Personal Learning Plans, Assessments and Exceptional
Factors
Guidance for academic staff
May 2014
1. Introduction and Purpose of the document
1.1 It is possible for students, under certain circumstances, to provide evidence to the Exceptional Factors Panel for assessed course work
submission dates to be adjusted .
1.2 It is also possible for disabled students who have a Personal Learning Plan which states so, to request a revised submission date on the
basis of their disability without going through ‘Exceptional Factors’.
1.3 The purpose of this document is to provide guidance for academic staff on:


When to consider a student’s request for a revised submission date due to a Personal Learning Plan (PLP) recommendation
When to refer the student to the Exceptional Factors Panel.
1.4 For this reason, it is important that it is read in conjunction with the relevant procedure for Exceptional Factors:
http://www.mmu.ac.uk/academic/casqe/regulations/assessment/docs/appendix_2_exceptional_factors.pdf.
1.5. Please note: A disabled student (with a personal learning plan), who is unable to sit an examination (or time restricted class test) due to
a disability related issue ,which could not have been addressed prior to the exam/ test,will still need to go through the Exceptional Factors
process.
However, a statement confirming the reason for the absence from a Departmental Disability Coordinator will suffice, rather than the student
being required to present medical evidence. If, however, the Departmental Disability Coordinator is in any doubt about the validity of the
request, or does not feel qualified to judge, the student can still be asked to present medical evidence for the approval of the Exceptional
Factors Panel.
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2. The Personal Learning Plan recommendation relating to renegotiating revised submission dates
2.1 If the following statement is in a disabled student’s Personal Learning Plan, the student has the right to request a revised submission
date.
“Consider reasonable requests for renegotiated deadlines (if disability-related)”
2.2 The following phrase also appears in the student responsibility section of the PLP in order to reinforce the message:
“The expectation is that as far as possible you will meet all coursework deadlines. You can discuss, and may be able to renegotiate
deadlines for reasons related to your disability by speaking to your tutor well in advance of the deadline.”
If this statement is not present in a disabled student’s Personal Learning Plan, then s/he does not have the right to request a revised
submission date under the PLP and must be referred to Exceptional Factors.
2.3 Please note: The student may also be referred back to the Learner Development Service to discuss whether it would be appropriate to
add the entitlement to request a revised submission date to the list of recommendations relating to that student, particularly if circumstances
have changed since the PLP was originally produced.)
3. Examples of when it may be appropriate to re-negotiate a revised submission dates through a Personal
Learning Plan
3.1 It is expected that disabled students will meet original assessment submission dates wherever possible. However, there will always
be situations when a disabled student may legitimately struggle to meet the original deadline, and when it may be entirely appropriate for
them to renegotiate.
Examples include:


The student is still in the process of applying for Disabled Students’ Allowance, which means they may not have had access
to the relevant equipment, software packages or 1:1 specialist support to enable them to meet the original deadline.
The submission date was set at relatively short notice and the nature of the disability is such that the student requires a
longer amount of time to prepare and complete the coursework (For clarification on what conditions this may cover contact
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


the Learner Development Service.)
The disabled student has a large number of submission dates within a short period.
The student’s disability is classed as a ‘fluctuating condition’ and a ‘flare-up’ may have impacted on their ability to meet the
original submission date. (For clarification on what conditions this may cover contact the Learner Development Service.)
The student may be dependent upon timetabled support staff, for example, library support workers and note-takers, and
there may have been problems relating to this support thus affecting the student’s ability to meet the deadline.
3.2 If a student misses original submission dates for reasons that are nothing to do with their disability, for example a family
bereavement, then evidence must be submitted through the Exceptional Factors process in the usual way, even if their PLP states they
can renegotiate submission dates.
If in doubt, contact the Learner Development Service for guidance on ext. 3491.
4. Principles Underpinning the Process – (See Appendix 1 for checklist)
4.1 Assessment
4.1.1 The key principle underpinning assessment is that the objectives of the academic programme are met according to the University’s,
and the programme’s, assessment and progression principles and regulations (MMU Assessment Regulations for Taught Programmes).
http://www.mmu.ac.uk/academic/casqe/regulations/assessment.php
4.1.2 Disabled students’ marks or grades for assessments should not be altered because of their disability: they should be assessed in
such a way that they are neither systematically penalised nor systematically advantaged.
http://www.mmu.ac.uk/academic/casqe/regulations/assessment/docs/appendix_4_disabled_students.pdf , Clause 5
4.2 A designated member of academic staff should consider requests for revised submission dates from disabled
students
4.2.1 Each academic department (or equivalent) should identify one member of staff to oversee all requests for revised submission dates from
disabled students with PLPs, to ensure consistency of approach and maintain an overview of the impact of the full range of assessments on
the student. This role should be undertaken by the Departmental Disability Coordinator (DDC) or nominated representative (see
Appendix 2).
