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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To complain - daughter didn’t get her extra time!

151 replies

Hamnetsdad · 08/06/2022 12:56

My Dd, 16, went in to do her English Literature exam today and the invigilator told her she didn’t have the 25% extra time she is entitled to. Dd thinks she had confused her with another student, but as she is autistic, she wasn’t able to explain herself.

I did receive a phone call half an hour into the exam to say Dd wasn’t there - which obviously panicked me! Then they checked again and found her. The exams officer said she may have arrived late (she didn’t). So I suspect the issue may have been the seating plan.

I am really upset as Dd didn’t finish the paper and wasn’t able to articulate herself because of her disability. She didn’t receive any of her extra time.

OP posts:

Topseyt123 · 08/06/2022 15:43

I think your email to the school is fine. I hope you get a suitable response very soon now as this is utterly unacceptable.

I think they should fire the invigilator and apply for special consideration when your DD's paper is marked. Her marks should also be adjusted accordingly.

Bogofftosomewherehot · 08/06/2022 15:47

I'm glad the school have got back to you.

I'd love to know who the 2% of idiots are that think you're being unreasonable!!!!

StopGo · 08/06/2022 15:49

What do you actually mean by 'proper invigilators'?

I'm an invigilator and have completed training on line and in person. I have to attend refresher training every term and am expected to read all training and instruction documents sent to me, confirm that I have read them and know that I will be asked questions to ensure I do not what I'm doing.

All the candidate desks have a recent photo of the candidate with their name, candidate number and any extra provisions including prompting, scribe, reader, laptop, rest breaks or extra time etc.

The exams officer will also go over any special arrangements with the invigilators.

I can and do invigilate large numbers of candidates in main exam halls but my preferred specialism is support of smaller groups and even individuals with special measures in place.

This is standard practice and it really worries me when I read of such basic mistakes.

In the OP's DC's case the exams officer will be expected to submit a report to the examining body. Any parent who is unhappy really should advocate for their child and speak to the exams officer

Williamshatnershorses · 08/06/2022 15:49

I’m an invigilator - where I work we get sheets, that give us all the details of the extra accommodations and I run through them before we start the exam to make sure there is no confusion, so that this exact scenario does not arise. If it was me in this situation, I would have made contact with the chief invigilator and got them to check and if your daughter was adamant she thought she got extra time, I would fill in a report sheet at the end of the exam. But I wouldn’t be able to give her the extra time unless the chief invigilator for the exam centre gave me the ok.

in your situation, I’d be lodging a complaint with whoever is the exam lead at her school, for them to report upwards to the exam board. Given that the school phoned you to say she hadn’t turned up, her theory about having her mixed up with someone else sounds the most plausible explanation.

Finally , I’d be asking the school what measures they are going to take to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

Threetulips · 08/06/2022 15:52

Has she used her 25% in all her either exams? I understand if she doesn’t use it, it gets removed.

Worth checking.

Original poster

Hamnetsdad · 08/06/2022 15:55

No that’s not what happens @Threetulips once they have it for GCSES. They don’t just remove it in the middle of the external exams. She has used it and she is entitled to it - it was the invigilator’s error and the exams officer has apologised.

OP posts:

Williamshatnershorses · 08/06/2022 15:55

I should RTFT! Glad you heard back from the school.

placemats · 08/06/2022 16:02

I'm an invigilator too and like others, attendance sheets are given for each exam and all the required extras are given if the exam takes place in an extra room and in the main hall, say for seating. In the school I work for we have a whatsapp group should any problems arise during the exam and it's very quick and easy to check if the student does need extra time. Extra time is there for the duration of the exam period - it's up to the student if they use it or not. Nearly all students do take the extra time on big exams such as Science, Maths and both Eng Lang/Eng Lit. I do one to one, small rooms, home and hall exams.

The exam board needs to be contacted directly by the exams officer. Ask them to show you the letter sent. Make a note of your daughter's candidate number.

NiceTwin · 08/06/2022 16:04

My dd had a meltdown for her first exam and ended up changing rooms and therefore starting 10 minutes late, they finished her on time.
School put in a special consideration, I think it was called, they can be awarded up to 5% more.
Maybe suggest that if school don't.

NiceTwin · 08/06/2022 16:07

Oops, just seen that they are applying for special consideration, good outcome.

