Equal Opportunities, Reasonable Adjustments and Special Consideration

CPCAB is committed to promoting widening participation and ensuring equality of opportunity in all aspects of its qualifications from structure and design through to individual candidate assessment.

See CPCAB Equal Opportunities Policy

Centres must have an appropriate trainee support system in place and to make appropriate arrangements to meet individual assessment needs. It is important that the training centre (usually the tutor) identifies individual candidate assessment needs as early on in the course as possible. It is the training centre's responsibility to notify CPCAB or apply to CPCAB for reasonable adjustments or special consideration.

NB. Reasonable adjustments are designed to meet individual assessment needs that reflect the kind of support that the training centre is already giving the candidate. Special consideration is designed for candidates who face unexpected or unplanned difficulties related to the assessment.

Centres can decide many kinds of reasonable adjustment without applying to CPCAB but in all cases (including where form CR3 has been submitted and approved) a CR3 notification form is also required.

Additional guidance in given in the forms listed below:

1. Application for Reasonable Adjustments (CR3) – for those adjustments requiring prior agreement from CPCAB. Applications must be submitted at least eight weeks prior to the external assessment date.
2. Notification of reasonable adjustments (CR3a) – for those adjustments not requiring prior agreement from CPCAB.
3. Application for Special Consideration (CR3b) – for candidates who are unable to complete the external assessment due to unforeseen difficulties, for example unexpected illness. See tutor CD and click on ‘admin docs’.

Both CPCAB and training centres are required to recognise and comply with both the spirit and the word of equal opportunities legislation. This includes: the Race Relations Act 1976, The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006, Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003, Equality Act 2006, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and 1986 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.