness and control integrity: Tyrogen reviews approval patterns, outcomes impact, complaints, appeals, and possible misuse so that temporary allowances do not become a back door for inconsistent or invalid results.

10) Appeals and associated documents

If a learner or Centre believes a Special Consideration decision is unfair, the matter may be appealed in line with Appeals Policy.

Associated controlled documents include:

• Reasonable Adjustments Policy
• Appeals Policy
• Complaints Policy
• Malpractice and Maladministration Policy
• Data Retention Policy
• Assessment Operations, Results and Certification

11) Change log