Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to facilitate special consideration by exam boards for pupils and students affected by sustained strike activity at educational bodies.

Special consideration is available where a student experiences a temporary illness, injury or other unforeseen event immediately before or during an exam or assessment that significantly affects their performance. It is intended to address disruption at the time of the assessment itself and can only be awarded where a student was fully prepared for the assessment.

Special consideration does not apply to wider disruption to a student’s learning, including disruption caused by teacher absence or strike action. As the independent regulator of exams and assessments, Ofqual’s legal framework is clear that qualifications must reflect what students know, understand and can do at the time of their assessment.

Throughout any strike action, schools and colleges should take the necessary steps to ensure that students are supported and prepared for their exams, this may include prioritising school places for exam year students or offering catch up lessons and additional revision sessions.