Visiting exams: safeguarding guidance for schools and colleges

Thursday 9 Nov 2023

We understand the importance of safeguarding within schools and colleges, and we appreciate the challenges that can be faced during visiting exams for our subjects with visiting components (Drama, Physical Education, A-level Modern Foreign Languages, Art and Design and A-level Dance). To help improve your experience during these visits, here’s some useful safeguarding guidance.

Before the visiting period starts, please familiarise yourself with our Safeguarding policy.

Visiting moderators and examiners are not required to have a DBS certificate. They must carry photographic ID that can be shown upon entry at a school/college, but schools and colleges should not photocopy this.

We do not give AQA badges to visiting moderators or examiners, but we’ll send all visiting associates an email that confirms they are an associate with AQA and you can request this from them when they enter your school/college.

You must chaperone your visiting moderator or examiner through your premises. Please make sure that you have a member of staff available for the full duration of the visit for this purpose. We do not reimburse any costs for this member of staff.

If two moderators/examiners attend the same visit, this will be for the purpose of an accompanied visit and they’ll need a private space for confidential discussions. Your school/college’s staff must wait outside this room, so this private room may need to be a separate space from the room being used for the purpose of the visit.

If you have any questions about these safeguarding measures, you can email VisitingModerators@aqa.org.uk, mflexaminers@aqa.org.uk or VisitingExaminers@aqa.org.uk.

If you need to escalate any safeguarding concerns, please email safeguarding@aqa.org.uk.