To expect the school to acknowlege this?

[londonmummy1966]

Posting here for traffic as I don't think I'm BU but open to being told otherwise. Also a bit of a WWYD I apologise for the length as I don't want to drip feed.

DD15 had Y10 exams last term which were supposed to take place in the week after half term. Two weeks before half term her timetable came out with half of her exams crammed into the 2 days before half term. This meant 4.5 hours a day of written exams. After half term she had a further 2 heavy days of papers on the Monday and Tuesday and only one further paper on the Thursday. She had been diagnosed with tendonitis and carpal tunnel and her consultant had written to the school to say that she had problems with hand writing and needed rest breaks. School said she could have 15 mins per hour with paper taken away. I spoke to HOY and said I was worried both that she would struggle with the pain of so many papers crammed into 2 days and also that it was unfair she had so little notice of some many exams before half term when most of the year only had a couple in those 2 days and the rest spread out over the week after half term (and half term to revise) . She agreed to move 1 paper but was adamant she would do nothing further as her GCSEs might be like this. (Consultant has already said she would have steroid injections etc if necessary for her public exams but he would be unhappy giving them for school exams.)

The 2 days were a disaster by the afternoon of the first day dd was unable to hold her pen and HOY made her go and dictate a maths paper (including geometry!). I complained and the school said it would sort her timetable out over half term. On the Monday after half term the same thing happened and she had to dictate the second half of her second Maths paper. By this stage she was in a state of panic and the rest of the exams also went badly.

Since then she has had a formal assessment by an Ed Psych which says that in addition to rest breaks she is entitled to 25% extra time and a room to herself for her exams.

Here comes the AIBU/WWYD - I sent the report to the SENCO and HOY abut neither have come back to me about it. I have today received a letter from the HOY saying that DD needs to resit 4 papers on the day before school starts. She will be allowed rest breaks but no extra time etc. The result of these resits will determine whether she can do all of her GCSEs (and if she doesn't take all of them she will not be allowed back for 6th form as the school require 8 level 6s/A grades). Given the importance of these exams AIBU to think that the extra time etc ought to be allowed. Also that in the circumstances the school ought to have learned that 4 papers in one day is not an option for her at the moment given her injury? I sort of feel she is being set up to fail. So I guess its a bit of WWYD as I feel really stressed out now.

If you made it to the end thanks for reading and I'd be grateful for thoughts.

I don’t have direct experience of this so may be off the mark.

I think that having so many exams in a short time is very difficult to avoid for students entirely. There are so many variants so I’m not sure you have much basis to appeal on that. I thought that all GCSE exams are scheduled nationally?

However, I’m surprised that the school didn’t listen to the medical advice. I’m a Uni lecturer and we always follow the advice of disability services.

All I can think of is to make an appeal higher up (to the exam boards, maybe). I hope someone comes along with more experience.

Schools should not be determining whether children can or cannot sit GCSEs based on year 10 results. This is disgusting behaviour where the only positive impact is on league tables and not children. I would be making the point that as your DD has chosen to do these exams, she will be doing them

That aside, yes I would expect them to acknowledge the report as well. I would be checking now to see what will be in place for the GCSE exams she wishes to sit.

Dont have much advice for now but in the actual exams you need to find a way for her to cope with the doctors. If she struggles to hold her pen and her writing becomes illegible tbey wont even bother marking it (speaking from experience). I expect the school dont understand as tbey usually seem to take the stance of if its not an obvious injury then we dont believe you.

However, practicing dictation is a good idea as this is one of things that may happen in her GCSEs. It is possible that this will be the only option available to your daughter at the time of these exams as the school will have no say over exam timetables.

Did she work hard for her exams? I am wondering because I would expect her to be doing much more writing on a normal school day, with revision and homework, than on an exam day... How did she handle those scenarios?

I think this is disgraceful. As these are internal exams, they have a considerable amount of discretion over how and when they are sat. They have to follow certain protocols for the sake of the students, for example, only giving extra time where safeguarding and staffing allow it, and only giving it where it will actually be granted in the public exams. Other than that, however, it sounds like they have put your DD through a lot of unnecessary pain and stress. I would be making a formal complaint.

Thank you all for ploughing through such a long post and giving advice. the consultant has said that if there is a problem in the run up to GCSEs then he would give her a course of steroid injections which he has found work but that he didn't want to give them for school exams which seems pretty sensible to me.

Practising dictation is a good idea - and we will look at this but I think that expecting her to dictate Maths is not sensible - and neither did the Maths department who made this very clear in her end of year report.

She did revise - quite hard - but her confidence was shot to pieces and, unlike most girls in the year didn't have the half term to revise in which wasn't helpful for her as she has a big extra curricular work load (Junior Conservatoire pianist) on top of her school work.

@Pengggwn thanks for the moral support - I agree with you but worry that I am being an over-precious mother sometimes.

My DD has just taken her GCSE's, she had the same problem as your DD. We had a doctors note and the school gave her 25% extra time. She still struggled on the days that she had several exams on one day, but with good pain management and extra time she did get through. We are still waiting for the results! So it is possible for schools to be flexible with this.

Personally in your shoes I would be complaining as high up as you could go, they should be taking into account medical notes. I would challenge them on that- are they saying they know better than the qualified medical professionals? It seems crazy that they wont be more flexible for internal exams, when the external exams will allow for it. Are you sure she wants to do sixth form at such an unsupportive school?

@52FestiveRoad - so sorry to hear that your DD has had similar problems - it is a nightmare isn't it. Can ask what pain relief you used - DD was taking paracetamol and ibuprofen but it wasn't enough. Her wrist was swollen red and hot to the touch when she got home that evening an hour and a half after the final paper was over and therefore 2 hours after she had stopped writing. She loves her school and really wants to stay...

