Thanks for taking the time to read!
I am posting on behalf of a group teachers and headteachers to bring to your attention the shockingly unfair current JCQ guidance for special considerations for public examinations. As it currently stands, if a student is physically too unwell to complete an examination, they are not entitled to a Teacher or Centre Assessed Grade based on mock examinations and teacher judgement.
My friend’s daughter* has sadly been diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. She now faces a long battle and gruelling treatment process which means she will likely miss all of her GCSE public examinations this summer. If she misses all her exams, the best she can hope for is a ‘statement of recognition’ from the exam boards, however as we saw in 2020 and 2021 there is a process in place which can support the implementation of TAGs.*
In extreme circumstances such as a cancer diagnosis, supported with a medical exemption certificate we strongly believe that these young people should be awarded the grades they are entitled to, from the people who know them best, their teachers.
This would only affect a small amount of students each year but would have a huge impact on the health and wellbeing of students undergoing lifesaving treatment to know that they will not lose out on their grades that they have been working toward for their entire educational journey. A student has created a petition and it is growing in numbers, we have BBC interviews lined up for later this week. We really believe we can make a positive change to the young people who find themselves in this awful circumstance, please sign & share!
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/63377777*_