Exam boards discuss Ramadan 2016 and exam dates

[DeoGratias]

For those who believe in invented Gods apparently the exam boards may make some changes. I think the having key exams first in the mornings is the best proposal. One of my children last year who did pretty well in GCSEs often doesn't have any breakfast so he has an kind of Radaman fast anyway from 10pm to lunch or even after school sometimes. I think we can work around this.
It is not for 30 years that Ramadan has fallen so fully within the GCSE and A level period and then we had many fewer people prepared to believe in such things.

Ramadan is effectively longer in the UK than in the Middle East because our days are longer - in June up here in NW England it's daylight from 4 am to 10 pm. That does mean different accommodation required here.

It's the double whammy of exams, and also the long days in the UK between dawn and dusk.

I'm in the middle East. We have 10.5 hrs of light ATM, so that goes to Max 14 hrs if Ramadan falls near June.
In the UK that is nearly 17 hrs, and requires food before and after those times. Sleep is also a very precious commodity.

Many business shut at 2pm during Ramadan, over here, they take into account the stresses fasting puts in the body, and the influence it has on productivity.

I think Mecca time should be used for all fasting outside of the Middle East. Those fasting in the Nordics this year are going to really struggle.

From reading into it as well I could (exam timetable of great interest in this household!) the overall dates of the exams are the same/similar to every other year but some exams which will have a huge amount of candidates around the country (maths/english) will be scheduled nearer the start of the exam period and will start in the morning.

It sounds as though the people who oversee all exam boards have included in this years timetabling decisions some suggestions put forward by muslim groups (after they were asked). Seems like a thoughtful and sensible way to do things really, here is our exam period how do we schedule it to benefit everyone fairly.

Here we are, re read the article; "The Joint Council for Qualifications said many core exams had been set for before Ramadan starts on 6 June, but there had been no large scale changes." From the BBC. Also this discussion and scheduling has been going on now since 2013, so not actually a new thing.

I am not Christian our national holidays revolve around the Christian calendar

I would rather see that schools are secular like they are in France they still follow national holidays many Christian based but being truly secular there would be no allowances for prayer, fasting, the wearing of religious headscarves/jewellery, allowances for Diwali, Christmas, Eid or Yom Kippur. Those I know who are Muslim, Jewish and Hindu celebrate and their children do too openly and celebrated at school and some miss school to celebrate

I have also lived in a Muslim country though it was not my country I accepted that Islam dictated life to some extent I fasted at times when I didn't would not eat or drink in public (or swear!!! I don't smoke do no issue there).

Ramadan lasts for a month not a few days

hathaway its not true that pregnant women and the elderly can miss ramadan by default. If the elderly person is in good health and has stamina and fortitude of mind to perform the fast its obligatory on them . If they are in poor health with long term conditions which would increase their illness or endanger their life, they dont have to make up missed fasts but must make arrangements to feed a poor person for each day they missed a fast. if they know they will recover after a course of treatment and do they have to make up those fasts , and feed a poor person for each one missed also. ppl who are mentally ill are totally exempt im not sure if they pay charity for those missed not looked into it.

Pregnant women who might endanger their life or the babys due yo high risk factors are ecempt but need to make them up. If the pregnant woman has no risk factors and doesnt have too many hardships fasting should fast. Personally i found it too hard with constant morning sickness to fast in ramadan but i know women who do. With my first i had labour in ramadan and as soon as i got home i was fasting the next day ifound it very hard my energy was depleted via birth then juggling newborn with no routine. Ican recall when it was time to break yhe fast id be upstairs with some dates in one hand baby feeding in the other. no family support, it would have been different if i had family to help.

Even if one vomits whilst fasting there is an opinion you should clean up and continue if it was only a mouthful anything more invalidates it and must be made up. menstruating women are exempt for a week or however many days they need but need to make it up too.

Students wouldnt be allowed to drink water as you suggested that invalidates it nothing is allowed. students can fast but it will effect their ability to concentrate. Everyone is saying wats prob muslim countries do it, yes they may but its not the best option for students is it? try fasting over 15 hrs . Get up before dawn 2am usually for your so calledbrreakfast stay awake until dawn for the short prayer. get up a few hrs later to revise on an empty stomach. I think it would be too hard. I saw the long summer fast i was young but was practising fasting i was sick most days and i had no exams. I dont think i coukd revise under those conditions. Id need to eat pay charity and make it up. It doesnt make students exempt although laymen say it does ive not spoken to one teacher who said it does.

i feel proud tp be a british muslim and live in a country where they care enough and are considering these changes to reduce hardships for muslim students,ironic muslim countries dont give a toss but it doesnt surprise me look at womens rights there. I dont however expect them to i was surprised to learn of its proposal this morning.

• I wasnt fasting next day ive mixed up two babies i had lol. but i was past post partum bleeding, cant fast when bleeding

I would think that there should be dispensation allowed for important exams. The Muslim religion began in the middle east which is quite near the equator with little day length changes. I think they should adapt their religion for when they are living in other places. Just as it was really stupid when the British in empire times tried to make the Indians and Africans work 9 to 5 days (mad dogs and Englishmen out in in the midday sun) and also English in Australia who had log fires at Christmas time and caused major wild fires... Religions that adapt to local conditions do better e.g. Christmas and Easter were pagan festivals adopted by Christianity.

in a muslim country would they change exams to fit in with Christian, Buddhist or any other religion?

religion is a choice. its not something you are born with like brown eyes or a wonky leg. its a choice.

if people choose to believe in fairies or gods then that is entirely up to them.

why should the rest of us - the majority - who aren't actively practicing a religion tolerate this. if you want to believe in something, fine, go for it. but don't expect the world to bend around you.