Most annoyingly, another girl had a lot of exams rearranged as she was taking part in a play and had rehearsals during exam week so it wasn't that they didn't have the ability to be flexible...

Contact the governors if you’re not being heard by head/SENCO.

Do you think perhaps they are setting her up to fail so they have evidence to provide to the exams boards to get the adjustments she needs for her GCSE exams?

I’m with pengggwn in this. They’ve really let her down. Surely they should be mimicking her real exams as much as possible.
Find out who the exams officer is, they’re in charge of all the admin that goes into internal and external exams, they sort all special measures etc. They will be best positioned to sort this out.
WRT the school support, have they been understanding to this point? Depending on their response until now, I would be going beyond HOY and SENCO and meeting with the Head. Doesn’t need to be all guns blazing, you want to be able to work with the school to sort what’s best for your DD. But make it clear this isn’t on and how are you going to move forward from here.

Can you not say “DD will not be coming into school the day before school starts to sit these exams. Please can you send a revised exam schedule and bear in mind her medical issues which will require these exams to be spaced out, extra time to be given and rest breaks. I am concerned that these exams are being arranged for the convenience of the school rather than to give DD the best chance to show what she is capable of”.

If you don’t want to put your foot down, just say you have a prior arrangement/family event that day?

She shouldn't have to be taking additional pain relief to help her get through mocks. The school should be facilitating a more spread out programme of exams.

Does the school know she does a lot of piano? If so are they implying your daughter should prioritise her school work rather than hobby ?

Possibly consider trying physio, chiropractic or osteopathy if you haven't already done so.

@londonmummy1966 I think your best option at this point is to write a very calm letter reminding the school of the formal assessment and expressing concern that DD’s disability is not being accommodated.

Send the letter to the Head, the SENCO and the board of governors. If this is a state school contact the council as well. The school can’t just ignore a formal disability assessment. It’s discrimatory. And threatening to not let her continue is ridiculous.

I suspect they’ll back down when you write formally and seriously. They’re not thinking legally right now. But someone responsible will.

Shouldn't exams be about what you've learnt and how much you can remember rather than how much someone with a hand injury can endure over a short period of time. YANBU

I would check that in her case the year 10 results will impact her ability to sit her GCSEs given that she could have a different set of accommodations in place for her GCSEs and potentially have steroid injections for the 'real thing'

Check this with the school first....,,

I would be surprised if they didn't take the extenuating circumstances into account when applying their internal rules.

Londonmummy I have Pm'd you.

Thank you everyone - I really appreciate you're taking the time to reply. I am afraid her HOY is the exams officer so I am stuck with her and she has been like a brick wall over this. DD is trying to find out what extra time other girls with SEN are being allowed for the resits. I've also emailed her consultant to ask for his opinion/advice but I am really loath to ask for a steroid injection for a school exam. DD is in pieces over this.

I'm not sure that refusing to send her in will help but I might see if the papers could be spread over 2 days rather than 1 as I imagine there will be staff in school on the Monday as well as the Tuesday. HOY is an art teacher so perhaps DD could sit at a table and do a paper whilst she is sorting her studio out. I don't think this is an unreasonable ask?

rolypoly school are aware of her music and that it is not a hobby but her life - she wants to go to Senior Conservatoire and be a musician so sadly she has to do both - although her Junior department have been understanding and helpful (more so than the school TBH).

HOY is an art teacher so perhaps DD could sit at a table and do a paper whilst she is sorting her studio out. I don't think this is an unreasonable ask?

I very much doubt they will do this. There will be multiple children with particular needs and they can't stick all of them in with the HOY for the duration of the exams.

It's actually their responsibility to provide alternative arrangements, reflecting the real exams, for someone with a medical condition. Don't let them stonewall you. Go to see the Head.

Head. Governors. Local authority. This is appalling - I teach & they should be supporting not harming her health and confidence. I wouldn't let her sit these extra internal exams & would demand they explain how they are going to rebuild her shattered confidence. Hope she's feeling ok.

I don't have advice. Just have ranty thoughts. This is why course work and modular exams need to be bought back. It's 6 years before my daughter has to do GCSEs and she has medical problems to do with hand writing. I worry already and I am really really hoping in those 6 years the changes are changed back.

I hope it goes OK for your daughter.

I'm not sure that refusing to send her in will help

How exactly will sending her in help? She has done badly in some exams because they were poorly arranged and allowances were not made for her medical issues. They now want to do exactly the same thing and expect a different outcome? Someone has looked at some scores and said ‘I want her to do these again, when can she do them? I know, get her in before school starts, she can spend all day doing them’. It’s an admin decision and nothing more.

The day before school starts is presumably an INSET? (Is this a private school?) There probably won’t be teachers sat in a room invigilating your DD as she does her exams, making sure she has rest breaks etc. Teachers will be rushing around like blue-arsed flies having meetings and sorting stuff out. Your DD will most likely be stuck in an office/classroom and given a stack of papers to get on with.
And then based on this they might not allow her to take all her GCSEs?

FGS, if they want to know if she is capable of studying all her GCSEs, then they know this from having taught her for years. If they want to know whether she is physically capable of sitting exams, then they need to do a properly administered exam period, and, crucially, there is no rush to do this. Absolutely no need to drag her in before the start of the year. Presumably they have mocks in Y11.

Thanks once again to everyone who has replied - it is good to know that I'm not BU. I'm going to see what her consultant can come up with in terms of a letter stating that 4 written papers in a day is not sensible. I think that suggesting she does 2 papers on the Monday and 2 on the Tuesday would be a suggestion they ought to find acceptable and that the EdPsych recommendations should be followed.

It is just so frustrating as I feel it is a problem of their own making and now she's going to have a stressful summer which is the last thing she needs.