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ADHD and extra time in exams

127 replies

VivienScott · 28/04/2023 10:00

Hi All,

I’m hoping for help/advice. My son was diagnosed with ADHD last year. I had the full educational psychologist and psychiatrist report done which lays out the diagnosis, how it’s likely to affect him and what support he should have at school. I sent this to his school and although they put together a “passport” for him and his teachers there have been a number of issues with teachers not reading it, telling him off for fidgeting despite it being a symptom etc. I’ve had to speak to the school a number of times about it and it’s clear it’s not been communicated very well.
His ADHD report clearly states he should be given extra time in exams. However, the school are now saying that the decision to grant extra time is down to them to recommend to the exam board and a psychiatrist report has no influence here, nothing I can do etc.
Any plans experience or thoughts? I know ADHD is a recognised disability so it feels like an unusual approach.
AIBU for thinking the school are being very odd here?

OP posts:
Ralphschocolate · 28/04/2023 13:52

underneaththeash · 28/04/2023 13:29

You are wrong. The school submits evidence for each subject and then the exam board grants the submission based in the evidence submitted if the criteria has been met.
I’ve been through it with an educational law solicitor as DS did not get the extra time he needed in one of the subjects for GCSE.

I'm in England and I submit access arrangement applications to the exam boards. I can assure you I do not submit an application for individual subjects. When an application is submitted you have to identify the exam boards the student is sitting their exams with, you do not identify the subjects.

Ralphschocolate · 28/04/2023 13:55

Piony · 28/04/2023 13:34

This is not our experience. DD only started trialling extra time at the end of Y10 and was tested in Feb of Y11. It would have been better to have it in place earlier though.

Interesting update about the rest breaks @Ralphschocolate. I guess this makes it harder/means it'll take longer for the school to built the evidence.

It shouldn't make any difference in terms of collating evidence as schools should be looking at the whole picture.

It's more dependent on how keen schools are to identify the need. I'm fortunate, I work in a school that wants to support and ensure students have the best possible chance but there are plenty of schools who don't.

FirstTimeNameChanger · 28/04/2023 13:56

The normal way of working is subject specific. I have, and do, recommend extra time in English but not maths (for example) because it is not the normal way of working in maths

Equalbutdifferent · 28/04/2023 14:09

Nimbostratus100 · 28/04/2023 10:45

nothing odd or unusual, this is the uk exams policy - the school reports usual way of working to the exam board. Diagnosis, psychiatrists report etc, all totally irrelevant.

Two children could have identical ADHD, and one has a diagnosis, and a Psychiatrist report, and one doesn't, they both get treated exactly the same by the exam board, who refer ONLY to the usual way of working ,reported by the school

This is particularly important in the case of a child with ADHD with a parent who also has ADHD, as the child may well suffer significant disadvantages, with parents more likely to be unemployed, in prison, divorced, etc and much less able to provide a diagnosis and psychiatrists report.

Therefore, the worse ADHD is in a family, the less likely a child is to have "paperwork" related to their ADHD, so in education, and in exams, it is very important that children without the paperwork are given the same support as children with it

So, equality of inequality?

Great result, that - so all kids with ADHD are disadvantaged against their NT peers rather than just some of them (said as parent with ADHD with child with ADHD).

Think if this was tested in law it could prove to be a failure to make a reasonable adjustment. Of course EA2010 does not require everyone with the same condition,

to have the same evidence, before anyone can get an adjustment.

The EASS may be able to advise, OP?

underneaththeash · 28/04/2023 14:19

Ralphschocolate · 28/04/2023 13:52

I'm in England and I submit access arrangement applications to the exam boards. I can assure you I do not submit an application for individual subjects. When an application is submitted you have to identify the exam boards the student is sitting their exams with, you do not identify the subjects.

I think you’re doing it incorrectly then. You HAVE to have evidence from each subject, it was revised recently - but it’s all here.
https://www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/access-arrangements-and-special-consideration/

Access Arrangements, Reasonable Adjustments and Special Consideration - JCQ Joint Council for Qualifications

https://www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/access-arrangements-and-special-consideration/

Piony · 28/04/2023 14:34

Ralphschocolate · 28/04/2023 13:55

It shouldn't make any difference in terms of collating evidence as schools should be looking at the whole picture.

