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Accessibility at Kaplan

We want every learner to succeed, and we can support you to achieve your goals. No matter what you need, we can help.

A woman in a wheelchair

Accessible facilities

We know that everyone is different, and what you need to support your learning is unique to you. We will work with you to find solutions to help you succeed. All of our locations have:

Close access to major transport links

Wheelchair accessible facilities

A lift if there is more than one floor

DDA compliant washrooms available

A woman in a wheelchair going up a ramp

Access for all

We also make sure that our classrooms and communal areas are accessible to all, with freedom to move around easily.

If needed, we are able to:

  • Provide assistance in getting around the centre including facilitating access to washrooms
  • Rearrange teaching and assessment rooms to allow wheelchair access or greater mobility
  • Early access to printed material to support with note-taking
  • Provide pre-recordings of Live Online classes
  • Demonstrate assistive technology that can support you with reading, writing and organisational skills
  • Provide advice on which exam access arrangements would support your needs and how to apply for these arrangements. For example, access to a reader, scribe, rest breaks or extra time for assessments (with prior approval from the institute).
  • Centre familiarisation prior to your classes or assessments.
A man with a sight impairment walking with a white cane

Help with sight impairments

We are able to provide adjustments to our printed learning materials:

  • Our materials can be produced in a choice of formats, e.g. coloured paper, enlarged text
  • We can provide pre-recordings of Live Online classes
  • Texts are produced in flowable e-book format, so you can use your hand held devices, or your laptops/desktops to adjust the font size to whatever is best for you
  • Demonstrate assistive technology that meet your individual needs 
  • Arrange access to a reader, scribe, rest breaks or arrange for extra time for assessments with prior approval from the institutes.

And we can help with online materials:

  • You can adjust some things, such as font size, colour or sound, yourself, and we can help if you’re not sure what else is available.
A man with a hearing impairment using a mobile phone

Helping with hearing impairments

If you have a hearing impairment, we can provide adjustments so you can hear clearly in class and when using our learning platforms.

  • If you lip read, we’ll make sure you’re at the front of the class and the tutor looks at you directly
  • We can use a variety of diagrams and visuals, and write up any keywords on the screen
  • We can provide a lesson plan, notes or handouts prior to the session to look over
  • We can provide pre-recordings of Live Online classes 
  • We can replicate your exam access arrangements in your mock exams with approval from institutes
  • We can provide access to a reader, scribe, rest breaks or extra time in your  actual examinations with prior approval from institutes
  • We can advise on exam access arrangements that meet your individual needs
  • We’ll try to minimise background chatter in class wherever possible
  • We’ll make you aware of subtitles and transcriptions where these are available
  • We will transcribe calls, provide the transcriptions, and also offer a detailed summary of each call
  • We’ll allow you to record a lecture with prior approval 
  • We can arrange a Support Plan to ensure that your tutors and support staff are aware of your needs and how to support you before you attend classes.
A woman in a wheelchair with people sat around a desk behind

Extra learning support

We can help you if you have specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, autism and Asperger’s. We’ll work with you to find out the best way to support your learning. This might include:

  • 1:1 study support
  • Specially adapted materials (e.g. often printing on yellow paper works for learners with Dyslexia)
  • Specialist tuition support, e.g. language skills or numeracy skills
  • Providing a specific point of contact to seek guidance
  • Assistance with planning and managing your studies
  • Providing access to a reader, scribe, extra time with actual examinations
  • Providing a lesson plan, notes or handouts to the learner prior to the session to look over.

We can also provide extra learning support if you have other medical conditions, including any mental health issues. These may be short term adjustments, or more permanent. Just let us know what you need. We can help by:

  • Providing access to session notes and live online recordings when sessions are missed
  • Allowing you to record a lecture
  • Providing 1:1 tutor support
  • Working with you to adjust your programme if you need more time, or a gentler pace of study
  • Providing access to a fridge for any medication
  • Providing additional time in exams and with supervised rest breaks.

Frequently asked questions

What can Kaplan do to support accessibility?

You should notify Kaplan on your application form and/or during your induction call with your Talent Coach of any learning difficulty or disability that you may have. The sooner you provide us with this information, the quicker we can start ensuring that you are set up correctly to make the best possible progress on your course. The Talent Coach and Inclusion Team will ensure that you are supported by identifying the most appropriate solution(s) to any barriers to your learning. Any additional support requirements will be notified to the relevant teams so that they can ensure that you are given the appropriate support.

You should notify our student services team studentservices@kaplan.co.uk of any learning difficulties or disabilities that may affect your learning. The team will then discuss the most appropriate form of support, taking into account relevant information about what has worked for you previously. If appropriate, we will put you in touch with our Inclusion Team who will work with you to ensure that you have the best possible chance of succeeding with your studies. Any additional support requirements will be notified to the relevant teams so that they can ensure that you are given the appropriate support.

Student Service Advisors/Client Managers will advise prospective students and/or their employers on an appropriate qualification based upon their particular circumstances.  The assessment requirements of the qualification and the planned programme of study will be outlined.  It will be made clear at the outset if the student will not be able to meet all of the assessment criteria due to any disability, impairment or specific learning difficulty.

Once our advisors have considered what adjustments future or current students with disabilities or difficulties may need, then appropriate provision can be made. This may also include referral to our Inclusion Team who will provide bespoke support. The sooner this is completed the better, especially if any specialist equipment is needed. What is reasonable will depend on the individual circumstances, the impact of the disability, cost implications and the practicality and effectiveness of the adjustment.

We try to be as prepared as possible for all our learners’ needs, but everybody is unique and sometimes we might not be fully prepared and we’ll need to make every potential learner feel welcome while we think on our feet and work with them to try to find a solution.

In most cases, it is your responsibility to notify the relevant Awarding Organisation/ Professional Body of an additional learning need, which may result in adjustments to the assessment process, including extra time. The AO/PB's will then notify us of this when exams are booked with the specific institutes. For some qualifications including AAT - you need to contact student services or your local student experience team in the centre - they will then gather the information from you to send onto the AAT to agree upon the reasonable adjustment.

Our dedicated Student Experience/CBE team works closely with the Awarding Organisation/ Professional Body, to ensure we follow the correct guidelines for Examinations whilst providing support for students. 

Reasonable adjustments and special considerations

Special consideration involves procedures that may result in an adjustment to the marks of students who have not been able to demonstrate attainment because of exceptional circumstances during the examination itself. We must ensure that we treat students fairly and in accordance with any awarding organisation/professional body guidance.

If you believe that you were disadvantaged in the examination through circumstances beyond your control - for example, illness during the examination, fire alarm during the examination - you may make a request for special consideration. You should ensure that the invigilator records the circumstances and then the centre will complete the necessary Special Consideration Form and submit to the awarding body no later than 14 days after the examination. Again, please refer to each Institute's individual guidance. The application should be supported by appropriate evidence, for example, a doctor's letter in the case of illness.

There may be occasions during your time with us when you might experience a more temporary disability or medical condition.

If you find yourself in need of support please contact your tutor, your talent coach or our student services team. 

Key contact: Student services studentservices@kaplan.co.uk

Contact us

If you would like to discuss how we can provide any assistance with your studies, please either contact our Student Services team on 0161 259 7400 or email us at als@kaplan.co.uk

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