DeclineandFall · 08/06/2022 16:10

I'm an invigilator and if anyone had told me they were entitled to extra time I would be expected to contact the chief invigilator for the school who would check with the member of staff doing the special arrangements. I wouldn't just make them sit down and start the exam. All our special arrangements are in separate rooms away from the main exam hall to avoid disruption.
The mix up with whether she was there is strange. I wonder whether there is a certain amount of buck passing on the behalf of the exam officer.

placemats · 08/06/2022 16:13

To add. If a student says to me that they have extra time I would reassure them that I will get confirmation.

placemats · 08/06/2022 16:19

If you are assigned to an extra room and you have forgotten your phone - essential for rooms outside of the main hall because things do occur such as toilet breaks, then it's proper practice to not invigilate that exam and swap with someone who has a phone.

placemats · 08/06/2022 16:27

The Eng Lit exam this morning was 1hour 45 mins long so that means your daughter should have got 26 minutes extra.

scoopoftheday · 08/06/2022 16:27

Some of you are missing the part where the OP says her daughter couldn't express herself to say she needed extra time.

I hope it's all sorted and works out for you OP.

Musmerian · 08/06/2022 16:30

I’m a teacher and I think the two year gap in exams has taken its toll. This has happened at our school and another that a friend teaches at. You absolutely should complain and the school actually has to file a centre malpractice form as this is a serious mistake. Do chase it up in an email and ensure that the academic deputy he’d is aware.

Original poster

Hamnetsdad · 08/06/2022 16:32

She did try to say she had extra time but the invigilator insisted she didn’t. Dd can display challenging behaviour when distressed (she has poor emotional regulation) and this could have resulted in a meltdown- so I’m so glad it didn’t. She just left the exam and signed out of school. A different student might have been able to advocate for themselves but Dd can’t.

OP posts:

FreetheKhalo · 08/06/2022 16:34

Poor kid! I don’t know what happens with this but I would maybe give her a note to give them so that she doesn’t have the worry of not being able to articulate herself if this happens again. I would also ask if that same invigilator will be in her future exams as you would like it confirming that they are aware of all of her requirements.

There has been a real shortage of invigilators this year so it will more than likely be a result of lack of training. Hope it gets sorted. They have an incident sheet they need to complete so hopefully it’s already been flagged up on there.

placemats · 08/06/2022 16:41

scoopoftheday · 08/06/2022 16:27

Some of you are missing the part where the OP says her daughter couldn't express herself to say she needed extra time.

I hope it's all sorted and works out for you OP.

It says in the OP she did say she had extra time. Regardless of how this is said, and one should always expect distress, this matter should have been resolved as quickly as possible to deescalate the panic.

Gobbolinothekitchencat · 08/06/2022 16:48

Your poor daughter, this is awful that the invigilating team messed up so badly. My DS gets additional time and I know how vital it is for him to have in order to complete the exams with his particular needs…ASD and severe dyslexia.

You have been given lots of sensible advice and I hope your DD doesn’t get too thrown by this. I guess the only upside is that the invigilators are going to be hyper aware of her and it won’t happen again.

Was she planning on taking English literature further? Also, if it hasn’t been mentioned it is the English language grade which is the passport on to the majority of future courses, although I learnt that some vocational college courses take English Lit. Not that she should be in that situation. My DS dropped English literature, for this very reason, on the suggestion of the school so they could focus on getting a decent English language grade. He wasn’t the only one.

SamphirethePogoingStickerist · 08/06/2022 16:50

Hamnetsdad · 08/06/2022 16:32

So she didn't sit the exam at all?

Oh my word!

That will be a little more complex, but the exam board will still be sympathetic.

SamphirethePogoingStickerist · 08/06/2022 16:50

Oh, ignore me. I didn't add that piece of info to your OP, I read it as free standing data. My apologies, I am a pillock

fUNNYfACE36 · 08/06/2022 16:51

I would maybe give her a note to give them so that she doesn’t have the worry of not being able to articulate herself if this happens again

..and that would be taking unauthorised material into an exam.She might be disqualified!

fUNNYfACE36 · 08/06/2022 16:53

Op - can you clarify. Did she sit?

fUNNYfACE36 · 08/06/2022 16:58

No the op says her dd didn't have time to complete the exam.so she must have sat it and then left at the end of normal time

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