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4.3 Length of revised submission date
4.3.1 There is no standard duration for a revised submission date. Deadlines should be negotiated on a case-by-case basis, taking
into consideration the course requirements and the student’s engagement, both with the course and support available.
It may be entirely reasonable to give one student a renegotiated submission date for a few days’ time, and another in a couple of weeks
for the same assignment, provided there is a justification for these decisions.
4.3.2 Once a submission date has been renegotiated, staff have fulfilled their duty to make a reasonable adjustment.
4.4 Requests for revised submission dates for the same piece of work
4.4.1 Only one revised submission deadline can be approved for the same piece of work.
Agreeing to repeated requests for revised submission date for the same piece of work could be considered giving an unfair advantage
to disabled students as the initial extension will be deemed to be the reasonable adjustment to ‘level the playing field’.
4.4.2 If, after the initial revised deadline, the work has still not been completed by the disabled student, then the regulations of nonsubmission or late submission of coursework will apply:
http://www.mmu.ac.uk/academic/casqe/regulations/assessment/docs/appendix_1_coursework.pdf
4.5 Requests for multiple revised submission dates for different pieces of work
4.5.1 Any renegotiated submission dates for assessments should be considered within the context of other pieces of work that require
completion. Renegotiated submission dates in certain circumstances can be counter-productive, as they can have a knock-on effect on
the completion of other pieces of work and on revision schedules. For this reason, it is important to have a Departmental Disability
Coordinator/ nominee overseeing all requests.
4.6 Ongoing difficulties meeting coursework deadlines
4.6.1 If a disabled student experiences persistent difficulties with meeting deadlines because of the disability, then academic staff should
raise this with the Departmental Disability Coordinator (DDC). The DDC should speak to the student to check what the issues are and,
with the student’s permission, contact the Learner Development Service (LDS) on ext. 3491 or learner.development@mmu.ac.uk to see
if it may be appropriate to review the support available to the student and discuss any alternatives to methods of assessment/attendance.
http://www.mmu.ac.uk/academic/casqe/regulations/assessment/docs/appendix_4_disabled_students.pdf
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4.6.2 For some conditions, such as mental health conditions, agreeing repeat extended deadlines without considering the wider impact
this may have may not always be in the best interest of the student, and may in fact make the situation worse.
4.6.3 Specific advice and support on how to support students with mental health difficulties can be found by contacting Counselling,
Health and Wellbeing on ext. 3493 or wellbeing@mmu.ac.uk
4.6.4 Any student wishing to withdraw or suspend their studies should be referred by the Departmental Disability Coordinator, in the first
instance, to the relevant Student Support Officer. If a student wishes to transfer onto a part-time route, they should be advised to discuss
this with the Programme Leader. The Learner Development should also be consulted on the impact this will have any Disabled Students
Allowances the student is in receipt of.
4.6.5 Occasionally, requests may need to be negotiated retrospectively for students who are absent from the university for reasons
relating to a disability (for example, hospitalisation) and have, therefore, not been able to request a revised submission. In these cases,
medical evidence should be requested.
4.8 Revised submission dates for Group work
4.8.1 Revised submission dates for assessed group work activities are not acceptable. Disabled students are advised by the Learner
Development Service that PLP recommendations apply to individuals only and cannot be allowed to impact on other students.
5. Action to be taken after approving a request for a revised submission date
5.1 Once a revised submission date has been approved on the basis of the Personal Learning Plan, the Departmental Disability
Coordinator (or equivalent) must make it clear to the disabled student that further extensions for the same piece of work are not
permitted (see 4.4) and the potential consequences of missing the revised submission date should be made clear. See assessment
regulations relating to coursework submission:
http://www.mmu.ac.uk/academic/casqe/regulations/assessment/docs/appendix_1_coursework.pdf
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5.2 The Departmental Disability Coordinator (or equivalent) must meet with the disabled student, and it is his/ her responsibility to complete a
Personal Learning Plan (PLP) Coursework Submission Form, on behalf of the student, for the piece of work to which the revised submission
deadline relates. (See Appendix 3).
5.3 The Departmental Disability Coordinator (or equivalent) should immediately email or send the completed (PLP) Coursework Submission
Form to the Coursework Receipting Office/Student Life Office, ensuring the student also gets a copy. Details of each Campus/Faculty Coursework
Receipting Office/Student Life Office can be found at www.coursework.mmu.ac.uk. This website also contains unit as well as student submission
information.
5.4 The student will receive a confirmation email of the revised submission deadline. The revised date will show on the Coursework Cover Sheet for that
piece of work and in ‘My Assignments’ against the relevant piece of work.
5.5 Academic staff can access and download the Personal Learning Plan (PLP) Revised Coursework Submission Form (see Appendix 3).
