Special Consideration and Reasonable Adjustments

Paddles Up Training supports the promotion of paddlesport for people of all abilities and encourages them to take British Canoeing Awarding Body Personal Performance Awards, Safety training, Leadership Awards and Coaching Qualifications.

This web page provides guidance to Tutors, Assessors and Providers on how they can best support people with special educational needs, disabilities, temporary illness or injury or other adverse circumstances outside their control, to ensure they are not unfairly disadvantaged when undertaking training and assessment.

Special Considerations

A special consideration is a change to a training or assessment outcome made when the Learner has been affected by adverse circumstances beyond their control at the time of the course. Learners will be eligible for special consideration if:

• They have completed the majority of the training and the training missed accounts for no more than 20% of the formal training courses Guided Learning Hours
• Their performance in the assessment is materially affected by such adverse circumstances.

Special consideration can be given by Paddles Up Training staff during or within 5 working days of any Learner assessment (both in advance and retrospectively)

Note: Tutors, Providers and Assessors can contact PUT staff for support in these considerations.

Learners with more complex support needs can apply for reasonable adjustments. This should be done through PUT, who will either put in place an adjustment or in more complex circumstances, will apply to BCAB on their behalf.

Examples of when a Learner may be eligible for special consideration:

• Temporary illness or accident/injury at the time of assessment
• Bereavement at the time of assessment
• Domestic crisis at the time of assessment
• Disadvantage due to a Reasonable Adjustment failing to provide adequate provisions

In all cases, Learners should provide evidence of their circumstances as appropriate.

Reasonable Adjustments

PUT and BCAB are fully committed to unimpeded access to, and equal opportunities in, training and assessment and to considering the needs of all potential Learners. This includes those with a range of impairments provided the impairment would not prevent them from performing their coaching or leadership duties competently on qualifying.

Some types of physical impairment, sensory or learning disabilities, should not prevent access to qualifications but may require Tutors, Providers and Assessors to make some adjustments in their planning and/ or delivery. In these circumstances, learners wouldn’t normally need to apply for a reasonable adjustment. Examples include but are not limited to:

• a moderate hearing or visual impairment
• a physical disability, resulting in restricted mobility
• Dyslexia

We recommend that Reasonable Adjustments are applied for at least 4 weeks prior to the course start date, using the Reasonable Adjustment Form. This will allow for clarity and agreement in advance of the training or assessment course.

The policy details appropriate modifications or adjustments that can be made to both Training and Assessments.

The full policy can be accessed here: Policies

To make an application for a reasonable adjustment or special consideration please use this form here: