Every year, hundreds of P7 pupils in Northern Ireland sit the SEAG with access arrangements in place. These are adjustments designed so that children with a diagnosed need are not disadvantaged by the standard test conditions. If your child has a learning difficulty, a physical disability, or a medical condition that affects how they sit a timed paper, they may be entitled to support. Getting it requires understanding the process and starting early.
What are access arrangements?
Access arrangements are changes to standard test conditions that remove or reduce barriers for pupils with diagnosed needs. They do not change the content of the test. Every child answers the same questions. The conditions change, so the result reflects ability rather than the impact of the condition.
SEAG offers a defined set of arrangements. The most commonly requested include:
- Extra time (25 per cent). Usually 75 minutes instead of 60 on each paper. The most frequently granted arrangement, suitable for children who process information more slowly because of a diagnosed condition. Extra time is not cumulative: a child cannot qualify for more than 25 per cent, even with multiple needs.
- Extra time with breaks. The same 25 per cent, but used for short "stay-on-your-seat" breaks to regulate emotions. Relevant for children with ASD, ADHD, or significant anxiety.
- Electronic Reader Pen. A handheld device the child uses, with headphones, to read questions aloud to themselves. Comes with 25 per cent extra time. Parents provide the pen, and functions other than the reading function must be disabled.
- Scribe. An adult who writes the answers as the child dictates. Approved only for substantive needs such as physical disability or a medical diagnosis of dysgraphia.
- Enlarged papers (A3) on buff-coloured paper, plus enlarged answer sheets, for children with visual impairment or existing classroom practice of using enlarged material.
- Coloured overlay or reading ruler. If the child already uses one in the classroom as their normal way of working.
- Smaller group invigilation (without extra time). A room with fewer children, for pupils with severe medical or mental health needs that make the main hall unsuitable.
- Invigilator to prompt. Non-verbal prompts (eye contact, a tap on the desk) to help a child with ASD, ADHD, or processing difficulties stay on task.
- Bi-lingual dictionary. For children whose first language is neither English nor Irish and who have spent less than three academic years in the UK or Ireland before October of the test year. Includes 25 per cent extra time.
- Physical support item such as a fidget toy, wobble cushion, or security blanket, where already used in the classroom.
- Accommodation for limited mobility, for example an appropriate work surface for a wheelchair user.
- Sign language interpreter for children with severe hearing difficulties not resolved by audio devices.
Long-term medical conditions (asthma, cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, heart conditions, life-threatening allergies and similar) are handled separately, with adjustments agreed based on medical evidence. If your child's situation doesn't fit a listed arrangement, the application form has an "Other" free-text box for bespoke requests, which go to the same Independent Access Panel for review.
Who qualifies?
Access arrangements are not granted on a parent's request alone. They require formal evidence of a specific significant or substantive need that affects the child's ability to perform under standard test conditions. The Independent Access Panel, appointed by SEAG, reviews every application.
The key principle is that the arrangement must reflect the child's normal way of working in primary school. If your child routinely gets extra time or uses a reading ruler in the classroom, that strengthens the case. If they have never used the arrangement in school, asking for it in the test room would be unusual and probably refused.
Evidence usually comes from a combination of the school (SENCO letter, current IEP or PLP, Principal signature, confirmation of the normal way of working) and, for quantitative cases, a qualified assessor. For extra-time claims on grounds of a learning difficulty, a diagnostic assessment showing at least two below-average standardised scores (84 or below) in areas like reading speed, reading comprehension speed, or cognitive processing is typically required. Assessors must be currently registered: a qualified educational psychologist with an HCPC number, a specialist teacher with a recognised psychometric qualification, or similar.
Children with special educational needs are usually on the SEN register, and their IEP or PLP can be submitted as evidence provided it shows the arrangement requested is already the normal classroom practice.
How to apply
Applications are made by parents or guardians, not schools. The school supplies the supporting evidence (SENCO letter, Principal signature, IEP or PLP), and the parent uploads everything through the SEAG online application portal.
For the 2025 assessment cycle, registration and applications opened on Monday 19 May 2025, and the deadline is 11:59pm on Friday 19 September 2025. Future years follow a similar May-opening, September-deadline rhythm, but always check the current dates on the official SEAG website.
