To encourage DD to fake a sporting injury during her GCSEs so as she can use a computer?

[BigSandyBalls2015]

DD(16) took her first set of mock GCSEs last Dec - she had injured her hand during a football match and had two fingers taped up on her writing hand. So she was put in a separate room with a computer to type her mocks and did better than she expected.

Currently doing a second set of mocks, with everyone else in the main hall, writing instead of a computer and has found it much harder.

So would I be unreasonable to encourage a fake injury in May?

I went ballistic with my dd when she started trying to convince teachers her hypermobility meant she needed a laptop (she doesn't) because it then disadvantages children like DS who really do need to use one for physical/Sen reasons.

In an actual exam she would more likely be granted a scribe - the school would have to apply to the exam board not decide themselves what she got & medical evidence would be needed.

It would be a scribe because the exsm board would say well if she has injured her hand so she can't write then how can she type properly either.

Interestingly they are trialing offering computers for exams for non disabled students at my university. With no spell check, which would defeat any benefit for me. Probably be the future though

Actually I thought that kids could elect to use a laptop without having to have a reason why - check with the exam board. However, be careful what you wish for - your daughter was lucky if she was in a quiet room and the same might not apply during exam time when all space will be pressed into service - in many schools the laptop users are in the same rooms as students who have special arrangements, e.g. multiple rest breaks, extra time, scribes, etc. - it can get disruptive and noisy! I would always choose for my child to be in the regular exam hall.

My daughter broke her hand the night before her exams. she needed a letter from the hospital before she was allowed assistance that wasn't already organised.
I had to drive 30 miles to the hospital and pick up a letter as lots of parents apparently try it on so that their darlings get assistance so yes you are being very Unreasonable.
You are right about them doing better though, she reckoned that she did much better with the help she had because she couldnt write.

Matthew Wright will love this thread, the little scamp!

Why do you think she did better though Big? Simple speed of writing? Or was she able to organise her thoughts better? Or could it have been that the injury prevented her from playing sport so that she spent more time revising?

If it was speed of writing then that is annoying, maybe there are ways to improve it?

My DD gets extra time because of hyper mobility slowing down her writing. 25% in fact. It makes a big difference.

YABU, because it's FUCKING CHEATING.

Aside from being very unreasonable. It would be a scribe, not laptop (totally different when it's mocks) and you need to provide medical proof of injury. I had this during my GCSEs unexpectedly and actually a scribe meant my marks were much lower than they would have been because I found it embarrassing telling someone what to write.

Of course yabu

You would be teaching your daughter that it's ok to cheat, what sort of parent wants that?

The exam should not be a test of how fast someone can write though. You shouldn't be able to get a better grade because you can write faster should you? I'm a really slow writer but got good exam results. Being a slow writer didn't hamper me. But maybe exams have changed.

Was it the laptop or the small room that made her perform better? Both are available as options to ANY student, no disability or illness is needed.

Could you speak to the school about it? If they say they don't have enough laptops do you have one of your own you could send in? The exams office would need it for about a week before hand to set up a special profile on it for no internet access but it is doable.

I used to be a senco and did access arrangement applications. Whilst I wouldn't be too happy doing this for your daughter as if I allowed one then everyone would want to do it, the regulations actually say it is allowable.

I'm a teacher. We find private rooms or smaller rooms for pupils who are anxious. It is very straight forward and if it is likely to help her to concentrate and achieve the level of which she is capable the school are likely to be supportive. We have made these arrangements at parental request.

Why not discuss with school (if indeed her recent results are worse than before) as to why she got improved results - I am sure they will want your daughter to achieve her best.

Without lying and cheating.

Was it the laptop or the small room that made her perform better? Both are available as options to ANY student, no disability or illness is needed.

Can you link to the regulations that you say allow any student to use a laptop in a small room?

No chow too, they can't.

Using a laptop has to be a child's normal way of working within the classroom day to day & this needs to have been evidenced over a period of time by the SENCO.

Alive - how long ago were you a senco? Regulations have tightened up considerably. These things are not avsilable to everyone.

Off the top f my head a private room may be but schools won't do that without good reason (sensory, adhd, asd etc) due to the cost of the extra invigilator.

A school friend of mine always managed to get injured or ill immediately before exams (mocks, GCSEs, A-Levels, university). By the time he was at university and became seriously ill, everyone was incredibly skeptical - a real cry wolf situation.

I work in a school and deal with exam access arrangements. For the real exams we would need medical evidence of an injury. If a student wants to use a laptop for their exams it needs to be their usual way of working. This means they need to be using a laptop in their lessons. A separate room for anxiety is unlikely unless a formal diagnosis of anxiety has been received. If we gave a separate room to every student whose parents requested it because they were anxious we would have 300 students in individual rooms and no-one in the exam centre!!! Have a look at the JCQ website. You'll get lots of info on there.

Yes you're being unreasonable!
Also if she plans to take A levels, her inflated results may be misleading. There's already a big leap from gcse to a level and she'd be less likely to cope with it.

If she wants better results, lots of good quality revision, get her to practise past papers using a timer so she knows how to manage her timing. Get her to speak to her teachers for advice and take up any extra revision classes they put on.

Great life lesson OP...you are an irresponsible parent for even thinking of it.
You should be ashamed of yourself.

Of course you can't! But I think you know that already

Why is it cheating? She's doing the same exam but typing it?