Contextual Offer - medical needs

[Turmerictolly]

Just a general query. Do contextual offers cover students disadvantaged by medical needs? Ds has extra time now but is at a high achieving school.

I don’t believe so but I know when Dd was applying the reference from sixth form tutor included a sob story about chronic illness and how she’d spent a lot of year 12 in hospital.

This group of students would not normally be eligible for contextual offers, perhaps because medical needs are not a characteristic which can be easily categorised into yes/no or a measurable quantity.
The school / college can mention these challenges in the UCAS reference, so that admissions teams can see the predicted and then actual grades in context and make decisions accordingly.

First generation higher education students (the first in their immediate family to attend university)
Students from low socio-economic groups.
Students from schools with low progression
Students living in low-participation neighbourhoods.
Students who have spent time in care.
Students who are refugees or asylum seekers.
Students who have participated in Access to University/Widening Participation programmes.

Ds2 has a disability and we’ve been told it doesn’t mean he’s get a contextual offer.

Totally depends on the institution and what you mean by medical needs. Something that counts as a disability might entitle you to a contextual offer at some places but there is no blanket contextual offer policy. Each uni has their own policies and it can vary even between schools within the university.

Pressed post too soon. In my second paragraph I was trying to give examples of characteristics which are possible to categorise into yes/no or a measurable quantity, and which are sometimes used in giving contextual offers.

No not usually.

Adjustments for medical need are usually done at the examination end. I Know someone who takes her exams in a separate room with an individual invigilator. They stop the clock regularly for her to take a break and it can take her most of the day to complete the exam.

If someone has missed a large part of a course due to illness it would usually be recommended they repeat the year.

I looked at a couple of unis yesterday - Reading and Surrey - and declaring a disability on your UCAS form allows you to be considered for a contextual offer.

@Turmerictolly

Just a general query. Do contextual offers cover students disadvantaged by medical needs? Ds has extra time now but is at a high achieving school.

No not usually.

The extra time he has been awarded is supposed to level the playing field.

Another poster has already set out above the usual scenarios for contextual offers.

In addition some unis offer them for certain schools. Bristol has a list of approximately 40% schools that would qualify. It may well be worth checking their list.

Also if he is doing an EPQ then certain unis make dropped offers on the basis of usually an A* or A so may also be worth a look if he is.

Thank you all.