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Original poster

Urgent HELP re AQA English Creative Writing Paper , please?

78 replies

52andblue · 10/04/2021 11:56

This has been set as homework for Ds over Easter break.
He has Dyslexia and ASD and is at an awful school (I am still waiting for official confirmation he has exam concessions and he is taking this paper on Tuesday...)
So the info sent home is very unclear.
(it is not a past paper but something school has put together)
He has to describe a given picture (in this case a tree).
Demonstrate his use of various adverbs, alliteration etc
He is given 'an hour to write a page and a half'
But what is not clear is whether he is to write a STORY as part of this.

I have emailed school to no avail. My other child is unwell so I am not confident about finding the info I need via the exam board etc.

Would anyone on here happen to know, PLEASE?
He is very stressed about this for Tues now
(and I am feeling horribly guilty that I didn't know till now that he was in this position, apparently they've never practiced this paper before !

OP posts:
Original poster
52andblue · 16/04/2021 14:17

@TheZeppo
It is a school in a rural area. Teachers have their own kids in the school. Governors and staff are closely linked. It's all quite incestuous.
@TeenMinusTests
I don't think they care if he does well. I made the mistake of saying that we were moving to a different school next year - to the next county re my divorce so not a 'judgement' on current school at all - at that point they stopped bothering with ds at all. He has Autism and he noticed it himself.
@NeedToKnow101 - my understanding is that Ds should be given the arrangements in any assessment that he would have had if he was sitting an exam. Biology was the only subject he had a good chance of an A in. He won't now.

My fear is if I jump up and down and complain too much then they might keep his grades low on purpose - if the complaints procedure doesn't have teeth this year then there would be no recourse.

I am aware that sounds seriously paranoid but I am not the only one who has had huge issues with this school and experience of them behaving very unprofessionally when challenged.

OP posts:
TheZeppo · 16/04/2021 14:36

Are they part of an Academy or under the LA?

Original poster
52andblue · 16/04/2021 14:47

An Academy.
No Governors but 'Trustees' (head one has 3 kids at the school)

OP posts:

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SEN
MrsHamlet · 16/04/2021 15:23

www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/JCQ-Guidance-for-Students-and-Parents-on-Summer-2021.pdf

Page 5 of this document refers to access arrangements

Original poster
52andblue · 16/04/2021 17:01

@MrsHamlet

Thank you x

OP posts:
AvaCallanach · 16/04/2021 17:07

That's seriously wrong. In fact they NEED to use the arrangements in school based testing to demonstrate this is "the usual way of working".

They are in breach of equality act.

MrsHamlet · 16/04/2021 17:15

No problem. I think they will say that he's not entitled because they'd not already assessed him (if I remember you previous posts correctly) but I'm honestly appalled on his behalf.

MumofSpud · 16/04/2021 17:20

What about writing from the tree's viewpoint?
I would section into 4 (seasons) so your son doesn't see 1 or 2 blank sides of A4 to fill but smaller chunks.
The tree could the 'see' funny things (dog chasing a squirrel up it) sad things - couples having 'the talk' under its branches.
Starting with a couple In am pregnant chat' finishing with them and a baby????

AvaCallanach · 16/04/2021 18:46

@MrsHamlet

No problem. I think they will say that he's not entitled because they'd not already assessed him (if I remember you previous posts correctly) but I'm honestly appalled on his behalf.
Any autistic child can get exam arrangements pretty easily because of reasonable adjustments legislation. They just need school to affirm the issue and the arrangements and that it's the usual way of working. It's only extreme arrangements such as 50 percent extra time that need more detailed assessment info if the child has diagnosis.
MrsHamlet · 16/04/2021 19:10

I know that but they sound like a shower of shit, and it's clearly not NWW because they're shit.
"Extreme arrangements like 50% ET" made me laugh. We had a student with 200% ET not that long ago,

Original poster
52andblue · 18/04/2021 20:14

Friday am I saw the DHT and said that ds had not had the extra time he was expecting for English and had not been able to finish in time. DHT said: 'no exam conc apply as not 'exams'. So I replied that they were the tests being used for grade assessment therefore conc appropriate. He repeated the exam remark. I repeated what I'd said. He asked 'what I didn't grasp'. I said: 'well, why did you post exam conc application paperwork during Easter hols then? He said: 'because you insisted' and smirked. So I asked him to put convo in writing in brief email as I am separated from ds Father and I wanted him to have School position direct. Come 5pm there's no email but, worse, ds comes out and says: 'didn't get lunch as I had to do a 'special needs' test but the woman said I was fine and don't need extra time'.