The process looks like this:
- Speak to your child's class teacher and SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) at the earliest opportunity. Ideally during P6 or right at the start of P7. If your child already has a diagnosis and receives in-class support, the SENCO will know and can advise on what evidence the school can provide.
- Get the documentation up to date. The SEAG office expects recent, relevant evidence. An educational psychology report from P3 may not be enough if it has not been reviewed since. Private psychological assessments can take several weeks to arrange and cost several hundred pounds, so start early.
- Register on the SEAG website and complete the online application, uploading the professional evidence and the school's supporting letter. Submit before the September deadline.
- The Independent Access Panel reviews your application. Decisions are usually communicated within 20 working days of submission. The outcome is shared with you and with the Entrance Assessment Centre.
Why the timeline matters
The process takes time. If you wait until September of P7 to start thinking about it, you may find the deadline has passed before you have the documentation in hand. Educational psychology waiting lists, both within the Education Authority and in private practice, can run into months. We have sat with families who had a strong case for extra time but missed the cut-off because the paperwork moved too slowly. Do not let that happen to you. If you think your child may need arrangements, raise it with the school during P6.
What test day looks like
Children with approved arrangements sit the same test as everyone else, on the same dates, at the same assessment centre. Only the conditions differ.
Children with extra time are placed in a separate room away from the main hall, with other pupils who have extra time. Rooms hold up to 15 children where operationally feasible. No one leaves the room until the full 1 hour 15 minutes is up, which means your child won't finish earlier or later than peers in their own room.
Children with a scribe, a sign language interpreter, or an individual prompter sit in a small room with the invigilator and their support adult. Children with smaller group invigilation are placed in a room with fewer children but do not receive extra time.
Invigilators and support staff are briefed in advance on every child's arrangements. Your child does not have to ask for or explain their support on the day. It will be in place when they arrive. Our wider guide on SEAG test day covers what the morning looks like for any pupil.
One practical point worth handling at home. If your child is sitting with extra time, talk about it beforehand. Some children feel self-conscious about being separated from peers. Reassure them that extra time is a normal, common arrangement used by many pupils. It is there to make the test fair for them, not to mark them out.
What if something changes close to the test?
If your child suffers a last-minute injury or temporary impairment, a broken arm in the week before the test for example, the standard process does not apply. SEAG runs a separate Emergency Access Arrangements procedure with its own online application form, available from a few weeks before the first assessment. It is designed for temporary, time-of-the-test problems, not long-term needs.
Long-term medical conditions should be disclosed through the standard application, whether or not you are requesting adjustments, so the assessment centre is informed.
What if the application is refused?
If the Independent Access Panel does not approve the requested arrangements, the reasons are shared with you. Most refusals come down to one of two things: the evidence was not strong enough, or the requested arrangement was not consistent with the child's normal working pattern. Talk to the SENCO about submitting further evidence. SEAG also publishes an Appeals Policy Statement on its website, which sets out the formal appeal route.
Preparing with extra time in mind
If your child will sit the test with extra time, build that into practice at home. When they do practice papers, give them the same extra time they will have on the day. Typically 75 minutes rather than 60. This builds a sense of pacing that matches the real conditions, not the standard timing described in most prep resources.
On SEAG Success, you can use the relaxed (no timer) mode to practise without time pressure, then move to soft-timed mode to build pacing awareness gently. This graduated approach works well for children entitled to extra time. It builds confidence before introducing any time pressure at all. Topic lessons like Reading Between the Lines on inference are also a good place to slow down and build comprehension skill without a clock running.
A wider point about reading the paper
Many access-arrangement candidates lose marks on the same thing as everyone else. Misreading the question. Slowing down the read of each question is not a workaround for a diagnosed need. It is good exam technique for any pupil. Our guide on the Maths Option E trap covers one of the more common ways careful reading saves marks in the second half of the paper.
A final word
The process needs planning and paperwork, but it is well-established and schools handle it every year. Start early. Talk to your SENCO. Make sure your child walks into the test knowing the conditions have been set up to let them show their best.
