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Original poster

Exam Access Arrangements

57 replies

fleshmarketclose · 27/06/2017 17:55

Dd has a statement of SEN (our LEA is well behind the timescales for transfer to EHCP and so dd's statement is unlikely to transfer until y11) and is in y9.
Dd's statement is a decent statement and specifies the need for extra time in all assessments because she has processing difficulties and her recording speed is slow.
I was led to believe that extra time in all assessments would provide evidence of need for her GCSEs and up until this year's exams she has received extra time, been seated with a TA outside of the exam hall etc.
When I asked about the arrangements for this year's exams I was told by the SENCo that dd reporting she hadn't finished would be sufficient and so she wouldn't be receiving extra time.
I would argue that she should receive the provision in her statement, that the extra time would mean a better assessment of her abilities which in turn would protect her self esteem and if I push the point then she will get the extra time.
What I want to know though should I have to do this? Shouldn't the extra time be a given because of the provision in her statement and is that really true that it is sufficient that dd just reports she ran out of time? This is problematic in itself in non essay based exams as dd works through the paper doing the ones she finds easiest first and so might well complete the last question on her first sweep of the paper. Wouldn't this perhaps be used to indicate she had in fact finished?
The other question I have is dd should have been sitting the higher tier exam papers (as she is predicted 7 to 9 in GCSE). Due to some incompetence in Learning Support mix up she has sat foundation papers and so has to re sit. Is it reasonable to expect that the re sits are sat over the course of the week like they would have been rather than pushed into gaps in her timetable as the SENCo suggests? The gaps have other purposes again detailed in her statement and so not free periods like the SENCo implies.

OP posts:
user1497480444 · 29/06/2017 18:06

user is a TA and from what she posts one I'd call a "bum on a seat".

very curious way of thinking!

You read that I am subject to constant abuse, and your immediate assumption is that I am to blame, and somehow must be negligent in my job for this to happen.

I am very interested in hearing you articulate this view point further!

For example, at what point did I become responsible for the behaviour of the children in my classroom? When I signed the contract? When I set foot through the front door? When I first arrived into a chaotic and riotous lesson? after that?

I recently recieved a cut on the back of my head, walking down the corridor, when a student I don't know, who was behind me, hurled a chair at another student I don't know, missing him and hitting me instead. This was my fault presumably? After all, I'm only a "bum on seat" I'm not doing my job properly, it must be because of that that I end up bleeding in the first aid room.....

One of my students has just been convicted of attacking and raping a 50 year old woman at the bus stop on the way home from school last year. Presumably you don't feel she brought this on herself by not sitting at the bus stop at in an engaging enough way? Was she not considering his needs carefully enough? Was she just being a "bum on seat"?

If you don't hold the 4 O'clock victim outside school responsible for bringing about his aggression, why would you blame the 3 O'clock victim inside school?

At what age, or at what point would you consider a young person responsible for their own behaviour, and being proactive in their own education.

Please explain in detail!, I am finding your point of view absolutely fascinating!

examseason · 28/06/2017 18:52

I have no axe to grind at all and you can chose not to believe me but the situations described by user happen in the school I work at.

The exams officer is extremely experienced and competant and I know that there have been absolutely no issues raised by the inspector about having more than one student in a room with TAs as readers and scribes.

Thanks for the link titchy, I can only assume that a pragmatic view is allowed to be taken if there just aren't enough rooms for each student to have one.

One thing that strikes me is that the rules say that the invigilator can act as a scribe not the other way round. I think that's an important distinction i.e. it isn't good practice to have the student and the person they work with every day being alone in the exam room.

As an independant invigilator it's reasonable to me that I could provide reading or scribeing help

Maybe user and I work in the same school but I think that's highly unlikely, there must be other schools that have this situation

Original poster
fleshmarketclose · 28/06/2017 18:17

Interesting AS titchy Wink user is a TA and from what she posts one I'd call a "bum on a seat". Obviously going to take what she posts with a pinch of salt.
Contacted HT mistakes will be addressed (Learning Support again Hmm) and dd will sit the papers next week with one to one support as usual and extra time and following the exam timetable.

OP posts:
examseason · 28/06/2017 15:48

Having several readers and scribes in the same room is absolutley not against the regulations, it's totally standard practice where I work and passes the inspection every year.

