What happens if your child is ill on entrance exam day?

[moctodtensmum]

My 11 year old is due to sit 11+ entrance exam for a London day school on Tuesday. Today they seem to have come down with flu: temp of 40 and everything.

This is their first choice school, and the school their sibling attends. It is hugely competitive and I know they won’t change exam dates even if a child is sitting two exams on the same day.

Any ideas what the school will do if I tell them my child is ill.

[memberofseven]

Have you heard anything yet op?

[HelloDulling]

That’s great, OP! At my school. If they were bordering on the basis of the exam, we would use the interview to ask the usual questions, but also ask the head of maths to go through some of the exam questions to see if they can see how they have slipped up. Fingers crossed!

[Justgivemesomepeace]

Its good that they have offered an automatic interview. She might have done better than you think.
My dd had a vomiting bug for 2 days when she did her GCSEs in the summer. She spent her chemisty and geography exams running back and to to the loo to be sick. We thought it would be a write off but she managed to pull off good grades in both.
Dont lose hope. Fingers crossed for her.

[IrrationalAnthem]

There’s always a choice and the choice might be, I cannot morally justify sending in an unwell child for their own well being and that of those around them. I agree the school’s attitude sucks, but obviously not enough for the op to reconsider their decision to send their child there.

[memberofseven]

@TheWitchCirce op had no choice but to send her child in for the exam given the attitude of the school. The blame for this sits wholly at the school's door.

OP I think a surprising amount of decision making is on the interview and school reference. How did your dc find the paper? Did they finish? Hope they are feeling better soon.

[TheWitchCirce]

Rubbish attitude from the school, and terrible attitude of others saying 'send them in anyway'. What about all the other children with a plethora of exams still to sit, being shut up in a room with your poorly child for several hours? I guess it's just every (wo) man for himself.

[Devereux1]

Just to update that my child sat the exam feeling utterly rubbish.

But good that he picked himself up and got on with it. Life is like that, we have to face tests and exams when we feel rubbish, but the world doesn't always change to suit us. This lesson will serve him well in the future. Good for him for not bailing.

[moctodtensmum]

Just to update that my child sat the exam feeling utterly rubbish. The school have agreed to an automatic interview given they have a sibling at the school and were so ill. Not sure how much weight they will give to the interview if the exam results are awful but at least it is something.

[minipie]

Really tricky. No second sitting is very unfair on the sick kids and also encouraging spread of infection.

On the other hand, doing a second sitting is not that easy. If they use the same exam for both, how do they ensure the first round of kids don’t discuss the questions and give the second round an unfair chance to prepare. If they use a different exam, how do they compare children from the two rounds against each other, as one may have been harder than the other.

Plus how do they decide when to do the second sitting - a few days later and some kids will still be sick, but if it’s a week or more later then it messes up the whole offers process.

[OrangeSlice]

Hope it went better than expected and your dd gets in. Also hope the school haven't caused other kids to catch it by not rearranging for sick kids.

[cricketballs3]

Whilst it may seem unfair that's the reality for public exams - sat that day with no 2nd chance

[OrangeSlice]

Wow. Dd didn't do 11+ but her dad died suddenly just before the SATS and she was in deep shock so didn't take them. If it had been 11+ I'd have had a pretty low opinion of a school that was too lazy/heartless to arrange another sitting

[minesadecaf]

That attitude would make me not want to send my kid there. What does that say about their pastoral care?

[HomeMadeMadness]

Bloody hell that's rubbish of the school. Of course a 10/11 year old shouldn't be sent to sit an exam with a fever/D&V (a cold or sore throat fair enough). It's horrible that the school are giving up potential students because they can't be bothered to reschedule. I do think it might be indicative of how they'll deal with any problems down the line. They might just have the attitude "oh well there are hundreds of kids on the waiting list who don't have these issues so why bother resolving them?".

[memberofseven]

Did your child sit today op?

[PatienceVirtue]

I'm with the sympathising posters on this - they're 10/11 year-olds (i.e. bug magnets) and it's virus season. Poor thing. I wonder how much allowance the school will make? You do wonder how hard it would be to have a second sitting.

I'm also amazed that Latymer and St Pauls should be on the same day. They're a mile or so apart. They're must be so much overlap. Sometimes these schools should recognise who's paying.

BTW OP is it L? Last year the way they treated my friend whose son was applying with an older sibling was in marked contrast to the way my dd's school treated us in the same situation.

[Devereux1]

Many children take exams whilst under par, facing serious illness, suffering extreme stresses and bereavements. They get on with it. This is life.

I agree with a previous poster - load your child up on medication, eat well, drink lots of water, and do their best.

[ColaPip]

@moctodtensmum oh no, I am so sorry to hear this. The school's attittude is dreadful and I really feel for you. Sending you all the very best and hope your child feels much better very soon.

[Autumnnightsaredrawingin]

@moctodtensmum just to wish you and your child all the best for today. Do you have other options if he/she doesn’t sit this exam/get a place? If he/she hasn’t eaten for 24 hours that’s going to be incredibly tough. 😢 I’m so sorry. All the best. Xx

[moctodtensmum]

@HelloDulling thank you but my child is currently at a state primary so the Head s doesn’t see their role that way :-(. Fever still high, no food for over 24 hours. Calpol isn’t going to get us through this.

[HelloDulling]

OP, I would ask your current head to ring their head, or the person there that they have the relationship with, tomorrow and speak up for you. Getting your DS into the right SS is a big part of the head’s job.

[Autumnnightsaredrawingin]

I have to say I think that is terrible behaviour on behalf of the school. 😢 They will also potentially infect other children who may still have exams to take. What about if it was noro virus or similar?! Would they really expect a child who was being physically sick to turn up?

OP, make sure you get that drs note and best of luck to your child, it’s a horrible, horrible situation.

[ripple11]

I noticed in the KGS info they sent it says to provide a doctors note ...so I guess that is one school who will reschedule. On the day, surely its only going to ba a handful at most, of sick children who need a later date?

Best of luck.

[memberofseven]

Good luck to your child for tomorrow. That's a terrible attitude on the part of the school in my opinion. Lots of fluids tonight and dose them up on the highest lot of medication (paracetamol and ibuprofen) you can. The doctor will be able to calculate dose age based on weight - it will be higher than is listed on the bottle. Get some of those dextrose sweets too. You must get a letter from doctor and submit (ideally detailing their temperature) and make sure the current school updates their reference to refer to this illness. It's really bad of the school concerned that during exam season they are asking your child to attend and potentially infect others.

I sat my law finals dosed up beyond belief and unable to speak and did fine so all is not lost. Packet of strepsils and tissues too.

I do understand how stressful it is though as the competitiveness of these schools means every mark counts. I went through this last year so have my fingers crossed for you as it was bad enough with a well child.

[HelloDulling]

Oh, OP. Masses of Calpol and fingers crossed?