OP posts:
MrsHamlet · 18/04/2021 20:17

Oh god. Maybe it's time to complain to the governors.

Original poster
52andblue · 18/04/2021 20:36

Yes though I understand other parents have not got far with that route for other issues. A member of staff whistleblew during a previous Ofsted inspection and was fired when discovered. He took them to court & won. It's an awful awful place, I have discovered.
Weirdly though I have a form to sign for a 'reader pen' (which we never asked for but hey ho, though ds says no one has showed him how to use it but we will look on Youtube) It's signed by the Senco dated the 15th.
The Trustees number 8, inc the HT, DHT and two exam invigilators. The email contact is simply the admin email for the whole school.

OP posts:
MrsHamlet · 18/04/2021 20:44

The reader pen will read anything to him that he's entitled to have read (which won't be everything). No idea how it works though as we can't afford them!
You could go the whole hog and complain straight to ofsted.

Original poster
52andblue · 18/04/2021 20:50

@MrsHamlet - thank you for following this and posting back to me.
I think I will see how tomorrow goes (apparently his English teacher has told him he 'can have an extra 15 mins from Friday's test in Monday's break time' - but that won't work as he will never remember what he would have wanted to write and they will use this as evidence he doesn't need it I expect). Yes, I may have to go to Ofsted but I'm worried that that will affect his grades (like all this won't I guess...) Ugh ugh ugh.

OP posts:
MrsHamlet · 18/04/2021 20:52

Ffs. That does not count as extra time... my SENCO would be screaming right now!
Poor lad, and poor you.

AvaCallanach · 18/04/2021 22:47

The senco is getting muddled up between a form 8 request for a child without a diagnosed disability (except dyslexia which needs form 8) and a reasonable adjustments request for a disabled child. This is not uncommon, but it is incorrect. Screenshots from document attached.
See point 4.2.7 about how these arrangements MUST be for internal assessments and 5.2.3 about arrangements for autistic pupils (it's not clear, but the bold heading above shows that these are the arrangements for autistic students). These screenshots from JCQ special exam arrangements 2021.

AvaCallanach · 18/04/2021 23:25

Bloody site is misbehaving. Y
Trying screenshots again.

Urgent HELP re AQA English Creative Writing Paper , please?
Urgent HELP re AQA English Creative Writing Paper , please?
Original poster
52andblue · 19/04/2021 10:26

@AvaCallanach
oh THANK YOU for that info!!
Can you tell me where you found it please as it is not coming up clearly on my ancient laptop screen - thanks x

OP posts:
AvaCallanach · 19/04/2021 10:34

JCQ.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/AA_regs_20-21_FINAL.pdf

Pp 18 and 26

AvaCallanach · 19/04/2021 10:39

Actually those page numbers may not be right but the paragraph numbers are correct.

Original poster
52andblue · 21/04/2021 16:02

slight update...
have discovered there is a great TA who is giving ds exam concessions in his classroom tests. I mentioned that HT didn't seem aware, he said, why don't we just get on quietly and help ds and not worry about Head (SMT is relatively new and not liked by most staff from what I can tell)
Seems risky, but if I push it with Head they will try to prevent it.

OP posts:
MrsHamlet · 21/04/2021 20:36

That's great news.
How's he getting on?

Original poster
52andblue · 24/04/2021 12:05

Hi @MrsHamlet
Kind of you to ask thank you. It's very bitty and disorganised.
He took a Maths test yesterday but didnt' realise which bit he was supposed to do and ran out of time. He is supposed to have Physics Paper 1 on Weds now (which clashes with his long awaited F2F appointment with his Psychiatrist). I can't confirm until Monday but might well get given the wrong information. I have received a Y11 round robin email and buried in it is an email address for parents to write in regarding 'anything they think may have affected their child during their course'. I'll be doing this.

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