Not all assessments need to be the same. I like to do things a little differently.

Here’s why.

When I was working in school as SENCO,  I used to see many assessments come in with students who joined us mid year or in the 6th form, and many blank boxes. Often only two assessments were carried out – enough to warrant extra time. This did the job to a point, until those assessments were made redundant and then there was nothing else to use, or until I needed to know more about the student.

Too many times I would have an assessment but not enough real information to support fully. Too many times I would be able to grant extra time, but it was also obvious that there was more support needed, if I had the appropriate assessment evidence. Too many times I just reassessed the student myself to get the picture I needed.

At Kind Mind, I aim to give SENCOs as full a picture as possible without over testing the student.  That is why my in school access arrangements testing gives a full set of scores so that you can put more appropriate support in place.

In school access arrangements testing

The infographic on this page gives a step by step guide on how to bring me into school to assess your students.  You can download it here for your information if you would like.

The first step is to have a chat so that we can decide upon a good date to come into school and discuss the size of the student group. You will then need to complete Part 1 of Form 8 for each student and send them all to me a week before the assessment date. This is so that I can familiarise myself with the students’ difficulties well in advance and prepare.

On the assessment day, there are several tests that I can run with the whole group at the same time and these will be done first. However, some of the other tests need to be administered individually and so we will need to create a schedule for the time I am in your school to ensure that students are not hanging around more than they need to.

After the assessment, I will then go away to mark all the tests and complete Form 8 Part 2 for you. Even if I don’t find any low scores, I will still send you a Record of Standardised Scores document so you can see how the students performed for feedback to parents.  I will then send back the Form 8s within 3 days along with my assessor qualification certificate for JCQ.

In school access arrangements testing

I will need two rooms for the assessment process: one room large enough to administer group assessements and one room as a holding space for students awaiting their individual testing. The assessment room should be as quiet as is feasibly possible in a school, and available for the whole time I am in school please. There should be no interruptions if at all possible

Fees for 2024/2025 are £70 per student for a full assessment, including marking and Form 8 paperwork completion. A Record of Standardised Scores will also be provided for each student.