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AIBU?

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Original poster

One secondary school teachers

47 replies

SandyY2K · 17/06/2018 21:02

I hope I'm not BU to ask.... if a student has an exam clash, resulting in them having to take two subjects on the same day, what system or measures does your school put in place to ensure the students remain isolated between exams?

Thanks

OP posts:
SmileEachDay · 17/06/2018 21:04

The student would be isolated in a room and supervised by an external invigilator.

Anasnake · 17/06/2018 21:06

This rarely happens anymore but no phones, supervised the whole time in between exams - ours go to a separate room and eat lunch. No contact with anyone who's already sat the exam. Escorted to toilets.

Bobbiepin · 17/06/2018 21:06

Same as PP. If necessary the would have lunch taken to them. Phones confiscated.

peodar · 17/06/2018 21:07

No need to isolate if the exams are timetabled at different times on the same day, only if in same session. This happens very regularly and school will deal with everything.

MaisyPops · 17/06/2018 21:10

Same as other posters.
2 exams on the same day aren't an issue if they are am and pm.

If there's a session clash then they are kept in isolation, supervised by an invigilator and eat separately until they do their 2nd exam.

It's not massively common but a few of my students have had them this year.

BoneyBackJefferson · 17/06/2018 21:13

Anasnake
This rarely happens anymore

We have a couple every year.

As PPs but we have three exams on one day, so they will be kept in isolation between exams, no phones, escorted to the bathroom etc. and at the end of the day when everyone else goes home, they and the invigilators will stay to do the final exams.

TBH, I am not sure exactly what will happen to their exam papers as the others will already be in the post by the time that they finish, Although they will be kept secure I am not sure if they will be kept in the building or special couriered to the exam board.

Original poster
SandyY2K · 17/06/2018 22:13

Thank you all. It's regarding a clash and not 2 different subjects on the same day.

As PPs but we have three exams on one day, so they will be kept in isolation between exams, no phones, escorted to the bathroom etc. and at the end of the day when everyone else goes home, they and the invigilators will stay to do the final exams.

I have heard of individuals with 3 clashes, but the student was supervised/isolated overnight. I think having to take 3 exams in one day puts them at a disadvantage from sheer tiredness and all that writing.

I have a few more questions if that's okay.

How is it communicated to individual students that their is a clash?

Would the invigilator have list of clash students?

Would the names be read out?

Would their be a list outside the exam hall?

Would you say that the school has ultimate responsibility to ensure the student/s are supervised and do not leave the room?

OP posts:
FASH84 · 17/06/2018 22:21

This happened during my a levels (long time ago) there was talk of me having to stay at my teacher's house! Then I said I was happy to do three in one day even though one was really long, I did the last one on my own with an invigilator and got out about seven in the evening. It was because my sixth form did a combination of boards and I was doing four a levels and a GCSE in a year, loads of pupils do that now, but it wasn't so common back then. I was told in advance, my parents were called in to discuss how it would be managed, I was taken to a room first thing and had a member of staff escort me to and from each exam, watch me over lunch in a room on my own and wasn't allowed to have my phone back until the end of the day. Looking back it was pretty brutal, but the school took responsibility for everything.

KittyVonCatsington · 17/06/2018 22:23

This can be dealt with differently in different schools but at my current school:

How is it communicated to individual students that their is a clash?
They will know when they get their exam timetable to be checked and signed, a few months before. This is usually done in Form Time.

Would the invigilator have list of clash students?
Sometimes, sometimes not. Depends who it is, however Exams Officer will and would direct the invigilator.

Would the names be read out?
What do you mean-in the exams room? I don’t know, am not allowed in an exam room as a teacher.

Would their be a list outside the exam hall?
Don’t think it is in my school.

Would you say that the school has ultimate responsibility to ensure the student/s are supervised and do not leave the room?
Hard to say. It is definitely the pupil’s responsibility to know they have a clash and check what procedures have in place for them. It would be the school’s responsibility to carry out those procedures.

TeenTimesTwo · 17/06/2018 22:23

I would say the school has responsibility, but so does the 16/18yo who would know they had a clash and would know they were meant to be isolated.

Thus the young person should stay in exam hall even if others are let go to ensure they stay supervised if the school seems to have forgotten.

There is a time limit set by JQC for duration of exams in one day. I think for GCSEs it is 5 hours.

TeenTimesTwo · 17/06/2018 22:26

ie If someone screwed up for your DC then yes the school screwed up but your DC who it ultimately affects the most also had responsibility, assuming NT.

Jasmina456 · 17/06/2018 22:34

I have heard of individuals with 3 clashes, but the student was supervised/isolated overnight. I think having to take 3 exams in one day puts them at a disadvantage from sheer tiredness and all that writing

It will depend on the length of the exams.

Students are not allowed to sit more than 3 hours of exams in one sitting. There are two sittings - morning and afternoon.

So if they have two 1 hour exams and one 2 hour exam, then they'll do them all in one day, as they can do the two 1 hour exams in the morning and the one 2 hour in the afternoon.