5.6 The Student Life Office will make available to the Exceptional Factors Panel a report listing those students who have had revised
submission dates approved related to PLPs. The report will outline the number and length of ‘extensions’ the student has had. This
information, in addition to any Exceptional Factors claims that may have been submitted for other reasons, will provide the Exceptional
Factors Panel with a clear overview.
Pauline Ford
Head of Faculty Student & Academic Services
Manchester School of Art/
Faculty of Humanities, Languages & Social Science
Rita Lewin
Head of Student Employability and
Success & Deputy Director of
Student Services
May 2014
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Appendix 1
Checklist for identifying if the request should be based on the PLP or whether a referral to Exceptional Factors is required.
Basis of the request
Does student
have a PLP?
Disability related
request
YES
Non-disability related
request
YES
Disability related
request
YES
Non-disability related
request
YES
Does the PLP contain the
statement
‘Consider reasonable requests
for renegotiated deadlines (if
disability-related)’?
YES
Action to be taken
The student should make an appointment to see the Departmental
Disability Coordinator to discuss the possibility of a revised submission
deadline. Section 5 outlines some key points to discuss when
considering the request
YES
If the student is experiencing difficulties meeting deadlines for reasons
NOT related to their disability e.g. the bereavement of a close
relative/family member, then the student will have to go through the
normal exceptional factors procedures. Full details of which are found
at http://www.mmu.ac.uk/sas/studentservices/guidance/
NO
If the student’s PLP DOES NOT state the student can negotiate
revised coursework submission/Assessment date and the student is
experiencing difficulty meeting deadlines for reasons related to
disability (e.g. condition has deteriorated), the student should be
referred to the Learner Development Service at:
http://www.mmu.ac.uk/sas/studentservices/learner-development/
NO
If exceptional circumstances, which are not related to the
disability, prevent a student from attending, completing or
submitting an assessment on time, the student will have to go
through the normal exceptional factors procedures. Please refer
students to the guidance notes at:
www.mmu.ac.uk/sas/studentservices/guidance/
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Appendix 2
GUIDANCE FOR DEPARTMENTAL DISABILITY COORDINATORS (OR EQUIVALENTS) ON
SUPPORTING DISABLED STUDENTS THROUGH REQUESTS FOR REVISED SUBMISSION
DATES.
The Departmental Disability Coordinator (DDC) should read the Personal Learning Plan (PLP) of
the student prior to meeting with him/her. The ‘Information for Staff’ section on the PLP will
provide information on the nature of the disability and justification for the recommendations.
When meeting with the student, it is essential that the DDC explores the reason for the request
in a sensitive way. Only by having a one-to-one discussion, and asking the right questions, is it
possible to make a fair and informed decision regarding the reasonableness and length of any
request.
Please note: Any student who already has a PLP will have already submitted medical evidence
about their condition to the Learner Development Service, so the purpose of the conversation
should not be about proving a disability.
Issues/ Questions to consider when meeting with the student.
1. Are the reasons given by the student for the requested extension covered by the
PLP?
Establish why the student needs an extension. If the information provided by the
student does not broadly match with the PLP, please discuss this with the student and,
with their permission, contact the Learner Development Service as appropriate.
2. Are there any regulatory reasons why a deadline cannot be renegotiated?
Explain to the student that you may be constrained by the following, which will vary
from course to course:
 Learning Outcomes.
 Professional competencies.
Please note: The PLP explicitly states that learning outcomes, and standards set by
professional bodies, can override the recommendations made in Personal Learning
Plans; students are made aware of this during their PLP appointment.
3. Does the extension relate to group work?
If yes, please refer to 4.8 above
4. Is the student accessing all the financial support available?
If a student reports difficulties with academic work, ask them what support
(if any) they have accessed prior to this point.
Check if the student has accessed Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA). Most UK
students are eligible for it.
The PLP indicates when a student has applied for DSA, under the heading “Additional
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useful information for staff”.
DSA is a non-means tested grant intended to fund any costs a disabled student would
incur, over and above the costs of a non-disabled student, in order to progress in their
studies.
Each student’s needs are individually assessed but support often includes IT software
and hardware; one-to- one study skills support; an allowance for printing and
photocopying; travel expenses; and specialist support such as a sign language
interpreter.
Most students who have organisational difficulties because of a disability (for example,
due to a specific learning condition such as Dyslexia) are likely to have been allocated
one-one study skills support to enable them to build strategies to organize their
workload and meet their deadlines.
If the student has not taken up institutional support or support available through (DSA),
it may be reasonable to agree to a revised submission date but make explicitly clear
that the student must access the support available before any future requests can be
considered. If the student is unclear about DSA, for example they are not sure what it
is, or whether or not they have applied, please contact the Learner Development
Servicer on x 3491.