Personally I don't think it's always best for the students and for those who don't need a reader it must be very distracting.

I haven't read the JCQ book in detail for a couple of years, do you know which paragraph says they can't be in the same room, I would be interested in discussing with the exams officer. He does his best to separate students but there aren't enough rooms in the school as there are a large number of students who need special arrangements.

If what you say is correct there is an issue with both the school and the inspection system which is disadvantaging the students

titchy · 28/06/2017 15:33

You need to do an AS on user examseason.....

And yes I have never heard of several readers being on the same room - probably because it's against the JCQ regs. Where the student needs other arrangements (e.g. laptop) then no clearly there's no need for them to be separated out. And rooms aren't normally an issue, even if it means some of the offices are requisitioned.

examseason · 28/06/2017 15:30

That's a bit harsh titchy

User may have some things wrong but some of what she/he says is true.

IME rooms with students who need special arrangements are often very difficult places to concentrate in.

And again ime only the scribe/reader would never be the invigilator as well. Maybe it's allowed but I think it would be very bad practice and ripe for cheating

Is that what happens as your school titchy? Does every access student have their own room? I can't see that many schools would have enough spare rooms to do that unless they only had a couple of students to accommodate

titchy · 28/06/2017 14:42

User1497480444 - FFS stop spouting shit that your school allegedly does that is against the regulations.

Others have already pointed you in the direction of the JCQ regs about readers and scribes being able to act as invigilators and the need for them to be in single rooms - yours is the ONLY school anyone has come across that is seemingly unable to adhere to these basics.

examseason · 28/06/2017 13:39

I assume blueemeraldagain means that the students with scribes and readers are together in a separate room to the main hall not a separate room for each person

user1497480444 · 28/06/2017 04:06

And everyone with a reader and/or scribe has to be in a separate room, obviously!!

of course they don't... schools are not going to have anything like the number of invigilators or rooms available. You get up to about 6 scribes in a room, and further to that, another 6 or so readers who are not scribes, and then others with other dispensations too.

Original poster
fleshmarketclose · 27/06/2017 22:16

It's tough though when the parent knows the system better than the SENCo as it leaves nowhere to hide. Unfortunately though I think our SENCo has got too comfortable being able to hide and she is not liking being made accountable for the failings. I'd like to think though that not only dd is getting better support as a result though.

OP posts:
Blueemeraldagain · 27/06/2017 21:58

I could believe it. About 10 years ago the head of my brother's SEN school wrote to my mother to say that it was "unheard of" to get extra time in public exams. My mother cried when she got that letter. Luckily we soon realised that we could now get whatever we wanted from the LEA. (He did pretty well in his exams in the end).

Original poster
fleshmarketclose · 27/06/2017 21:42

Blueemerald I have a feeling user is the SENCo we currently endure Wink she's certainly as abrasive and defensive anyway.

OP posts:
Blueemeraldagain · 27/06/2017 21:38

And everyone with a reader and/or scribe has to be in a separate room, obviously!!

Blueemeraldagain · 27/06/2017 21:36

If the DD has a statement she will not need extra evidence.

Her TA can be in the exam.

My school is inspected by JCQ every year and we pass every year with TAs, mentors other teachers etc with our year 11s.

There is no mention of TAs in the JCQ guidance.

www.jcq.org.uk/Download/exams-office/ice---instructions-for-conducting-examinations/instructions-for-conducting-examinations-2016-2017 section 6.3 here.

Original poster
fleshmarketclose · 27/06/2017 21:03

Oh no they were the wrong exams because Learning Support gave her the wrong papers. I only discovered when first her Maths teacher contacted me to tell me she had been given the wrong paper and so contacted all her other subject teachers.
Why would dd or I know they were the wrong ones? She sat them alone in a room with a TA. Neither dd nor I knew that the exams had been tiered she sat the papers she was given. We wouldn't have known until they were marked and that is exactly what happened.
The fault lies with Learning Support as rather than giving her the ones that had been passed to them in a bundle with her name and form on they gave her the papers that I assume others in Learning Support were sitting at the same time.
Dd had thought that Maths in particular was very easy but seeing as she is in top set and predicted a 9 I didn't expect her to find it that difficult anyway.
I assume then that the three TAs in the public exams will be allocated to the exams where they don't support her in lessons.Which shouldn't be too difficult to sort out anyway.