It's more dependent on how keen schools are to identify the need. I'm fortunate, I work in a school that wants to support and ensure students have the best possible chance but there are plenty of schools who don't.

Yes if we had our time over I'd seek out a school that does this. But they all say they do, and SENCos always look so incredibly overworked.

Quisquam · 28/04/2023 14:37

An ADHD kid is not going to just do a bit extra in an exam because they have more time.

In DD’s case, it wasn’t about doing more - it was about giving her more time to comprehend the question; plan her answer and read back over her work to correct mistakes. Otherwise, she misunderstood the question; wrote far too much on the wrong subject and made silly mistakes! She didn’t get to finish the exam.

Workwise, she used to have to check with her lecturer that she had comprehended the essay title first!

Quisquam · 28/04/2023 14:43

Admittedly at university, but they gave her a dictaphone to record lectures and they were all online anyway, to help her comprehension.

Iamnotthe1 · 28/04/2023 15:54

Great result, that - so all kids with ADHD are disadvantaged against their NT peers rather than just some of them (said as parent with ADHD with child with ADHD).

Think if this was tested in law it could prove to be a failure to make a reasonable adjustment. Of course EA2010 does not require everyone with the same condition,
to have the same evidence, before anyone can get an adjustment.

But that's working on the basis that extra time is a reasonable adjustment for someone with ADHD. That's not how it works. The diagnosis is irrelevant: it's the need that matters.

Access arrangements must be made in line with regular classroom practice. If a child regularly needs additional time on work in lessons because they, for example, have difficulties processing information within questions/tasks, even when the information is there in front of them to refer back to, then they are likely to qualify for extra time in exams. This will all need to be evidenced. It doesn't matter if this child has a diagnosis to go with their difficulties or not.

Conversely, if a child has an ADHD diagnosis but does not require extra time during lessons to adequately complete the tasks/questions, they wouldn't qualify because it's not something they need as part of regular schooling. There may, however, be other arrangements that are needed.

The issue comes from people assuming all children with X condition need Y access arrangement. That's just simply untrue. It's child specific. EPs (and others) put it in their reports as recommendations purely so they can make a long list of possible recommendations but those words hold no weight if it's not actually what that child needs in class.

Nimbostratus100 · 28/04/2023 15:57

underneaththeash · 28/04/2023 12:52

It is subject specific and it does depend on individual evidence from each teacher. We've been through it for GCSE and A level. DS didn't have extra time for all subjects in GCSE (which was the issue).

it doesnt work like that. you have misunderstood

Nimbostratus100 · 28/04/2023 16:00

FirstTimeNameChanger · 28/04/2023 13:56

The normal way of working is subject specific. I have, and do, recommend extra time in English but not maths (for example) because it is not the normal way of working in maths

its not subject specific though, it is related to the format of the exam. People who need extra time in long answer exams might not need extra time in short answer exams - the subject doesn't matter

Nimbostratus100 · 28/04/2023 16:02

Equalbutdifferent · 28/04/2023 14:09

So, equality of inequality?

Great result, that - so all kids with ADHD are disadvantaged against their NT peers rather than just some of them (said as parent with ADHD with child with ADHD).

Think if this was tested in law it could prove to be a failure to make a reasonable adjustment. Of course EA2010 does not require everyone with the same condition,

to have the same evidence, before anyone can get an adjustment.

The EASS may be able to advise, OP?

no, it means children are assessed according to their difficulties in school, not according to the paperwork their parents are capable of supplying.

so it levels the playing field.

Quisquam · 28/04/2023 16:21

But that's working on the basis that extra time is a reasonable adjustment for someone with ADHD. That's not how it works. The diagnosis is irrelevant: it's the need that matters.

That attitude is useless if the school don’t recognise the needs in a quiet well behaved girl! For instance, DD didn’t understand what she heard in lessons, so couldn’t understand the instructions; or couldn’t understand what she read! Even when a neuro - educational psychologist’s report spelt it out in black and white for them! They also didn’t recognise a relatively slow processing time, compared to her intelligence, as spelt out in a speech therapist’s report.

Quisquam · 28/04/2023 16:23

so it levels the playing field.

