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Invigilation



Good practice

  • Recruit invigilators well in advance of exam dates, to leave plenty of time for training.
  • Produce a job description and arrange a training session. Click here for guidelines and support materials to help you plan and run a training session.
  • Ensure all prospective external invigilators have had their identity, work history and references checked. The decision to run a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check on a person lies with the centre. Where it is possible that the person may be in sole charge of a child under the age of 18 at any time, a CRB check would be advisable. Where a person is simply handing out and retrieving papers and will never be in sole charge of a child under the age of 18, it may not be necessary. For further guidance, you should consult the DCSF documents:
    Criminal Records Bureau, Child protection and
    Safeguarding children and safer recruitment in education.
  • Ensure you recruit enough staff. You may need several invigilators in a room to provide proper supervision. When recruiting staff, you will need to take emergency cover into account. Ensure there is cover where there is only a single invigilator in a room and be able to provide assistance to an invigilator who may need emergency help.
  • Think about producing an invigilators' toolkit with everything they might need for the job. This toolkit could even contain those things candidates might need, for example tissues, bottles of water, spare rulers and pens.
  • Devise contact and location lists of heads of departments or other staff available to help your invigilators should a discrepancy arise on a question paper. It might be helpful for invigilators to have access to a dedicated line manned by a member of staff ready to contact the relevant person.
  • Keep accurate diary records of who invigilated when, the number of hours worked and a brief assessment of the quality of their work for future reference. A brief note of thanks for a job well done is always be appreciated.

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