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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to be fucking fuming at DS's school

59 replies

Steggers123 · 15/03/2017 16:02

Fuck, fuck fuck! I probably should put this on the SEN board but posting here for traffic. I have posted before regarding issues with my son and school but they've really excelled themselves this time. He is in year 11 and has dyspraxia and Hypermobility in all his joints. His handwriting is illegible and he has permission from the exam board to use a laptop for all his exams, he also has extra time. When he sat his first set of mocks learning support failed to print off his chemistry paper, and only printed off half his physics paper. So he failed chemistry and got a D in physics. He's a very bright boy and is sitting triple science. Learning support also told him they couldn't find his second physics ISA paper, it was on the system somewhere but they didn't know where and they very helpfully deleted his high level geography controlled assessment (eventually recovered from the recycle bin). I had numerous meetings in school with the head of SEN and the exams office and was assured this would not happen again. Today he got his GCSE timetable and on comparing it to his friends it looks like they haven't entered him for triple science, there are no unit 3 science exams on his timetable at all. So effectively he's being penalised for learning support's incompetence. I've phoned school and Head of Science is off site.

OP posts:
Racmactac · 16/03/2017 15:51

That's ridiculous I'd be bloody fuming. Angry

DermotOLogical · 16/03/2017 19:51

Exam entries can be changed. Don't worry about that. Call the school and explain. They will get back to you eventually. Whilst this is your number one priority, the class teacher will have other things on their plate.

Yes they've fucked up. But it can be (pretty easily) sorted.

Wolfiefan · 16/03/2017 19:55

Stupid question. Can he save a copy of all work on a memory stick and hand it in? Or can he email it straight to the teacher or technician to print out? Their procedures sound shambolic. Sad

Original poster
Steggers123 · 16/03/2017 20:18

Spoke to head of special needs who was horrified that she hadn't been informed he was being withdrawn from triple science, she said she would speak to someone from the science department and low and behold I got an email from the head of science who said the decision had been made based upon his mock results. I've mailed back and told her the situation is completely unacceptable as his results were distorted by the fact learning support didn't print his exam papers off correctly. So we'll see what they come back with tomorrow. I will also be phoning the exam board in the morning to ask exactly what the procedures should be in the real gcse exams. My ds is so upset, he knows he is perfectly capable of doing triple science and this is yet another knock to his confidence.

Wolfiefan, he has to do his exams on an exam laptop and his work can only be printed off by student support.

OP posts:
Tabymoomoo · 16/03/2017 20:34

This is outrageous on so many counts!

I work in a school and our exams policy for those using a laptop/iPad (for mocks and real thing) is when the exam is over they save their work and a member of the IT dept comes and escorts them with laptop/iPad to computer room where their work is printed off immediately. They are then escorted back and sign a cover sheet.

It is also outrageous that they have withdrawn a student from an exam without discussing it with student and parents! Particularly in this case as work was lost and surely the SEN dept (who sound like a joke to me) have told the science teachers this???!

I would be kicking up a major storm if I were you and consider reporting them to the exams board if they can't follow procedure.

weebarra · 16/03/2017 20:45

I am so sorry for what has happened to your son and furious on his behalf. I hope that he can sit the triple science.
DS1 also has dyspraxia (he's only 9 though) and I can totally envisage something similar happening to him. I've just come back from a parents' evening where his fantastic teacher's only negative comment was about his very poor self esteem.
It's unsurprising when you get to P5 (Scotland) and your writing isn't as good as your 6 year old brother's.
I wish there was much more appreciation of the effects of dyspraxia.
Sorry, hijack over! I really hope it all works out for your son and his school get their arses in gear!

Wolfiefan · 16/03/2017 20:48

I am an ex teacher. As they are mocks I would assume they could allow him to save or email the work so it isn't lost. For the real exam they need to tighten procedures. The school could lose their ability to set exams from some or all exam boards if they get procedure wrong for real exams. Your poor boy. They can't remove him from the exam because of their mistake. Awful.

Cherrysoup · 16/03/2017 20:49

Students who use laptops for assessments print off or save it to a usb usually then the exams officer prints off work immediately. It's not too late to enter him for the third Science paper, school will have to pay any fees, tough.

PigWhisperer · 16/03/2017 21:00

JCQ is the umbrella organisation for the exam boards. There procedures are stated here:

www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/access-arrangements-and-special-consideration/regulations-and-guidance/access-arrangements-and-reasonable-adjustments-2016-2017

Worth a read?