It didn’t level the playing field at all for DD - it led to massive MH problems!

Equalbutdifferent · 28/04/2023 16:39

Nimbostratus100 · 28/04/2023 16:02

no, it means children are assessed according to their difficulties in school, not according to the paperwork their parents are capable of supplying.

so it levels the playing field.

Do you really think a child's needs arising from a disability or long term condition are consistently and correctly recognised in schools, and met, without evidence from outside school?

DustyLee123 · 28/04/2023 16:40

My DS was awarded extra time by the school.

lailamaria · 28/04/2023 16:42

schools are awful about extra time in exams, if he chooses to go to college and does his gcses there they do an assessment themselves and will more than likely give him extra time should he need it

Soontobe60 · 28/04/2023 16:52

I’m a primary SENCo, so it’s slightly different than in Secondary school. However, regarding adjustments in KS2 SATs, I would screen a pupil for writing speed, reading speed, processing speed and on that basis apply for specific adjustments depending on the test being taken.
A child with ADHD, as others have said, would rarely benefit from extra time. However, they most likely would benefit from having an adult for to supervise rest breaks, a scribe for written tests, a reader for maths tests. In KS2 SATs a pupil cant have additional time AND a reader in most cases.
We gather evidence for this support being their usual way of working throughout Y5.

Equalbutdifferent · 28/04/2023 16:52

Have just read the Ofqual guidance - it says nothing about ignoring evidence.

Soontobe60 · 28/04/2023 16:54

lailamaria · 28/04/2023 16:42

schools are awful about extra time in exams, if he chooses to go to college and does his gcses there they do an assessment themselves and will more than likely give him extra time should he need it

Why do you think this is the case? A school would surely do the opposite - get as much support as possible for every entitled student in order to ensure those students achieve as high a grade as possible. After all, schools results are measured in part by Ofsted!

Soontobe60 · 28/04/2023 16:57

Quisquam · 28/04/2023 16:21

But that's working on the basis that extra time is a reasonable adjustment for someone with ADHD. That's not how it works. The diagnosis is irrelevant: it's the need that matters.

That attitude is useless if the school don’t recognise the needs in a quiet well behaved girl! For instance, DD didn’t understand what she heard in lessons, so couldn’t understand the instructions; or couldn’t understand what she read! Even when a neuro - educational psychologist’s report spelt it out in black and white for them! They also didn’t recognise a relatively slow processing time, compared to her intelligence, as spelt out in a speech therapist’s report.

I’m curious to know what exam support you believe should have been given to your DD with regards to her not understanding what she heard in lessons, or understanding what she read?
By all means, a slow processing speed as scored in something like a Patoss assessment should allow additional time.

LIZS · 28/04/2023 17:04

The school have to establish both need and use of extra time in assessments and exams then apply to JCQ.

Quisquam · 28/04/2023 17:13

I’m curious to know what exam support you believe should have been given to your DD with regards to her not understanding what she heard in lessons, or understanding what she read?

The neuro-educational psychologist recommended she be given the PowerPoints in advance, to give her a visual scaffold to hang the spoken words on. As I said, the university gave her a Dictaphone to record lectures; which were all available online anyway. A multi sensory approach in other words.

I read all her textbooks for her, and spent 5 hours a night teaching her what was in them; and how to structure essays. However it would have been nice, if the school had recognised that she had to work 3x harder than her friends; rather than saying she was scatty; or she wrote too much - without wondering why? That type of criticism was extremely damaging to her self esteem.

Quisquam · 28/04/2023 17:18

Sorry, misread your quote - the university gave her more time to do coursework, a study mentor to teach her study skills and monitor her progress (to stop her procrastination), and a post graduate student to help her with research. For exams, they gave her more time; movement breaks and a room on her own (with an invigilator) so the noise of other people didn’t distract her.

The university was completely different from her school!

Nimbostratus100 · 28/04/2023 17:33

Equalbutdifferent · 28/04/2023 16:39

Do you really think a child's needs arising from a disability or long term condition are consistently and correctly recognised in schools, and met, without evidence from outside school?

It isn't the schools job to assess disability

It is the schools job to describe to the exam board, adjustments made for education

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