From the Head of Senior School

At Scotch College, we aim to support students to meet their full academic and personal potential. Sometimes, things get in the way, such as disability or illness, and accommodations can be made.

In Years 9 and 10, accommodations are determined by the Senior School Psychologist upon the receipt of relevant documentation (e.g. evidence of a learning disability diagnosis).

In Years 11 and 12, accommodations will vary depending on which academic pathway a student has chosen:

West Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) or International Baccalaureate (IB)

The different pathways have different governing bodies who decide a student's entitlements.

PATHWAY	OPTIONS	GOVERNING BODY
IB Diploma	International Baccalaureate	International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO)
WACE	Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) and GENERAL	School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA)

In Year 12 the governing bodies (IBO or SCSA) authorise special accommodations for final examinations. The College looks to mirror these accommodations in Years 9 to 12 to assist students who have a permanent or temporary disability to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and skills. In all cases, appropriate evidence is required to access these accommodations. Further to this, the granting of special examination arrangements by each examination board in Year 12 is not automatic, but depends on the provision of medical and/or psychological evidence to justify the application.

Examples of the types of disabilities considered are:

• Physical disability e.g. Multiple Sclerosis, neurological conditions;
• Illness e.g. Diabetes, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome;
• Vision impairment;
• Hearing impairment;
• Fine motor disability;
• Specific Learning Disability - e.g. Dyslexia, Dysgraphia;
• Psychological conditions (such as Depression or Anxiety)
• ADD/ADHD;
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Type of arrangements which may be granted include:

• Extra working time;
• Extra non-working time;
• Rest time;
• Use of computer, etc.

Please note that students accessing special examination arrangements for final Year 12 WACE examinations are usually required to sit their final examinations at another location (not Scotch College). This should be considered when applying for these accommodations in Year 12.

IB students are able to sit their final Year 12 examinations at Scotch College, regardless of whether they are accessing special examination arrangements.

If your son has been diagnosed with any of the conditions identified in the list above and you would like to discuss the accommodations which may be available, please contact Ms Shauna Lipscombe (Senior School Psychologist) or Mrs Libby Muddle (Head of Academic Support) if you have a son in Year 9 or 10 or undertaking WACE or Mr Michael Scaife (IB Diploma Coordinator) if undertaking IBDP.

Mr Dean Shadgett
Head of Senior School