ESCALATION PROCESS

2025/26

Centre: 62339

This process is reviewed annually to ensure compliance with current regulations

Purpose of the process

In terms of internal governance arrangements, it is the responsibility of the head of centre to ensure that The Oxford Academy has in place a written escalation process should the head of centre, or a member of the senior leadership team with oversight of examination and assessment administration, be absent.

This process confirms the main duties and responsibilities to be escalated.

This process also supports The Oxford Academy being able to confirm to an awarding body the external governance arrangements so that the awarding body has confidence in the integrity of centre activities, such as the delivery of qualifications and the conducting of examinations and assessments.

Before examinations (Planning)

In the event of the absence of the head of centre or the member of senior leadership with oversight of examination administration, responsibility for implementing JCQ regulations and requirements relating to activity prior to examinations will be escalated to Adele Barrett

To support understanding of the regulations and requirements, the following JCQ documents will be referenced:

• A guide to the special consideration process
• Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments
• AI Use in Assessments: Your role in protecting the integrity of qualifications
• Guidance for centres on cyber security
• Instructions for conducting coursework
• Instructions for conducting examinations
• Instructions for conducting non-examination assessments (GCE and GCSE specifications)
• Instructions for conducting non-examination assessments (Vocational and Technical Qualifications)
• Notice to Centres – Informing candidates of their centre-assessed marks
• Plagiarism in Assessments – Guidance for Teachers/Assessors
•  Suspected Malpractice – Policies and Procedures

Main duties and responsibilities relate to:

• Third party arrangements
• Centre status
• Confidentiality
• Resilience and contingency arrangements
• Cyber security
• Communication

Centre management:

• Recruitment, selection, training and support
• External and internal governance arrangements
• Delivery of qualifications
• Public liability
• Conflicts of interest
• Controlled assessments, coursework and non-examination assessments
• Security of assessment materials
• National Centre Number Register and other information requirements
• Centre inspections

Additional JCQ document for reference:

• JCQ Centre Inspection Service Changes

• Policies available for inspection

Specific JCQ documents for reference:

• General Regulations for Approved Centres (section 5)
• Instructions for conducting examinations (section 25)
• Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments (section 5)

• Personal data, freedom of information and copyright

Before examinations (Entries and Pre-exams)

In the event of the absence of the head of centre or the member of senior leadership with oversight of examination and assessment administration, responsibility for implementing JCQ regulations and requirements relating to entries and exam preparation will be escalated toAdele Barrett.

To support understanding of the regulations and requirements, sections of relevant JCQ documents will be specifically referenced including:

• General Regulations for Approved Centres (section 5)
• Instructions for conducting examinations (sections 1-15)
• Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments (sections 6-8)

Main duties and responsibilities relate to:

• Access arrangements and reasonable adjustments
• Entries (including ensuring appropriate controls are in place which allow accurate entries to be submitted to the awarding bodies)

Additional JCQ documents for reference:

• Key Dates
• Guidance Notes for Transferred Candidates
• Alternative Site guidance notes
• Guidance notes for overnight supervision of candidates with a timetable variation

• Centre assessed work (including ensuring that candidates’ work is backed-up and considering the contingency of candidates’ work being backed-up in the event of IT system corruption and cyber-attacks, and ensuring appropriate controls are in place which allow accurate internally assessed marks to be submitted to the awarding bodies)

Additional JCQ document for reference:

• Guidance Notes – Centre Consortium Arrangements

• Candidate information

Additional JCQ documents for reference:

• Information for candidates documents
• Exam Room Posters

During examinations (Exam time)

In the event of the absence of the head of centre or the member of senior leadership with oversight of examination and assessment administration, responsibility for implementing JCQ regulations and requirements relating to during exam time will be escalated to Adele Barrett.

The centre also has in place a member of the senior leadership team who will provide support and guidance to the examinations officer and ensure that the integrity and security of examinations and assessments is maintained throughout an examination series.

To support understanding of the regulations and requirements, sections of relevant JCQ documents will be specifically referenced including:

• General Regulations for Approved Centres (sections 3, 5)
• Instructions for conducting examinations (sections 16-31)
• Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments (section 8)

• A guide to the special consideration process (sections 2-7)

Main duties and responsibilities relate to:

• Conducting examinations and assessments

Additional JCQ document for reference:

• Guidance Notes – Very Late Arrival

• Malpractice
• Retention of candidates’ work

After examinations (Results and Post-Results)

As a contingency, the centre has at least one senior member of staff (senior designated contact) who is available to manage emergency requests from awarding bodies that are results related during the summer holidays. The National Centre Number Register is provided with the senior designated contact details (this might include a personal mobile number and/or email address). These are the contact details of someone who can be reached in an emergency if the centre is closed over the summer and who can mobilise resources to respond to the issue. (GR 3.18, 5.3)

In the event of the absence of the head of centre or the member of senior leadership with oversight of examination and assessment administration, responsibility for implementing JCQ regulations and requirements relating to after examinations will be escalated to Adele Barrett.

The centre also has in place two members of the senior leadership team who will act as an emergency point of contact for the awarding bodies. They have the authority to liaise across the centre and ensure that any issues, queries, raised by an awarding body are successfully resolved prior to the publication of results.  The head of centre is required to provide this information on an annual basis to the National Centre Number Team.

To support understanding of the regulations and requirements, sections of relevant JCQ documents will be specifically referenced including:

• General Regulations for Approved Centres (section 5)

Main duties and responsibilities relate to:

• Results

Additional JCQ document for reference:

• Release of Results notice

• Post-results services and appeals

Additional JCQ documents for reference:

• Post-Results Services (Information and guidance to centres)
• JCQ Appeals Booklet (A guide to the awarding bodies’ appeals processes)

• Certificates