EnormousTiger · 16/03/2017 22:02

I wonder if there is a right to sit those exams off site just like a home educated student? In other words you enter him directly with the board or a local tuition college does so for you if the school will not enter him for triple science.

Original poster
Steggers123 · 20/03/2017 19:17

Quick update, Head of SEN has taken this whole issue to the headteacher. He is mortified and will be meeting with the science department. Head of SEN has told me I must insist he does triple science which I will do. However another problem has come to light since DS came back from school. He saw a list of the chemistry ISA marks today and he basically didn't have one, which would indicate that his two chemistry papers have not been printed off...they are worth 25% of his total mark and are supposed to be sat under exam conditions. This ties in with one of his physics ISA papers not being printed off (we still can't get a definitive answer as to whether it has appeared or not). So I've had enough, I need to complain not just to the school because they are useless but who to? Ofsted, the exam board? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

OP posts:
aniceearlynight · 20/03/2017 19:28

I think you can report them to Ofqual? www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-malpractice-or-wrongdoing-to-ofqual

Tabymoomoo · 21/03/2017 23:28

If controlled assessment work has been lost or damaged then the school (the exams officer) not you, has to apply for special consideration. Generally the student will need to try to replicate as much as possible of the lost work as well. Not sure what board his exam is with but AQA guidance is here www.aqa.org.uk/exams-administration/coursework-and-controlled-assessment/lost-coursework
Personally I would want a meeting with the headteacher asap where I would want assurances that the correct procedures are now being followed - i.e. special consideration is being applied for and your son will be not be disadvantaged by the School's incompetence and that he has been entered for the correct exams. I would, calmly, make it very clear that you are prepared to report this to the board who are then likely to investigate the school (I doubt they will want this!)
Best of luck!

Tabymoomoo · 21/03/2017 23:33

The boards always recommend trying to sort out any malpractice issues with the school first before reporting it but AQA guidance on malpractice is here
www.aqa.org.uk/exams-administration/exams-guidance/malpractice

mmgirish · 21/03/2017 23:41

Gosh, what a nightmare. It sounds like the SEN department haven't shared enough info about your son to the teachers if they are punishing him about tidiness of work etc. I think you should go and speak to the head teacher.

user1490123259 · 21/03/2017 23:49

He needs to print off his own papers, there are likely to 60+ students using laptops, they all need to print off their own, and sign it and hand it in.

Why was the ISA done on a lap top? Most of it should have been on the paper, so if he had done it, he would definitely have some marks for it. Completeing graphs, etc, and one word answers are not done by laptop.

Falafelings · 21/03/2017 23:53

Email the head spelling things out

Then contact the governors if the head fails to sort the mess out.

TimelineOfEvents · 22/03/2017 00:07

Your poor boy.

Original poster
Steggers123 · 13/05/2017 16:47

Wanted to update you all, DS has been re entered into triple science which is a fantastic result and he is revising really hard. However, things just seem unable to run smoothly and the latest disaster looming for him is learning support didn't put the request for a scribe (for maths) in to the exam board until last week. I called to make sure everything was in place and lo and behold it wasn't. Request has gone in, but they feel it is probably too late. If he has no scribe he will most likely fail as his handwriting is truly awful. I've bought a number of pens from a dyspraxia website but none have made an improvement. As well as his dyspraxia he is hypermobile and left handed, can anyone recommend a pen that may help. I'm still hoping that by some slim chance he may get his scribe but until we know he's having to spend precious revision time working on his handwriting. I may well be completely grey by the end of the exam season!

OP posts:
AngryGinger · 13/05/2017 21:25

He might be able to get emergency arrangements so that he can have a scribe on the day. The exam board is unlikely to discuss much with you though, you'll have to get the school to directly contact them.

AngryGinger · 13/05/2017 21:28

Or if not a scribe then maybe he could get a laptop? Not sure of all exam boards but mostly it's at school discretion, they just have to keep paperwork on file to prove that's how students work normally. I can't offer any suggestion on the pen I'm afraid but I think he should still be able to get a scribe. Might be worth looking on the exam boards website and seeing if they have any guidelines for these sorts of things. Lots of their info is public

RandomMess · 13/05/2017 21:32

FFS I would be raging!

If he isn't allowed his scribe would he better off resitting maths anyway...

TTOF · 13/05/2017 21:34

There must be an option for an emergency scribe - what if someone's broke their wrist/ arm/ fingers?

Best of luck! Keep on it!

StillDrivingMeBonkers · 13/05/2017 21:34

You don't need access arrangements for a laptop

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