Operated by: Nudge Education Ltd · Version: v10.26 · Owner: Director NEO & Head of School
NEO BY NUDGE EDUCATION
Examination Contingency Plan Nudge Education Online
| Policy Owner | Director, Nudge Education Online & Head of School |
|---|---|
| Approved | For approval by the Director, NEO & Head of School under authority delegated by the Proprietor (CEO of Nudge Education Ltd) on 13 October 2026; for noting at the NEO board on 3 December 2026 |
| Review Date | August 2027, before each examination cycle, and after any activation |
| Version | 10.26 (supersedes 08.26) |
| Operating Company | Nudge Education Ltd (Company Number 10192753) |
| Accreditation Route | Online Education Accreditation Scheme (OEAS) — accreditation in progress |
What changed in v10.26. Aligned with the Tutors & Exams Referral Partner model: the family, not NEO, holds the contract with the examination centre, so special consideration, venue changes and awarding organisation contact run through the family and the centre. NEO’s role in every scenario is to act fast, support the family and supply evidence. A remote invigilation scenario is added.
1. Purpose and Scope
This plan sets out how NEO (Nudge Education Online) responds to disruption affecting public examinations for its learners, so that no learner is disadvantaged by an emergency so far as it is within the school’s control. It draws on the JCQ and Ofqual joint contingency planning guidance for the exam system in England.
NEO is a fully online school. It is not an examination centre and does not enter candidates: NEO learners sit examinations as private candidates at approved centres, principally Tutors & Exams, or through the centre’s remote invigilation service (see the NEO Examination Venues Policy). The centre holds the contingency obligations of a JCQ-approved centre. This plan therefore covers disruption affecting the learner, disruption affecting NEO, and disruption affecting the centre or the remote invigilation platform — and, in each case, what NEO does.
2. Activation and Governance
The plan is activated by the Exams Officer, in consultation with the Director NEO & Head of School, who informs the Proprietor of any activation. Where an incident also engages safeguarding, the Designated Safeguarding Lead leads on the safeguarding response and all safeguarding decisions defer to the DSL.
In every scenario the guiding order of priority is: (1) the safety and welfare of the learner; (2) the integrity of the examination; (3) minimising disadvantage to the learner, including by making sure the family applies for special consideration where disruption cannot be prevented.
3. Scenarios and Responses
| Scenario | Response |
|---|---|
| Learner unable to attend through illness or emergency | The family contacts the examination centre at once (the centre’s instructions and contact details are in its joining instructions) and tells the Practitioner-Mentor or Exams Officer the same day. The Exams Officer helps the family apply to the centre for special consideration within the JCQ deadline, and NEO supplies any supporting evidence it holds. Only the candidate or bill payer can make the request; NEO cannot make it for them. |
| Learner arrives late or very late | The centre applies the JCQ late-arrival rules. The family tells the Exams Officer the same day; NEO records the circumstances and supports the family with any statement the centre or awarding organisation asks for. |
| Travel disruption or severe adverse weather | The family alerts the centre and NEO immediately. The centre decides on any late start or alternative permitted by JCQ regulations; where attendance is impossible, the special consideration route above applies. Venue identification (nearest centre to home, or remote invigilation where suitable) minimises travel exposure by design. |
| Centre venue unavailable (flood, fire, power failure) | The centre’s own contingency arrangements apply and the centre communicates revised arrangements directly to the family. The Exams Officer checks that the family has received them, and the Practitioner-Mentor supports the learner. |
| Remote invigilation platform or equipment failure on the day | The awarding organisation’s and centre’s remote contingency applies (for Pearson Edexcel, a secure paper-based fallback delivered through the family). The family follows the invigilator’s and the centre’s instructions and notifies NEO afterwards; the Exams Officer supports any special consideration request. NEO reminds families in advance that a printer and scanner are required even for on-screen papers, for this reason. |
| Learner fails or risks failing the mandatory remote familiarisation | The Exams Officer tracks the familiarisation date (around six weeks before the series) with the family; a learner who has not completed it may be refused remote sitting by the awarding organisation. Where completion is not possible, the Exams Officer helps the family contact the centre about transferring to an in-person venue before entries close. |
| Partnership with the examination centre ends (SLA withdrawn, centre ceases trading or loses approval) | Existing entries continue under the family’s own contract with the centre and are not cancelled by the end of the partnership. For future series the Exams Officer identifies an alternative JCQ-approved centre accepting private candidates, applies the checks in the Venues Policy, and informs families and commissioners. |
| Question paper or materials incident at the centre | The centre manages this under its JCQ obligations and awarding organisation instructions. NEO supports affected learners and families, records what it is told, and helps the family pursue special consideration if appropriate. |
| Absence of the Exams Officer | The Director NEO & Head of School holds deputised access to the examinations log, the SLA, the referral code and the centre’s contacts, and assumes the Exams Officer’s duties for the period of absence. |
| Failure of NEO systems affecting learner records | Learner records (including SEND evidence used for access arrangements and results shared by families) are held in the school’s managed Google Workspace tenant with appropriate backup. The Data Protection Officer is engaged for any incident involving personal data under the Data Protection, Confidentiality and Privacy Policy. |
| National or local emergency disrupting a whole series | NEO follows the joint contingency arrangements announced by JCQ, Ofqual, the DfE and the awarding organisations for that series, including any alternative assessment arrangements, and communicates these to families and commissioners promptly. Where a centre-assessed route is required and NEO is asked to supply evidence of attainment, the Head of School co-ordinates it under the awarding organisation’s instructions. |
4. Special Consideration
Where disruption could not reasonably be prevented and a learner was present but disadvantaged, or absent for an acceptable reason, the family applies for special consideration through the examination centre in accordance with the JCQ publication A guide to the special consideration process, within its deadlines. NEO’s part is to tell the family the same day that the route exists, help them make the application, and supply any evidence NEO holds (for example attendance and wellbeing records, with the family’s agreement). The Exams Officer records the application and its outcome, as shared by the family, in the examinations log.
5. Communication
On activation of any scenario in this plan, the Exams Officer will:
- speak to the affected learner and family directly, in plain language, with the practical next steps and the centre’s contact route;
- inform the commissioner where the learner’s place is commissioned;
- keep the Director NEO & Head of School and the Proprietor informed;
- notify the examination centre only where NEO holds information the centre needs (for example a safeguarding concern, via the DSL), since routine examination communication runs between the centre and the family; and
- record the incident, decisions and outcomes in the examinations log.
6. Roles and Responsibilities
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Proprietor | Overall accountability; informed of all activations. |
| Director NEO & Head of School | Owns this plan; deputises for the Exams Officer; decides escalation with the partner. |
| Exams Officer | Activates the plan; supports families through the centre’s and awarding organisation’s processes; tracks remote familiarisation dates; incident records. |
| Designated Safeguarding Lead | Leads on any safeguarding dimension of an incident; liaison with the centre’s safeguarding function. |
| Practitioner-Mentors | Reassure and support learners and families during disruption, in co-ordination with the Exams Officer. |
| Data Protection Officer | Engaged for any incident involving personal data. |
7. Related Policies and Documents
- NEO — Examination Venues Policy
- NEO — Guide to Examinations at NEO
- NEO — Appeals Procedure (with the NEO — Appeals and Complaints Policy)
- Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy
- Data Protection, Confidentiality and Privacy Policy
- JCQ A guide to the special consideration process; JCQ–Ofqual joint contingency planning guidance (current editions)
8. Review
This plan is reviewed annually by the Director NEO & Head of School before the start of each examination cycle, and after any activation.