But if they have one 1h30 mins exam, one 1hr45 mins exam and one 2hrs exam, that can't be fitted into two 3 hour sessions so one would be bumped to the next day and they'd have to be isolated overnight.

Original poster
SandyY2K · 17/06/2018 22:36

Thanks again all.

Would the names be read out?
What do you mean-in the exams room?

Yes. At the end of the first exam to read out names to make sure the student doesn't leave ...as they probably wouldn't know the students by face.

FASH84 ...that must have been very hectic for you.

OP posts:
ManchesterGin · 17/06/2018 22:40

I don’t think names would be read out necessarily but the students are expected to stay in their seats as their timetable would indicate a clash. They would also realise that the rest of their class isn’t there!!

I think it happens on most days with A Level students where I work.

BoneyBackJefferson · 17/06/2018 22:42

SandyY2K

It may be different in other schools

How is it communicated to individual students that their is a clash?

Pupils have their exam timetables months in advance and they are checked by the exam officer, pupil and parents.

Would the invigilator have list of clash students?

Our are informed by the exams officer. I don't know how far in advance but enough so that they can cover the exams.

Would the names be read out?

We read the pupils names out on entry to the hall so that they know where to sit.

Would their be a list outside the exam hall?

We have a list of pupils taking each exam outside the hall. but this is again to tell them where to sit.

Would you say that the school has ultimate responsibility to ensure the student/s are supervised and do not leave the room?

I would say that the school has a responsibility to provide supervision and a suitable area but if the pupils walks off the responsibility is with ultimately with the pupil.

Jasmina456 · 17/06/2018 22:47

Surely the student would realise they had a clash? Why would they need their name to be read out? Do they have learning difficulties?

TheletterZ · 17/06/2018 22:58

OP did you child have a clash and then leave the exam hall rather than wait with the invigilator? Surely they must have known there was a clash in advance and know what the procedure was to be?

sadeyedladyofthelowlands63 · 17/06/2018 23:08

This happened to two of my students last week. They sat one exam early (on their own in a room with an invigilator), were supervised in the room until everyone else had been to lunch, had their lunch separately (still supervised) then sat the second exam.

Both the students and the school had been aware or the clash for weeks though,

Original poster
SandyY2K · 17/06/2018 23:11

It relates to a colleague. Her DC was unaware he had a clash. No learning difficulties... but he has medical issues.

OP posts:
Maelstrop · 17/06/2018 23:35

This rarely happens anymore but no phones, supervised the whole time in between exams - ours go to a separate room and eat lunch. No contact with anyone who's already sat the exam. Escorted to toilets

Happened a lot in my school this year. Until the exam boards get their act together and sort out dates/timings, it will continue to happen.

I’ve never known anyone isolated over night.

tripYouOut · 18/06/2018 02:12

We have had 2 children isolated overnight in the last few years. Clashes are reasonably common but a triple-clash meaning the exam is sat the following day is quite unusual.
'
I don't believe the colleague's child was unaware.

BoneyBackJefferson · 18/06/2018 06:46

All of the pupils will be given the times and dates of all their exams before the exams start. otherwise they wouldn't know what to revise for and when to turn up (sorry for the simplistic statement).

From the sparse information provided, the pupil walked out at the end of the first exam and went home.

If this is the case then your colleague, in order to blame the school, will have to prove that the school didn't issue her child with the timetable for their exams.

TheletterZ · 18/06/2018 07:44

Unless the medical difficulties are relevant to not being able to read a timetable or understand that they have to stay at the end they are unlikely to be a factor.

Question to ask, did the student have a timetable in advance? Did the school have provisions in place to supervise those with a clash? When did they realise they had missed an exam and what did they do then?

Original poster
SandyY2K · 18/06/2018 07:57

From the sparse information provided, the pupil walked out at the end of the first exam and went home.

This isn't the case. He didn't go home. He knew he had another exam in the afternoon, it didn't realise it was a clash exam that others sat earlier in the day.

He left the hall, returning in time for the exam and at that point he was challenged about leaving the hall where he should have remained.

His medical issues would have meant he needed to leave the room anyway (toilet and to walk around) though this would have had to be supervised.

Apparently the school clash rules state that if a student leaves the room, it's an automatic disqualification.

She asked me for help as he may get disqualified, because I mentioned how my Dsis has recently helped 2 of her friends win appeals for school entry places, but this situation isn't quite the same.

I did ask my Dsis who isn't a teacher and she said it is a shared responsibility between student and the school..... but the school is responsible for ensuring adequate supervision in these situations in accordance with JQC or JCQ.

My colleague has an appointment with the HT tomorrow, so I'll let her know what's been said here.

Thanks for your responses.

OP posts:
Iwantacampervan · 18/06/2018 08:00

My two are at sixth form college and they both had clashes this year. A page of instructions was attached to their notification of exam entry letter detailing the rules for isolation over lunchtime. Eldest's was two A Levels, different boards and youngest's was GCSE Maths and BTech exams.
I don't know whether names were read out etc - I'll ask when they surface!
The exam letters we've always received from schools/college have been clear on the dates and times - was one received?