Dd will be allowed 25% extra time in Her GCSEs

Hi Ralph - the school need to assess a pupil's writing/processing speed or working memory where they are intending to use form 8 to apply for extra time.

If your ds's ASD and anxiety cause him to require the extra time then filling in form 8 isn't necessary.

It sounds like the school may already have sufficient evidence to meet current JCQ regs from your post, but the SENCO will need to follow JCQ regs to present the info (as posted below).

You should also ask for the adjustment to be written into his statement/EHCP at annual review for extra evidence.

p26 JCQ regs:
'Where a candidate has complex needs, i.e.
Communication and Interaction Needs; or Sensory and/or Physical Needs; or Social, Mental and Emotional Needs; which have a substantial and long term adverse effect on his/her speed of processing, appropriate evidence of need (as below) must be available at the centre for inspection.

In these specific cases Form 8 is not required.

Substantial impairment – evidence of need
So as not to give an unfair advantage, the centre’s letter or file note (written by the SENCo) must:
confirm that the candidate has persistent and significant difficulties when
accessing and processing information and is disabled within the meaning of
the Equality Act 2010;
 include evidence of the candidate’s current difficulties and how they substantially impact on teaching and learning in the classroom;
 show the involvement of teaching staff in determining the need for 25% extra time;
 confirm that without the application of 25% extra time the candidate would be at a substantial disadvantage; (the candidate would be at a substantial disadvantage when compared with other, non-disabled candidates undertaking the assessment.)
 confirm that 25% extra time is the candidate’s normal way of working within the centre as a direct consequence of their disability.

The centre’s letter or file note is supported with, for example:
 a letter from CAMHS, a HCPC registered psychologist, a hospital consultant, a psychiatrist; or
 a letter from the Local Authority Specialist Service, Local Authority Sensory Impairment Service or Occupational Health Service†; or
 a letter from a Speech and Language Therapist (SaLT); or
 a Statement of Special Educational Needs relating to the candidate’s secondary education, or an Education, Health and Care Plan, which confirms the candidate’s
disability. '

You can't have anything other than 25% extra time now. A recent regulation change.
25 % extra time is now the standard for extra time, but pupils who are just below the threshold may be offered rest breaks instead (am not sure how this works though). Some pupils may be offered laptops, readers of scribes in addition to extra time.
Have worked as an invigilator and we do know which pupils need extra time (or have other access arrangements). It's highlighted on the seating plan, there are coloured cards on the desks and usually there are TAs present to make sure this has been done correctly. (What we don't know is why they have extra time as this is confidential).
If the exam is being taken by a very large number of pupils e.g. English or Maths such pupils would be in a smaller room. But if its a smaller exam, we would sit pupils needing extra time in the same row of the hall to minimise disruption when other pupils leave.
Pupils who do not wish to use their extra time may leave at the same time as the others (we cannot force them to stay) but a significant proportion do use this option.

You can't have anything other than 25% extra time now. A recent regulation change.

Depending on the school the extra timers may be in the main exam hall. No rules regarding where they have to be placed.

Ed Pysch reports are not accepted as main evidence to get access arrangements, a school provided specialist assessor must be used and normal way of working proved. Ed Psych report may be used as supporting evidence.

Ds took his GCSEs in 2013 and had an extra 25% after an in-school assessment. He had previously had an Ed Psych report but there were people at school able to do the eligibility test. Take everything offered. Ds will never pass exams at the same rate as his older sisters but is very bright. The course he is doing now is based on assignments and has a big practical aspect. He's happy learning for the first time and loves getting feedback that says he excels. Good luck to her!

manic it doesn't matter who carries out the test ( as long as they are qualified to do so), they can all give the same exam concessions. Extra time is now a flat 25%, they took away lower amounts last year I think. In exceptional circumstances you can apply for more than 25% but that is automatically refused and additional information requested by JCQ.

Where I work it seems to be 10% extra time if the child needs extra time but doesn't have an ed psych report and 25% extra time if they have an ed psych report, whether they need the time or not. Considering the ed psychs cost £500 I find it a slightly annoying system as there are children who are visibly struggling much more than some of the 25%ers but whose parents don't have a spare £500.

So I don't think it's necessarily about severity of the dyslexia.

