Examinations Officer

This is a key role requiring exceptional attention to detail, strong organisational skills and the ability to work confidently with staff, pupils’ parents/carers and external agencies. You will ensure that examinations are conducted in full compliance with JCQ regulations and awarding body requirements, maintaining the highest standards of accuracy and integrity throughout the process.

Job Purpose

The Examinations Officer will be responsible for coordinating, administering and ensuring the smooth and compliant running of all internal and external examinations in line with JCQ regulations and the awarding body requirements. The postholder will ensure integrity, accuracy and security of the entire examinations process while supporting the school’s Catholic ethos and safeguarding responsibilities.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Examinations Planning & compliance
• Liaise with Heads of Department, teaching staff and senior leaders to ensure accurate entries and compliance with regulations.
• Maintain effective systems for managing all aspects of examinations.
• Ensure the school remains compliant with JCQ regulations and awarding body requirements.
• Complete exam entries using either electronic or manual systems as required, ensuring an appropriate backup arrangement is in place.
• Keep up to date with regulatory changes and communicate requirements to staff, candidates and parents.
• Actively cooperate with the JCQ Centre Inspection Service, an awarding body or a regulatory authority when subject to an inspection, an investigation or an unannounced visit.
• Annually confirm the information required by the National Centre Number Register (as administered by OCR on behalf of the JCQ) and inform of any changes to centre status.
• Manage the secure receipt, storage and handling of confidential examination materials.
• Support with managing potential conflicts of interest by informing the awarding bodies of timescale for each examination series and recording the measures taken to mitigate any potential risk to the integrity of the qualifications affected.
• Be responsible for the creation, review and update of exam-related policies/procedures as required by the regulations and accurately reflect working practices in the school.
• Manage the examinations budget, including recovery of fees where appropriate.
• Entries & Preparation
• Register or enter candidates for an examination or assessment in accordance with the awarding bodies’ published procedures and deadlines for that qualification.
• Coordinate accurate exam entries, registrations and amendments within published deadlines.
• Maintain required identifiers for each candidate entered for an examination/assessment and enter candidates who are on roll at the centre as internal candidates.
• Effectively use internal and external systems to submit and manage awarding body registration and entry data.
• Liaise with Finance to ensure fees are paid as instructed and at the time specified by the awarding bodies.
• Submit any applications for transferred candidate arrangements in accordance with the awarding body requirements.
• Liaise with relevant internal stakeholders to ensure final entries/registrations that have been submitted to an awarding body are regularly monitored, submitting timely changes (amendments/withdrawals) to ensure candidates take the correct papers at the correct time and enabling awarding bodies to deliver accurate results.
• Recruit, train and manage a team of invigilators, ensuring appropriate deployment and record-keeping.
• Organise exam timetables, rooming, seating plans and resource.
• Provide clear information to candidates, parents and staff regarding exam schedules, expectations and regulations.
• Ensure all candidates are aware of the JCQ and awarding body information and regulations regarding the conduct of their examinations/assessments in advance of these taking place.
• Confirm relevant internal stakeholders’ complete administrative tasks associated with centre assessed work in an accurate and timely manner in accordance with the requirements of awarding bodies and moderators.
• Support the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) in arranging access arrangements and reasonable adjustments.
• Effectively manage arrangements for the secure storage and dispatch of examination scripts for marking.
• Conduct of Examinations
• Manage the full examinations cycle, including: Estimation of entries, final entries and amendments. Exam timetables and rooming. Secure handling, storage and dispatch of examination materials. Seating plans, attendance registers and required resources.
• Ensure appropriate arrangements are in place for candidates with particular needs including SEN and access arrangements.
• Act as escalation point for exam irregularities, malpractice or breaches.
• Hold responsibility for health and safety arrangements during examination periods.
• Develop and maintain exam contingency plans (e.g. staff absence, venue issues, system failures).
• Inform the JCQ Centre Inspection Service of any alternative site that may be used by the centre to conduct timetabled examinations.
• Effectively deploy fully trained invigilators to exam rooms according to the requirements.
• Maintain the confidentiality and security of candidates’ responses and dispatch scripts according to the requirements.
• Submit to the published timescales, relevant follow-up reporting to awarding bodies in relation to the very late arrival of candidates for examinations and applications for special consideration where candidates meet the published criteria.
• General responsibilities
• Work within school policies, procedures and statutory guidance at all times.
• Maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion in handling sensitive information.
• Support the school’s general administrative function as required.
• Participate in relevant training and professional development.
• Undertake other duties commensurate with the grade as required.
• Support and demonstrate commitment to the distinctive Catholic mission and ethos of the school.
• Coordination, management and input of data related to key year group assessments.
• To support with Evolve Administration.