Exam concessions for diabetics

[Boogers]

This isn't a TAAT but I've posted on another thread and didn't want to derail that one by asking this question.

DD is 7 and diabetic. When the the time comes for her to be sitting her GCSEs she's not going to be able to deal with back-to-back exams as she'll need to be tested throughout and she'll need to eat regularly.

Does anyone have any experience of their diabetic DC doing long exam sittings, and how is it dealt with by the school and exam boards?

It's really rare to have back to back exams unless you are doing an odd mix of subjects.

All schools have arrangements for children to.be kept isolated from their peers if they need to do an exam at a later time or to do them in a small room if they are.likely to need to do things which are disruptive e.g. having a scribe, walking around or testing sugars/eating

One of Dd's friends needed a sugary drink during one of her exams and it was handled calmly and appropriately by the invigilator and she was allowed extra time to finish.

I think you just inform the school in writing ahead of time and they inform the exams officer and an appropriate plan is put in place.

I imagine your Dd would just start her second exam later and do it in a separate room.

It's not that rare to back-to-back exams. On one day, my son had over six hours of GCSEs and IGSEs. Lots of schools mix the two.

Thank you!

^^ that. I have arranged such stuff and it is really easy to do, should be started automatically by the school... exams officer and SENCO get the evidence together and then assign the changes or send to the exam board for clearance, depending on what changes are required.

When you get to secondary just ask form tutor about Exam Access Arrangements.

I think you can have access arrangements for SATS. My DS is 9 and there is a "test" protocol for him at school You need to make sure that any protocol takes on board the cognitive effect of hypo - i.e. it wouldn't be right to expect him to treat a hypo and then carry on with the test as soon as back in range because the effect on brain functioning takes longer. Similarly there needs to be a protocol around hypers, although the ones I've seen start at 14.0 mmol which is unhelpful as we see cognitive and behavioural effects from 9.0 mml.

Not relevant to this thread as it's not about access arrangements, but I'm blogging about T1 and SATS at the moment.

racheljgood.wordpress.com/2016/05/04/testing-testing/

I'm type 1, although my exams were some time ago! I had access to my testing kit and hypos treatments available should I need them.
I really wouldn't worry about it at this stage, so much will change between now and then in terms of how his diabetes presents itself, what sort of treatment plan he's on, and indeed potential advances in treatment options. You really can't predict what, if any, support might be required, and it is so different for everyone.