OCR recognises the disruption which the bad weather has caused to many schools and colleges this week and has given very careful consideration to options, including the rescheduling of examinations.

Rescheduling examinations will impact on the teaching and learning programmes for schools and colleges in the lead up to the summer series. It is also impossible to guarantee the integrity of question papers by asking all centres to postpone the examination when not all schools may be affected.

Taking these factors in to account and in consultation with the regulator, Ofqual, awarding bodies have agreed the following:

Wherever possible, the examinations should be conducted according to the centre's published examination timetable. However, if the weather is so severe that a decision is made to close the school, whether by the local authority or the senior leadership team, the following options will apply.

• Where your candidates are sitting one or two units and this is not their final examination series, they may be entered for June 2010 with the relevant awarding body.
• Where your candidates are sitting units within a 'new AS' specification and expecting a qualification grade in March 2010, but the units are available again in June, they may be entered for June 2010 with the relevant awarding body.
• Where candidates are sitting units as part of their final examination series and no further re-sit opportunity is available, such as candidates sitting legacy GCE A2 units, which are available for the final time in January 2010, then an application for Special Consideration may be made. For this to apply, your candidate must meet the published criteria for Special Consideration as indicated in the JCQ publication, 'Access Arrangements, Reasonable Adjustments and Special Consideration'.

Where a school or centre remains open but some individual candidates are unable to reach it because of extreme weather conditions, then your centre may apply for Special Consideration on behalf of those candidates as long as they meet the criteria highlighted above. There is a published contingency plan for the examinations system which is available.

In addition, you may find it useful to read Section 12 of the JCQ ICE booklet regarding late arrivals.

Any centres that are unable to go ahead with OCR examinations or need to make alternative arrangements are asked to contact the 'Adverse Weather Support Line' to keep us informed and where appropriate for guidance.

If our team can help you with any further advice or information please do not hesitate to contact our 'Adverse Weather Support Line' on 01223 553344 or by email at general.qualifications@ocr.org.uk.