OP posts:
Original poster
fleshmarketclose · 27/06/2017 20:50

exam dd's statement specifies the number of TA's allowed in her support team and the required knowledge and experience needed to support dd. Fortunately it discounts an awful lot of them in Learning Support so I'm pretty confident it will be one of the approved three who supports her during exams.

OP posts:
user1497480444 · 27/06/2017 20:50

Is that right then user that not finishing an exam is all the proof required to secure extra time?

no, its part of it, you need a lot of evidence, including samples of work, and statements from teachers, etc

Why should she cram them in around lessons when she has already completed the wrong exams once why were they the wrong exams? Do you mean they weren't the ones you wanted her to do! That doesn't mean the school didn't want her to do them though, and if not, why didn't she say so before all the exams were finished? It sounds like these others are an option that she is being allowed, but it wouldn't be right for her to miss lessons because of it, and you also have very little flexibility as to when someone is available to invigilate.

but she does need the extra time and a room away from the the exam hall and her TA in attendance.

she won't be allowed her TA in a public exam, noone adult who has been present in the lessons is allowed in the exam hall, or to see the exam paper until AFTER it has been sent to the exam board. Normally 2-3 days.

She will be allowed to be in a separate room, but many of these separate rooms are filled with quite noisy and disruptive pupils, such as those on word processors, speaking to scribes, allowed to take breaks, etc.

Original poster
fleshmarketclose · 27/06/2017 20:41

Thank you nota I thought that having a statement specifying the need for extra time would be the evidence needed because after all it is based on reports from ed psych/OT/SALT and Autism Outreach. Trouble is everything has to be fought over with the SENCo who doesn't seem to grasp the statement's significance or the need for the school to meet it. Thankfully the HT is supportive and the LEA just order the school to meet the statement (luckily it's specified and quantified so there is no wiggle room Wink) but it's a drag tbh Although it's not so bad now I just inform HT who does what the LEA would do. In fact I will probably just email HT the latest farce and let him sort it tbh instead of banging my head on a brick wall.

OP posts:
examseason · 27/06/2017 20:38

Your dd may have a TA with her in the room but it might not be her usual one, where I work it wouldn't be but it would be the same person in all the exams and that person would soon get to know the cues that your dd needs a break.

notaslimceagirl · 27/06/2017 20:27

'What I want to know though should I have to do this? '

No you shouldn't have to do this.

A statement is evidence of complex needs as stated by JCQ on p26 of access arrangements regs. The SENCO should write a file note on school headed paper stating why dd needs extra time and attach her statement and any other evidence related to her difficulties.
You don't need unfinished exam papers.

Original poster
fleshmarketclose · 27/06/2017 20:13

Blueemerald relieved to hear her TA could be present.It's thought dd will probably need rest/movement breaks and her TA would be best able to monitor/implement them.

OP posts:
Original poster
fleshmarketclose · 27/06/2017 20:07

Allthebest the green pen is what has previously happened in school assessments in so far as dd had the extra time and used a green pen for the extra time. I don't understand why what has happened previously has suddenly been stopped this year tbh.
Dd is well aware that she is slower at everything and the extra time levelled the field so to speak. Without the extra time her marks are significantly lower and don't really reflect her ability this is then detrimental to her confidence and self esteem.

OP posts:
Blueemeraldagain · 27/06/2017 20:06

Her TA absolutely can be present in the separate exam room with her either as her invigilator or her reader/scribe as long as they are not a relative, peer, friend, current student of the school or the timetabled subject teacher.

Blueemeraldagain · 27/06/2017 20:00

user1497480444

Well, of course we wouldn't force them to use any provisionals they don't want to but I think most would be silly not even to consider it. You may think it is "ridiculous" but I'm 90% sure it is the case.

We don't have a member of our school team who is qualified to carry out the assessments (you used to have to below a certain percentile to qualifiy for this,that and the other, as I said I'm not the expert). We had to hire an Educational Psychologist to carry them out.

OP I don't think your daughter would have any difficulty being eligible for the access arrangements you describe but if the school is difficult/reluctant it is better to have the battle sooner rather than later.