Is this a loophole in private schools?

[namechangetoinvestigate]

Posting here for discussion.

I know a boy at a top private school in Edinburgh who currently has 25% extra time in written exams for slow handwriting. He's a normal academic achieving boy with no learning difficulties. The school has advised the parents that they are going to apply for extra time next year for all his exams, not just written exams.

It made me wonder, is it one of the reasons private schools are getting better results because normal academic achieving kids are getting awarded 25% extra time? That's a big advantage.

I know there's a lot of pressure for private schools to get the grades and wondering if this might be a loop hole they take advantage of, are private schools given privilege when applying for extra time in exams?

The child is in my extended family, so I know there's no other learning difficulties. This doesn't sit right with my conscience.

I didn't know slow handwriting falls under SN? It's good to know.

Well, it makes sense, doesn’t it? We don’t set exams to test how quickly people write. Unfortunately, they test that by default. If you write very slowly, and there’s nothing you can do to speed up, you’re going to fail no matter what. Hardly fair.

Nothing to do with the school being Private at all. Let's do away with the conspiracy theory
All schools -Private/State- do this, I'm surprised you don't know this tbh.

Slow handwriting can be part of dyspraxia, dyslexia, dysgraphia, poor motor control, hyper mobility, sensory processing disorder, ASD and many other difficulties.

My dd gets it although she opted for a laptop instead. She’s incredibly bright and got mostly 8s & 9s in her GCSE’s. Slow or disflyent handwriting (& it’s not actually that simple there are various tests is usually for a reason. In my dds case it’s hypermobility that we’d never have known about if she hadn’t been a dancer.

In ds’s case it’s due to fine motor difficulties associated with his autism.

www.theguardian.com/education/2017/feb/10/independent-school-pupils-more-likely-to-get-extra-time-in-exams

"Research suggests nearly 20% of pupils in independent sector got extra time last year, compared with less than 12% in state sector"

All very well and good but that hardly reflects if it’s a poor service from state in identifying special needs or private taking advantage

There are strict testing, scoring and diagnosis thresholds / requirements for SpLDs. Set out in the Diagnostic Manual which all clinicians and HCPs have access to.

Then, there are different thresholds applied for JCQ exam accommodations.

So for example, you could be clinically diagnosed with dyslexia (meet the diagnostic requirement) but not meet the JCQ levels.

Personally I’d do away with all timed exams. I doubt very much that Steven Hawkins or Marcus du Sautoy think “fuck, I’ve only got an hour and a half to solve String Theory”.

He won’t have got it just on the say of the school. For both state and private there is an assessment process. It’s not not loophole but a legitimate arrangement for specific students.

DS1 types rather than writes exams because he has dysgraphia. If he types he doesn’t need extra time. Part of his problem is hyper mobility in his fingers affecting his pen grip and causing fatigue.

@IdaDown No, they probably thought 'what am I going to do with the extra hour and 15 minutes I have here?' :-)

@Karigan195 good point

Hmm.

So - blame the private sector for doing all it can for its pupils, or try to get the state sector to up its game to do the same for its pupils.

Depends if you want to play the politics of envy OP, doesn't it? Which are you going to go for?

There's no special arrangements for private schools. They can apply for extra time exactly as state schools can. Many children with mild SN end up being n the private sector after having been failed in the state sector. Private schools often have the resources to get these children a diagnosis and give them the extra support they need.
It's not a problem that the child at private school gets the extra time they need. It's a problem that the same child in state might be failed by the system, and not given the extra time they are entitled to.

I am not surprised Private schools identify more pupils. My DS’s school has a full time learning support department and I could afford the £££ for a private Ed Psyc report when he was younger.

My dd has difficulty handwriting. This is related to a formally diagnosed coordination disorder. She gets to type whenever possible or gets extra time if she must hand write. It has absolutely nothing to do with the school, which in her case is not private.

What you will find is that people who can afford tuition are more likely to be people who Can afford to get their kid a private diagnosis. My dd would still be on a waiting list if we had not been able to afford private evaluations.

@arethereanyleftatall I had 25% extra time for my A levels as I'd broken my right wrist a few weeks earlier, I couldn't hold a pen so had to dictate all my exams. I can assure you that trying to think and dictate an English essay when you've never done anything like that before is fucking hard.

The extra time isn't at the school's discretion and has to be applied for and agreed by all exam boards that are being used. Evidence of why its needed having to be produced.

But I'm glad you think my straight As are worthless. Fortunately my university and subsequent employers have disagreed.

I know children who have moved into the private sector because state couldn’t support their additional needs. Parent a felt their child would get a better level of education by doing this.

It was totally different when I was a kid. Many of us would do much better these days in exams.

If anyone has extra time, or extra help in any way, shape or form, the results become meaningless to potential employers.

The exams are a test of knowledge. It would be unfair for a pupil to have less opportunity to record their knowledge because of handwriting or processing difficulties. It makes the results fairer.

Research suggests nearly 20% of pupils in independent sector got extra time last year, compared with less than 12% in state sector

There are all sorts of factors which may not have been investigated, including pupils with undiagnosed SEN being moved to independent schools because it's the quickest and easiest way for some parents to solve their issues.

Looks like EssentialHummus has the figures. I guess it implies private sector is better at spotting issues.

Interestingly, I know two children who are in state rather than private because of their SN. (Siblings are private.)

It made me wonder, is it one of the reasons private schools are getting better results because normal academic achieving kids are getting awarded 25% extra time? That's a big advantage.

I have a DC who is a high achiever academically, he gets extra time because his handwriting is an absolute barrier when it comes to getting information from his brain to his paper.

He is in the local high school.

This isn't a private school thing.

My ds gets this extra time for slow handwriting, his speed standardised score is 65, so very slow, caused by hypermobility. I suspect the reason more independent schools apply for access arrangements is that the kids who need them are in smaller classes and are noticed. Also the costs of the assessments are passed onto the parents, instead of coming out of school budgets.

A relative has managed to get both her extremely intelligent DSs extra time on spurious grounds. Different reasons for each and she paid for both of them to see an Ed Psych to get the required paperwork.

@arethereanyleftatall, oh and I went to a state comprehensive school

If the school has satisfied the Exams board that this child needs extra time, I don’t see how this is any business of yours. The criteria for extra time are exactly the same irrespective of what type of school is involved.