Would be interesting to know ratio of kids with extra time in private schools

[namechangetoinvestigate]

Has this ever been discussed? I know a boy at a top private school in Edinburgh who currently has 25% extra time in written exams for slow hand writing. He's a normal academic achieving boy 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, are one of the reasons private schools getting good results because normal academic achieving kids are getting awarded 25% extra time? That's a lot of extra time and a huge 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? It would be interesting if schools published what percentage of their pupils got extra time in exams.

Worth a discussion.

There is a lot of this in my kids state grammar school. Some children genuinely need it imo due to additional needs but others try to get it as it could be advantageous.
The children I know who have tried to get it appealed to get in to grammar and are now struggling

A few years ago I was on a course with the senco of a local private school. She told me that they screen all the pupils for dyslexia and carry out a range of other tests (I think she said in y10) automatically, which can lead to extra time awarded. I would also be interested to know the figures as it surprised me. I don’t have an objection if extra time is needed but would say that this expensive screening is not available to all pupils in the state system so does create some advantage. I don’t know if this is widespread in private schools as it was only one example of a local school.

Dont know about private schools, however my son is dyslexic & dyspraxic and has to take an extra test in the next week to prove that his disability is bad enough to warrant him having the extra time in exams. The school has to prove to the exam board, via this test, that 25% extra time is necessary. I find it hard to believe that any school can just hand out extra time, they have to prove that the child needs it. My son also had to use a laptop for extended writing and again the school have to prove that this is a normal way of working food the child involved.
Whether you are aware of it or not, the fact the boy you know is getting extra time strongly suggests that there is a learning need for him to have that time.

My son is one of those who qualifies for extra time in exams.
He is also exceptionally bright (gifted diagnosis by the psychologist who identified his learning difficulties).
So, while he appears in a normal classroom setting to be meeting the academic requirements, he is not able to demonstrate his true ability due to the speed at which he can put pen to paper.

Unless you know the family exceedingly well, how do you know there are no learning difficulties?

This was in the news in 2017 www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/education-38923034

I absolutely agree that children with learning difficulties need and deserve the extra time, I'm talking about extra time being awarded for slow hand writing with no additional learning difficulties. The child receiving this extra time is in my extended family, it just made me wonder about the fairness of this across the board to all schools. I have my suspicions that private schools have the resources and it's in their best interests to get the kids to pass with the best grades by using all the resources available to them, I'm betting they know how to use the system to their advantage.

I don’t have any learning difficulties, I was a straight A student, I however had extra time in my exams. English is not my first language, so I need additional processing time to complete answers etc in a coherent way.

I went to a comp in a fairly deprived area and there were quite a few extra time students in my year group.

I taught in a private school for 8 years and was outraged at the misuse of extra time. Parents pay for their children to be screened, 'something' is always found and 25% extra time is always awarded.

Some of the students need it which is great, but most really don't. I assume other private schools are doing the same thing, and it is ridiculously unfair.

@starbuckslover, 25% more is a huge advantage this doesn't sit right with my conscience.

Extra time doesn’t always help though, only where they’re short of time. I only had a couple of exams where I ran out of time.

Can’t any school do this? My kids go to a private school and any child given extra time was not because the parents instigated it, in fact several were rather put out that it was considered necessary!

@Pipandmum these parents didn't instigate it either, it was pushed by the school. I'm wondering if the private schools are under pressure to get the good grades and so use all the resources available, whether justified or not if they predict a child might not be an A or B student.

I've posted across in AIBU to get a discussion going. Think that thread gets more traffic.

Why wouldn’t that apply to to state school as well though?

Are you sure it's just "slow writing"? My daughter has this and it triggered the school to arrange tests for her (non selective private school). She is very bright but it turns out she has a processing disorder so she was awarded extra time. The slow writing was just a symptom. It's probably more prevalent in private schools as they have the staff to identify these issues. And to the poster who asked whether kids with processing issues are just "a bit dim" - do fuck off.

But surely slow handwriting is a legitimate need. A child who is academically capable but limited physically should be allowed extra time. My DS gets extra time for anxiety and his friend has a scribe for dyspraxia, both at state schools

Antigonads That is really insulting.

Slow processing means just that, it takes longer to read the question and formulate the answer. It says nothing at all about the quality of that answer.

Both my DDs qualify for extra time. It gives them a chance to show what they can do. But ultimately if they can't do trigonometry, or write a descriptive story, or discuss whether war can be justified, it won't help. It is only useful if it lets them finish the papers.

I think private schools are at an advantage, as they have the funds to screen everyone, whereas in the state system there needs to be a very visible issue first. But assuming the private schools aren't actually cheating (which of course any one school could of any type), if they have more concessions it is probably down to their better resources.

@Antigonads I’m a slower processor due to being EAL, I studied at Cambridge, does that make me dim?

Sheesh. It was a genuine question not meant to be insulting!

I was just wondering if folk who were deemed to be a bit thick in the past were in fact ‘slow processors’. Just like there was no autism when I was at school. Just naughty children.

The criteria for extra time in exams are the same for everyone, regardless of what sort of school they are at.

To qualify based on handwriting speed the child would probably have had a DASH test and maybe an OT assessment that identified the type of coordination and fine motor control issues often associated with dyspraxia. Dyspraxics are in the bottom 5% of the ability range, so there are a further

@antigonads oh sheesh my dim DD got mainly A* at GCSE because she was able to compensate for her slow processing, sorry dimness, by being very able.

However at A level, being a bit dim and taking 3 essay/humanity degrees, meant she struggled to get her written answers done in timed questions.
Luckily the very experienced and highly trained professional staff at her school have noticed this and replaced the dim label you would give her, with a qualified diagnosis of slow processing speed in part due to undiagnosed dyslexia that she had managed to cover up right through to sixth form.

But thanks for your considered post, it warms my heart to see such understanding on an education board.

Oh catch yer self on.

They do not have the resource pressures, so can afford to screen all pupils, and pay for EdPsych assessments of those on bursaries (and tell full-fees parents to sort one themselves)

I don't think they are gerrymandering in terms of getting advantage for pupils who do not deserve it. More a case of being able to access proper assessment for all. Some thing that simply does not happen in the state sector where resources are limited and go only to those who present with the greatest need

I suspect this is not so much private schools using a loophole, rather private schools making full use of a facility that is there for a good reason and should be available to all pupils. The issue is more that the facility isn’t used as fully as it could be in the state sector due to lack of resources (and perhaps fewer on the ball parents).