To have thought it would be easy enough to find a little digital watch with countdown timer for DD to use in GCSEs

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Help!
I thought the only issue might be trying to find one that could be silenced.
Turns out first issue is finding one that goes higher than 99 mins.
Does anyone have any suggestions apart from look at the clock and work it out
Thanks!

There are loads on google I just searched for 2 hour online timers and there are lots

She may not be able to use one anyway tbh- have you checked that she is allowed? At our school the students aren't allowed watches at all (because smart watches aren't allowed and so it saves time checking all of them).

Count down from more than 99 minutes could be tough but a stopwatch is likely to go up to 99:99:99.

Won’t they have a big clock on the wall?

There's always a large, highly visible clock at the front and the students are given reminders of how long is left. I don't see why a watch is needed.

They'll have a big clock in the exam hall. Don't give her more things to faff with.

They aren't allowed to wear a watch in any of their exams. There will be a clock.

Online timer is no good, they aren’t allowed to take their phones in!
DD has real trouble time keeping during the pressure of an exam with just a clock and we’ve found a countdown makes a real difference and means she has actually reached the last page

My dd and her friends all have their watches taken off them, they are not allowed even Analogue ones.
Try not to worry, there is a big clock at the front.

time timer watch . My DS used one for awhile and the timer is brilliant.

DD’s school allows watches in exams in addition to having a clock on the wall, but during a recent mock exam there was a countdown timer which made a massive difference for DD. She has checked with teacher and is allowed a timer on her watch as long as it doesn’t make a noise so I’d really like to get her one to give her all the help I can to give her best

Thank you OverTheHedgeHammy ! Can you tell me is the countdown in hours as well as minutes?

Could you ask the school to source something before the exam season starts? Maybe they haven't thought of it. I teach a core GCSE topic and we're thinking of getting a digital clock as so many can't tell the time these days. I wouldn't have thought of a countdown timer. Worth asking the HOD/HOY. After-all, the school want the students to do well therefore it is in their interest too.

Does it have to be a watch?

www.amazon.co.uk/Kitchen-Timer-Vibrating-Alarm-Clock/dp/B074QNGJ2H/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_tr_t_2?psc=1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=mumsnetforum-21&refRID=GTJM44HJHATZY5RRV4VE

@Pinacollider Mon 23-Apr-18 15:08:48

Could you ask the school to source something before the exam season starts? Maybe they haven't thought of it. I teach a core GCSE topic and we're thinking of getting a digital clock as so many can't tell the time these days. I wouldn't have thought of a countdown timer. Worth asking the HOD/HOY. After-all, the school want the students to do well therefore it is in their interest too.

Are you serious? GCSE aged kids can't tell the time? That's shocking.

Hi I am an invigilator. You may want to check with the school's exams officer what they are going to do rather than the teacher.

There is new guidance around watches and the school I work in has decided no watches as it is too difficult to "police" which are smart watches etc especially in a room with say 120 candidates. So they are going down the no watch route as suggested by the exam boards.

Also other than one board where we give a 5 minute warning the other board (Edexcel) we do not give any time warnings at all.

Definitely ask the exams officer to provide something. They should be able to sort something, we always did, even 15 years ago, so it should be easily sorted. But the teacher may not have the faintest clue as to the actual rules and regs of an exam room!

As allthebest said, watches are becoming problematic and there are new guidelines. So do ask before spending money on a gizmo that might then be removed from your DD at the exam room door!

When I posted that dd and her friends watched have been taken off them, this is new for this year. They were all told it was ok to have them in their prelims, and had them taken off them at the door.
If this is new guidelines then definitely double check as you don’t want to spend money and have your dd rely on one only to have it taken away without warning, which could really throw her. It’s probably good to practise other ways of her managing her time.

Thanks everyone. I will definitely ask some more before I go buying anything then

We have not yet banned all watches at my university for exams, but invigilators last year expressed concern about being able to spot smart watches (a round one showing a display of an analogue clock is. It easily distinguishable at a distance) and I anticipate more problems this year. I would be amazed were all watches not to be banned by the time a gcse aged pupils gets here, so better get used to the clock. Digital countdown in big halls, but standard clocks plus announcements at 10 mind before the end elsewhere.

Presuming watches are banned could she quickly write down at the start of the exam a countdown?
E.g. 10am 45 mins left, 10.30 15 mins left.
Saves her looking at the clock and getting distracted/muddled.

Sports watches with a countdown function often have a repeat option so that you could set it to give 4 1/2hr repeats for example. But more universal would be to make a habit of writing your own little countdown timer on the exam paper. So if the exam starts at 11:00 you note down (for example) 11:15, 11:30, 11:45 etc up to the finish time and after each question/page check to see if you need to cross another time off the list. If you've got a Part A and Part B type paper you draw a circle round the time you'll move on to B even if you haven't finished A. Leave aside the last X mins for checking/filling in gaps. You can adapt it for the exam format if you have access to past papers but it's pretty universal

Working out time is a problem for dyslexic DS.

It’s worth asking the HOY etc... about digital clocks in the exam hall. Especially if you can have one that counts back (time left).

This is an issue for kids with SEN and is very easily sorted.

Thanks everyone for the extra tips and suggestions xxx

Eliza unfortunately, yes I'm deadly serious. In fact, I teach 16+ and many of those will admit to not being able to tell the time on an analogue clock. They're so used to seeing digital time. I.e. their phone!!