Just did a google - a standardised score of 84 appears to be on the 14th percentile so "just above 8th centile" would still qualify. He could possibly qualify on either poor working memory or slow writing speed but I'm not an expert. If he is in Year 10 then they should be re-testing for GCSEs I would think.

We're a bit worried that under the new rules, ds will lose his extra time. He's had it since yr 2 Sats and for every test and end of yr exam (now yr 10) for his ASD, anxiety, poor working memory and slow writing speed. But apparently evidence of need for 8 years will not guarantee he gets it any more as his writing speed has improved and is now just above 8th centile (working memory needs retesting). Waiting to hear more at his statement annual review.

Might be because access arrangements now need to be in place for Year 11. If they assess in Yr 7 then they will run out by Yr 11. At least they are on the ball and doing it in time for GCSEs. She might also qualify for a scribe which means that she could use a laptop with spellcheck turned on instead. She would need to get a standardised score of 84 or below. The longer they wait before testing, the more likely she might be to score below 84 as it's age related so it's better to wait till Yr 10 or later.

DD was assessed as dyspraxic Dec y11

School applied for and got extra time permission in Feb y11

This was after mocks.

It wasn't her usual way of working, but it should have been, had she been assessed earlier.

Extra time is 25% (in rare situations 50%, but not for just dyslexia).

She's only be in a room of her own if she needed a reader/scribe or if she needed to read aloud). In the exam hall, they should put all the extra time people together and try to minimise distractions.

It will be on her exam card and on every piece of paper the exam officer produces.

I am a little curious as to why this is all news. The underlying principle of extra time is that it is her normal way of working. She should be used to getting extra time in class tests and internal exams, and providing evidence (such as changing pen colour at the end of regular time). If this evidence doesn't exist, she could have her access arrangements withdrawn. It's one of the things the JCQ inspector looks for.

Maki When my DD2 did y2 SATs she didn't even know she was doing them. I think they had as long as they needed anyway. They just were doing some 'special work' in booklets.
And I don't think you can 'pull her out of sitting them' as they can be done at more or less any point in the school year (at least that's how it has been, don't know if it has changed for new NC).

Suggest anyway you post your own thread in Primary, as this is Secondary and (said in the nicest possible way) extra time for GCSEs is a much more important issue than tests for 7yos.

I would recommend checking / reminding staff at the beginning of every test. I heard of too many people not getting their extra time for GCSEs because the invigilator hadn't been told.

From what I remember at school (not too long ago), we got up quietly to leave while the kids needing more time stay for extra time. You either get extra time or you don't - it's not a measure of her dyslexia or anything. It's the same with mocks but informal classroom tests I wouldn't think she'd have anything different, although I'm sure she could ask

It might be a pain to come back at lunch but the extra time application needs evidence that they need it and that it's their usual way of working. Without that evidence they might not be allowed the extra time in their exams, so it's worth doing.

DS1 got 25% extra time "moderate dyslexia" but he found for classroom tests etc generally he didn't. The staff either forgot, couldn't be bothered, blamed it on time tabling or said it didn't matter if it is a classroom test and then moaned he didn't finish it. Also in his experience it's hard to come back in your lunch break and add another 10 mins to a classroom test, he found it took 2-3 mins to work out where you left off etc, many dyslexics, who have to work doubly hard to achieve even average work, very much need their lunch breaks.

She should be allowed 25% extra time in classroom tests if she needs it from now on (e.g. coming back at lunchtime to finish). She should do any work in extra time in a different colour and tests should be marked without extra time, then with extra time to provide evidence that she needs it to the exam board.

My DS received this. He had a separate room where everyone one the extra time (exc readers and scribes) were. He also received extra time in controlled assessment but that did sometimes mean missing a break or whatever due to the way they were timetabled.

It is the standard time that kids with extra time get. School will know or, as at a school I worked at, the head announced that anyone without extra time should stop & all others had another 20 mins. He assured me that they all knew who they were even if we didn't!
My daughter is doing mocks now & she has hers in a different room from others but I'm not sure if that's because she has a laptop or the extra time or both.

She should get extra time for any controlled assessments. Make sure all teaching staff know as CAs are policed by the class teacher as a rule.

It's worth reminding her teachers around mocks and also reminding you and her in classroom tests.

I know of some who get about 15% but DS gets 25%. And a laptop. And is eligible for disability grant for tape recorder etc.