The purpose of this policy is to provide details of reasonable adjustments we can arrange in relation to meetings, courses, assessments, exams and sub-specialty recruitment, as managed by our Education & Training Division.
- Policy principles
- Definitions: What is a disability? What is a reasonable adjustment?
- College meetings run by the Education & Training Division
- Courses run by the Education & Professional Development team
- START and events run by the Training Services team
- Examinations
- Sub-specialty recruitment
- At your workplace
Policy principles
Reasonable adjustments can be made to assessments, courses and events to meet the needs of individuals who have a disability or impairment that has substantial and long-term adverse effect on that person, as defined by the Equality Act 2010.
We acknowledge that requests for reasonable adjustments may vary, or be unique, and as such separate to some of the more established adjustments listed below. It is possible that an adjustment may not be determined as reasonable if it has any impact on any aspects related to the integrity of an assessment or is not feasible or affordable for RCPCH.
All reasonable adjustment enquiries about an education and training activity are guided by these principles:
• Respect and confidentiality: All conversations are handled sensitively and confidentially
• Flexibility: We are open-minded and creative in finding solutions
• Empowerment: You are the expert in your own experience, and your voice is central
• Timeliness: We aim to respond promptly and avoid unnecessary delays
• Fairness: Adjustments are about levelling the playing field, not providing advantage
Definitions: What is a disability? What is a reasonable adjustment?
A disabled person is defined under the Equality Act 2010 as someone with a “physical or mental impairment which has substantial and long-term adverse effect on that person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.”
The College’s duty to make reasonable adjustments is outlined in the Equality Act 2010. The duty is to take reasonable steps in order to remove unnecessary barriers that all individuals with disabilities, impairments and long-term health conditions may face in the lead up to or during an education and training activity.
The Equality Act covers everyone in Britain and protects people from discrimination, harassment and victimisation. Further information can be found at the website of the Equality and Human Rights Commission and at the GOV.UK website. “Britain” in the above context, means England, Wales and Scotland.
Under the Act, there are nine protected characteristics:
- age
- disability
- gender reassignment
- marriage and civil partnership
- pregnancy and maternity
- race
- religion or belief
- sex
- sexual orientation.
The Equality Act 2010 does not extend to Northern Ireland which retains different pieces of legislation, such as the Sex Discrimination Order 1976, Disability Discrimination Act 1995, Race Relations Order 1997, fair Employment and Treatment Order 1998, Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 and Employment (Age) Regulations 2006 (see more details for NI).
College meetings run by the Education & Training Division
Examples of reasonable adjustments to College meetings may include:
- closed captions (when events are conducted online)
- private areas (when events are conducted face-to-face)
- moving the meeting to a more suitable room if one is available (face-to-face).
If you have a reasonable adjustment request for a College meeting, please put this in an email to your College contact/meeting administrator no later than four weeks before the meeting date. This allows us time to plan and implement any changes which might be necessary/feasible. Later notification may mean we are unable to accommodate the reasonable adjustments as there is insufficient time to implement any changes.
Courses run by the Education & Professional Development team
Examples of reasonable adjustments to courses may include:
- scribes/readers
- private areas (when events are conducted face-to-face)
- transcript /translation
- good lighting during lectures
- elimination of background noise
- presenter using a microphone for all courses.
If you have a reasonable adjustment request for a course, please submit your request via the RCPCH Help Centre no later than four weeks before the course date. This allows us time to plan and implement any changes which might be necessary/feasible. Later notification may mean we are unable to accommodate the reasonable adjustments as there is insufficient time to implement any changes.
START and events run by the Training Services team
Adjustments will not entail the lowering of standards of assessments.
Examples of reasonable adjustments to assessments may include:
- scribes/readers
- additional reading time.
If you have a reasonable adjustment request for START (Specialty Trainee Assessment of Readiness for Tenure) or an event run by the Training Services team, please put this in writing to training.services@rcpch.ac.uk with appropriate supporting medical evidence at the point of application for START and at least 4 weeks before for an event. Later notification may mean we are unable to accommodate the reasonable adjustments as there is insufficient time to implement any changes.
Examinations
Candidates for theory exams (FOP/TAS/AKP) and clinical exams (MRCPCH/DCH) are entitled to request a reasonable adjustment for their exam.
Supporting evidence must be provided for every exam application. Evidence must be a letter or medical report from a qualified professional confirming your condition, explaining how it affects your ability to sit the exam and including specific recommendations for adjustments.
Process to apply for a reasonable adjustment for a:
- theory exam (FOP/TAS/AKP)
- clinical exam (MRCPCH/DCH)
If you need to submit a reasonable adjustment after having already submitted an application, or have any questions about reasonable adjustments, please contact:
- theory exams (FOP/TAS/AKP): theoryexams@rcpch.ac.uk
- clinical exams (MRCPCH/DCH): clinicalexams@rcpch.ac.uk
Reasonable adjustment requests must be received no later than 7 weeks before your exam date. We cannot guarantee we will be able to accommodate requests received after this date.
Before requesting a reasonable adjustment, we strongly recommend candidates read the online guidance about their exam (theory exams, MRCPCH clinical exam, or DCH clinical exam) to understand what taking the exam entails so you can think carefully about whether an adjustment may be required for you and your specific needs.
When requesting your reasonable adjustment, rather than only stating your diagnosis or condition, please consider how it might impact your ability to take the exam and ensure you include the following details in your request:
- what specific adjustments would be helpful for you
- adjustments you have had for previous exams
- adjustments you have in the workplace.
Depending on the evidence received, examples of reasonable adjustments may include:
- extra time (FOP/TAS/AKP)
- extra reading time (MRCPCH clinical/DCH)
- coloured overlays
- font adjustments
- access to medication/food/drink during the exam
- mobility support (MRCPCH clinical)
- exam being taken online (FOP/TAS/AKP).
Candidates who are diagnosed with a condition that would require a reasonable adjustment after an unsuccessful exam attempt may request additional attempts for the component of the exam at which they were unsuccessful equal to the number of attempts taken for that component of the exam prior to their diagnosis.
For more information about how to request additional attempts see the policy on currency and number of attempts in MRCPCH examinations.
Candidates can appeal a decision about their reasonable adjustment. Candidates should understand that reasonable adjustment decisions are made in line with legal advice and cross-College agreement. Any changes would set new precedents across multiple stakeholders. While we will try to resolve the appeal before the exam sitting being applied for, candidates must demonstrate they understand that an appeal may take time to seek appropriate legal and specialist advice.
Appeals can be raised by emailing the Theory/Clinical Assessment team, setting out reasons why the candidate thinks the decision is not appropriate/applicable and should provide supporting evidence. The appeal will be escalated to the Executive Director and Associate Director to discuss with specialist colleagues.
Sub-specialty recruitment
Before progressing to subspecialty training, trainees may apply to train in a sub-specialty. Applicants are entitled to request a reasonable adjustment in an interview.
Examples of reasonable adjustments may include:
- good lighting
- elimination of background noise.
If you have a reasonable adjustment request for an interview, please complete the form below once you have been shortlisted for interview and send to the team no later than four weeks before the interview.
You can download our 'reasonable adjustments request' form on our recruitment into sub-specialty page.
At your workplace
Our reasonable adjustments at work - good practice page aims to help members, including trainees, identify supporting options in their employing organisation.