5 EU/ International students
Students who are classified by the University as EU/International students are not
usually able to claim DSA but can still have their needs assessed by the Learner
Development Service and access all the institutional-based support. The Departmental
Disability Coordinator then works with these students in exactly the same way as home
studnets.
6 Has the student accessed University-based support?
Staff should be aware that there are a number of sources of support available to all
students within the university and that all students (disabled and non-disabled) are
expected to engage with the support available to them to assist with their studies. The
following support is available:
Student Support Officers (SSOs) offer study skills support and other issues, including
Exceptional Factors.
-Moodle has links to Skills Online which students can access independently.
-The
Writing Project offers a ten-week writing skills course to help improve written
English skills.
-Inspiration
(mind mapping software) and TextHelp Read and Write (text to
speech/proofreading software) are both available on all MMU computers. Learner
Development Service periodically offers training for these programs and there is an
introductory guide.
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-Many faculties also offer additional tutor support which supports student experience
and learning. The role and title of these roles varies across the institution.
-In addition to the support available for all students, ELSIS provides free English
classes and one-to-one tutorials for international students at MMU in every faculty
during the Autumn and Spring terms, and one-to-one individual writing consultations
during the third term and summer.
5. How long has the student already had to complete this work and how much
notice did they have?
If the course handbook contains all the coursework submission deadlines, the
expectation is that students aim towards achieving these. However, if there is a
bunching of assessment deadlines this can be problematic for the student and
spreading the assessment deadline will be reasonable.
If it is an additional assignment and not contained in the course-related materials
available to the student e.g. student handbook or Moodle unit pages, this could be
justification for renegotiating a deadline to enable students to plan their time effectively,
especially if this is at short notice.
6. Has the student requested an extension for this piece of work before?
If yes, please refer to 4.4 and 4.6 in the main document above.
7. Has the request been made in a reasonable timeframe?
Students should be able to demonstrate that they have made reasonable attempts to
progress with the assignment in light of their individual circumstances. It is not
reasonable to renegotiate a deadline when a student has simply made no attempt at an
assignment without a disability-related reason for this. It is, therefore, reasonable for
the DDC to ask the student to present evidence on the progress made so far. If the
student has made a good attempt and the DDC is satisfied that the student has made
an effort, then the DDC can approve an extension. However, if no evidence can be
provided or the student has not started the assignment, the request can be declined.
8. Are there issues relating to student attendance?
Whilst some students may have disability-related absences, persistent absence from
the course could mean that the student is struggling to keep up. Depending on the
amount that has been missed, the student may require a wider review of their situation
and there could be DSA funding implications related to their attendance. If you have
any attendance related concerns for any of your disabled students, please flag this up
to the Learner Development Service, who can investigate further.
9.
Does the student feel capable of completing the assignment?
When discussing the situation with the student, do they state that their difficulties
extend beyond the assignment they are completing and indicate that they are
struggling to complete and engage with other elements of the course? If this is the
case then it would be suitable to have a further discussion regarding the student’s
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situation and it is recommended that you contact the Adviser who produced the PLP
on extension 3491.
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Appendix 3
PERSONAL LEARNING PLAN (PLP)
COURSEWORK SUBMISSION FORM
FOR COMPLETION BY THE UNIT TUTOR OR THE DESIGNATED MEMBER OF ACADEMIC
STAFF – ONLY WHERE A REVISED SUBMISSION DATE HAS BEEN AGREED
MMU ID:
Student Name:
Programme Title:
Programme Code:
Mode of Attendance: Full time
Year / Level:
Part-time
Academic Year:
Unit Title:
Unit Code:
Assignment Title:
(Unit information i.e. codes etc. can be found at www.coursework.mmu.ac.uk)
ORGINAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE:
The above named student is entitled, as stated in their Personal Learning Plan (PLP) to negotiate revised
submission deadlines for coursework. I have agreed with the student the following revised submission deadline
for the above piece of work.
REVISED SUBMISSION DEADLINE:
PLEASE NOTE:

It is the responsibility of the Departmental Disability Co-ordinator, or relevant designated member of
staff responsible for negotiating revised submission deadlines, to complete the form.

This form should only be completed for those students whose PLP clearly states they are entitled to
negotiate revised submission deadlines for coursework submissions.
Academic staff must:
Either


Sign the form and forward it to the Coursework Receipting /Student Life Office –or
Email the completed form to the Coursework Receipting /Student Life Office
Contact details can be found at: www.coursework.mmu.ac.uk
Ensure the student is given a copy of the completed form
Once the form has been processed by the Coursework Receipting/Student Life Office, the student will receive a
confirmation email of the revised submission deadline and the information in ‘My Assignments’ at
www.coursework.mmu.ac.uk will be updated.
I confirm that I have agreed the above revised submission deadline:
Name: (Print) …………………………………………… Signed: ……………………………
Title: ……………………………………………………………………………………………
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