Extra Time GCSE

[CornishIcecream]

Dd has been awarded 25% extra time in her exams. She was put forward because of her asd and anxiety.
She did lots of tests and had a chat with the external person who agreed that this was required.
We haven't actually been told under which scenario she has been granted it. As it was after all the tests does it likely mean it is more to do with her working speed/processing rather than her anxiety around exams. (She has also been told she can take exams in a smaller venue)
She hasn't been given extra time in any classroom tests so it wasn't her normal way of working since leaving junior school where she did get this.

Who was the “external person”

You can ask to see the recommendations and results. Presumably it was a teacher with appropriate SEND qualification to assess or an Ed Psych. Were you asked to give permission? It should become her normal mode of working as it will need to be evidenced as such.

I am pretty sure it was an educational psychologist. I wasn't specifically told only that the tests were being run.

She did things like having read extracts, spelling, remembering lists and writing paragraphs and involved pupils of different abilities.

The information was rather vague, I had raised the possibility with her Year Head at parents evening and she said she would speak to the senco.

Sounds like processing and working memory but perhaps a meeting with Senco is in order, there are probably things you can reinforce at home to help her cope better.

@LIZS

That's what I was wondering, I didn't want to ask the school for the results and report if there wasn't one normally given.

Any assessment should come with clear recommendations for staff and it should be communicated to parents.

Generally where I have worked access arrangements for exams are implemented for all major assessment points, such as mock exams and end of year exams in KS4. They would also be implemented for any key assessments across KS3/4. This establishes the evidence that the access arrangements are the student's usual way of working. Most schools I've worked in have also identified identified extra time started so that the work completed in the extra time is clear for evidence purposes.

Heads of Year aren't the best people to speak to regarding access arrangements. You would probably get more information speaking to to SENCO.

My daughter with an asd got it because although she has a very fast processing speed in terms of thinking, it's actually too fast and she has problems getting her thoughts onto paper. Her brain races and she is hyper-verbal but she is also hypermobile, struggles with writing and so forth.

Ds on the other hand has slow speed of information processing, not quite low enough to qualify on its own but combined with a cluster of other things and extreme difficulty with handwriting. (He has to concentrate so hard on writing that he then can't concentrate on anything else such as the question) . However, although he is entitled, he rarely uses the extra time, preferring to use rest breaks instead. He gets anxious and has to walk around/stim/whatever to keep himself grounded.

So it could be a number of issues really.

@LolaSmiles that's really interesting. We just got a piece of paper with all the various arrangements that could be given with a X next to the ones she was entitled to.

We have been told she has hyperlexia traits and over complicates test questions.

I may have focussed too much on her anxiety issues as academically she does well so if it is difficulties with her working memory/ processing it's not been obvious.

I will try and speak to the senco and hopefully I will find out more information. I just didn't want to see too pushy but I would like the reasons really.

She will have been awarded it on medical grounds because of asd snd mental health. If there is a consultant letter confirming diagnosis, then this will be sufficient plus evidence of need. It may be that she doesn't need it. It does sound like they have had an external assessor in - some schools haven't anyone to do it internally. If it is extra time then that can only be done on speed of processing in different areas or working memory diffs.

Thank you @LostArcher sorry but I'm a bit confused and I probably am interpreting what you say wrong but you said about it's probably is for health grounds/mental health but then you can only get it for working memory or different processing? Hopefully the senco will be able to clear it up when they calls me.

She has got a confirmation of the diagnosis and has been on the SEN register since Reception but rarely has needed any extra intervention, its mainly for anxiety.

Extra time can be allocated to students with a medical condition e.g. ASD, ADHD, anxiety - no further assessment is necessary if the correct medical evidence is kept on file.

She will most likely have been allocated extra time because of her medical condition.

Reviving an old thread just to ask a related question ...

25% extra time can make an already ‘long’ exam extremely long (gcse paper say 2hrs extending to 2.5hrs). If a break hasn’t been requested as part of the arrangements, can this be submitted/request after original request Has been granted? And if so, how late before 2022 exams

You certainly aren't too late for 2022, the deadline is normally around the Feb I think but you'd want it in place for mocks anyway.

I may be wrong but I think rest breaks don't have to be applied for. I'm sure someone will come along to correct me.

The English papers are long when you have extra time.

Thanks @TeenMinusTests this is good to know. School hasn’t currently carried out any exams that replicate an actual exam’s length so DC has currently had no need to make this request. Recent end of year mocks were shortened to a max of 1hr, with extra time 1hr 15mins, so not too bad. Little concerned this must be a way of working therefore as they haven’t had a like situation to test this.

Anyone else having a similar issue/experience?