"why should the rest of us - the majority - who aren't actively practicing a religion tolerate this"

Because we passed equality laws.

And because enough people wanted a tolerant and diverse society thatmakes reasonable adjustments to get those laws passed.

And this year's adjustments were known from the day the boards announced their timetables and there was no adverse reaction, indeed no reaction at all

So I agree with the pp who asked 'what agenda is making an issue of this now?' Usually, I'd suspect UKIP or BNP, but I haven't spotted their fingerprints so far.

Katarzyna I didn't mean to sound ignorant, sorry. I was meaning to say that vulnerable groups such as pregnant women or the elderly can have special dispensation not to fast "properly" and I was wondering whether it would be possible for someone sitting very important exams to do so also.

Ramadan is about fasting through your normal life, not unusual circumstances such as illness or times of extreme stress, surely?

I think Mecca time should be used for all fasting outside of the Middle East.

That sounds like a sensible, pragmatic idea. Sundown in Mecca is about 5 pm BST in the UK.

Sunset ATM is about 17.30, so 14.30, so actually it might not be brilliant at some times of year....

Oh, and for those asking, 25 December (Sunday 2016) will be a normal working and school day this year. It was a Friday 2015, so school were shut. No allowances made in this direction!!

It was my suggestion about Mecca time. I'm not being as rude as it sounds reading that back.

but no the whole exam timetable should not be accommodating religious practices
It's not. There are some minor adjustments that won't disadvantage anyone.
The exams weeks are still the same, they've just moved a few of the more popular subjects to mornings earlier in the schedule.
The extra week's revision that is lost in some subjects will be gained in others.
I just don't see this as a big deal.

The Muslims who I know, are flexible in their fasting and if an odd day was missed due to not feeling up to it, there would be no problem for them to make it up another day.

not all Muslims will be flexible

some will not feel that exams are a good enough excuse to not fast - but that is a choice should we constantly accommodate these more extreme choices

and in the next few years the time of Ramadan will be more in line with the whole of the examination times what happens then days will be nearly as long

like others have pointed out it is also the season of hayfaver which people have a no choice about but they have to carry on

while it is difficult here to fast due to the very long days in other countries they are having to deal with extreme heat where you absolutely should be drinking water. I have seen doctors on TV pleading with people to drink water but no people will still fast (and I know pregnant women who have done so) because religion is not always sensible and not always what is for the good of people but that is another debate

Ramadan lasts for a whole month. I would support not scheduling exams on eid, but a whole month is harder to avoid. A whole month which moves slightly every year at that!

from the comments, it appears the changes are minimal.

Maths last year was on 4th June and 8th June. This year it's 26th May and 9th of June so they've moved the first paper to before half term. This isn't that bad as after the first paper we normally predict the topics that will be on paper 2 and do tailored revision so we will have longer to do this.

Kat, it is lovely to see someone Muslim actually appreciating Britain. I keep just hearing about Muslims blaming the authorities, police etc for everything rather than accepting personal responsibility for most things, rather than accepting fault, saying sorry etc in the way the English culture is to do so; good for you.

On religion there is no God but if people haven't yet been persuaded of that let them live at peace with us as long as they don't affect the lives of the majority of people in the UK who don't believe in any God at all.

I do think this issue of fasting shows that if there were a God she obviously intended those rules about fasting to be appropriate to geographical areas where the prophet was. The idea you apply the same idea to the North Pole where you might get 24 hours of daylight is ridiculous. No clever God can have intended that and man (always men never women of course) as men have stolen, twisted and used religion for their own ends often to control women and others.

There is nothing that anyone can really do about hayfever. The exams can't be moved away from hayfever season. Just because we can't help hayfever sufferers, does that mean we shouldn't make any accommodations for anyone else?

should we constantly accommodate these more extreme choices?
We're not going to. It's a minor adjustment this year and for the next few years that won't have a negative effect on anyone else.
What is it that you see as being negative about this?

I'm pleased about the Maths schedule, that will be good.

I doubt the decision to move maths and English was entirely due to a desire not to disciminate against Muslims.

I expect they don't want the pass rate for maths and English to fall because these subjects are compulsory resits in sixth form.

why are we accommodating a religion that does actually accommodate choice

it makes no sense

and once again there is something about accommodating to the Islamic faith I am not even sure this was proposed by muslim communities

how many on here wish for secular schools I do this issue would not even be discussed then

I wish for secular schools most desperately!!

I have no idea why we still base our calendars on Easter and Christmas though

but re the exams, I wonder

1. was this actually suggested by any Muslim groups - my guess is not

2. why should any timetable accommodate personal choice in this way - yes, this is how our equality law is set up but there are specific days that my mum fasts due to her interpretation of her religion - how many requirements can we accommodate? And where is the equality for atheists?

3. would we accommodate any worshippers of the Flying Spaghetti Monster if they suddenly declared a religious holiday in June and need exams earlier? If not, why not?

4. I don't know what is correct about whether or not children should fast but is it really too much to ask that you fit in with an exam timetable?

5. I am a night owl and blooming hated morning exams - it might not seem a big deal but if the needs of those who might be hungry by afternoon can be accommodated, what about the many teens whose brain doesn't work at 11am and might suddenly find all their exams are morning sessions with no afternoon ones?

I assumed it was because the schools wanted to ensure that they as a school got the best results possible

yes, wizzy, I think that too

There was a very sensible headteacher on BBC Breakfast this mornings talking about this. Pointed out that the overall exam period is the same, they've just looked at how best to schedule the exams within that time.

yes I think it is about wanting the best results

even if we had secular schools (and it was quite a shock to me how religious ds school is though it is not a CofE school) we would still follow national holidays, those are Christmas, Easter and the bank holidays