To feel these parent are not understanding ( WhatsApp and Sats )

Just send them the JCQ guidelines and the SEND COP ‘for anyone interested in the big picture going forward towards GCSEs and alevels’. Or the little picture I’m sure you can google that shows people looking over a fence- the difference between equality and equity.

There is so much statutory guidance for schools to meet when taking decisions about access arrangements. All submitted, agreed and moderated during tests.
The guidance for schools to administer SATS is also massive, as is the scrutiny and pressure to get it right. Maladministration of SATS can be career ending for staff.

Parents need to understand this and not blame schools.

@Bringmecookies25 . I would be sharing the statutory documents.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-stage-2-tests-access-arrangements/2025-key-stage-2-access-arrangements-guidance

Has this been explained to parents in advance? If not, I can see why some are confused and querying things. I'm not suggesting that you divulge confidential information, or details about the arrangements, but you need to explain to the parents and the children that there will be a range of ways in which the tests are completed within the class.

It might not be their business but they are going to hear things and gossip, so a generic explanation might have been helpful.

In this case though we are talking about education and giving a child who can't use his right arm, extra help because the majority of children can use their arm and don't require the extra help.

A child is entitled to a fair shot at SATS.

My son uses a wheelchair and it would be like taking it away because 'life is unfair'.

I just wanted to shout at them they have no understanding of the situation and that the point of access arrangements is not to give them a better chance than others but to give them an equal chance !

Do it! Tell them! I get that it’s not your job to educate these people, we all have loads on our plate, but equally don’t we all need to pull people up on this kind of ignorance? It really isn’t hard to imagine why a kid might need a scribe or extra time. Oof how enraging!
I’m sure it would feel like banging your head against a brick wall and maybe you should let it slide. But I really would be tempted to get into it with them 😆

They do often use them as part of their 'predicted grade scores' for GCSE for something called Progress 8, but again that doesn't actually affect the child really.

I took my year 6 SATs in 1999 and even back then there were kids with readers and scribes and extra time. Us kids all understood why they needed those accommodations as we were in the classroom with them all day every day. These parents are being very sillly.

My son has extra support for SAT's as well. He has autism. He has good cognitive ability and he will probably get the questions he answers right but he will probably only do 10-20% of the papers despite support. Thankfully nobody has questioned his support that I am aware of.

DS starts his SATs today and does them in a separate room with 2 other students who have similar challenges to him (he has ASD and doesn’t struggle academically but does struggle with anxiety in this sort of situation) - if one of them starts panicking then they won’t disrupt the whole class.

I’m sure other parents wouldn’t be too pleased if their children were distracted by DS during the test..

also as soon as people started studying the field was never level, due to some learning better, some using tutors, some doing extra reading etc people learn in different ways

That's like saying in the London marathon, everyone should start at the same line and have the same equipment or they'll end up with false results - so all the wheelchair racers should have to use their legs or the results will be false.

Reasonable adjustments and disability aids don't give a false result or an unfair advantage. They make sure, as much as they can, that everyone is starting from the same start line.

Without adjustments like a scribe or a laptop or extra time, the kids with no disabilities are on the start line. The children with disabilities can't even get to the start line.

Be honest with them about your child's diagnosis.

Along the lines of 'Yes, X is dylexic, AuADHD & has slow processing, so without accommodations in exams there's no way he'd even be able to attempt the paper, this is despite his falling into the 98th percentile of the intelligence scale.'

They're thick and don't have a clue (the parents).

Sats should be scrapped. Secondary schools find them a poor predictor and have to do a lot of set swapping. Primary schools need to prioritise swimming, practical skills and caring as few intellectual jobs in the future and growing own food in case of import and society breakdown. English should be creative writing at primary schools to engage interests. Maths should be taught in context with real world challenges. Music and drama for wellbeing

At end of secondary school there will need to be more exams due to AI. Extra time is dominated by pushy parents children and we have to be mindful of building resilience as taxpayers and businesses have fewer resources. Better to bring private schools into state sector so more resources to teach in small groups to minimise non readers and behaviour problems

I don't know. Life is unfair. I'd be the short-arse in this case, but I'd go find something else to do... it'll be nice to have the box, but I wouldn't expect it/feel entitled to it.

I would have to reply, something along these lines: “My son has access provisions that allow him to type his exam because without them he wouldn’t be able enter the exam at all, due to his cerebral palsy. If you have concerns about your child’s disability or medical situation needing further support, I am very happy to share advice on how to navigate the very difficult process of accessing this support. I know how hard it can be. That said, I would encourage anybody complaining because their able child is being “unfairly treated” because the system offers support to disabled children, to really reflect on their priorities.”

I’ll use a really simple example.

Imagine a child has no arms. They are highly intelligent, excellent at maths, creative with their writing and can spell perfectly.

If they sit the test the same way as everyone else, the paper will be blank, and they will score zero.

Access arrangements would allow either someone to write for that child, or for them to dictate to a computer program that would write for them, thus assessing their ability to complete maths problems, or create a story (spellings and punctuation must also be dictated - it’s very difficult to do actually), or to show their understanding of something they have read.

It’s not a test of whether they can use their arms.

It depends what sort of comparison you want your results to show.

The old idea was that exams are a direct comparison of innate intelligence or ability within a field, measured by asking people to perform an identical task in an exactly controlled condition.

The new idea of exams is to measure the maximum potential of a student to complete tasks in a method that suits them.

But the current system is (like a lot of our education) a bit of a mess of both. Education research and academia has moved on from no.1, but policy/government/teachers are hard to change, so only limited movement towards no.2 has happened. In some cases its actually moved back towards No.1, especially with the scrapping of coursework in favor of examinations.

Extra help in examinations are examples of small gains towards the new idea of examinations that have been achieved and cemented within the curriculum.

As for why Education academia thinks the second is more useful than the first approach - that is another big and interesting debate. Maybe for another thread.

Ask if they get cross about wheelchair ramps or guidedogs being allowed in shops? 🤦‍♀️ Equality is not about everyone having the same, it’s about making things accessible to all regardless of disability or special need.

Or just ignore. It must be a shitty existence getting so worked up about things that have no impact on them 🤷‍♀️

They're just ignorant and their opinions really don't matter. You know that your dc is not getting an unfair advantage.

Might be worth mentioning to the school in case anything gets said by the children of these ignorant people.

Tell them that these adjustments are mandated by the Equality Act to make sure that children with special needs are accommodated to an equitable level to their peers. Tell them that equal doesn’t mean everyone having the same. It means everyone having what they need. This is just another pathetic example of able bodied people envying something they see as - as a poster on another thread described it - a ‘perk’ of disability. There are no ‘perks’ to disability and a compassionate society does what it can to mitigate the disadvantage disability brings.

“Better” children are not given a handicap. Children who struggle are given help to make it a level playing field. Some children struggle to do certain things in a certain timeframe that others can do easily. It’s about making it a fair representation of what that child can do.

SATs are Standard Academic Tests.
childre do them in year 2 (7-8 years old), year 6 (so 10-11 years old) and year 9 (13-14).
Accommodations are things provided by the school and government to assist those children who struggle in exams. For example; someone to read the question if the child is dyslexic, having a break every 20 mins if they have ADHD.
Accommodations are really difficult to get and parents and children have to prove their child needs it before it is granted.

@Bringmecookies25 sorry not understanding sats here. different country. but if trying to be equal is the way forward then surely everyone should start at the same time and do the same test with no assistance. the way it seems to be done in your country is a bit like a game of golf. the better ones are given a handicap! I have never understood the use of handicaps in golf. everyone should start at the same line, do the same work alone, or end up with false results.