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Secondary education

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Original poster

How do I address this ridiculous mock timetable?

94 replies

MerryMarigold · 26/12/2021 20:35

Ds1 is doing GSCE mocks starting on the 7th Jan. He has 25% extra time due to processing difficulties and attention deficit. He works hard though and has been revising his socks off this holiday.

I've gone through the exam timetable properly today and I'm fuming! I've realised that on his first day of exams he has 3 exams roughly 2 hours in length with a 10 min break between the first 2 and then a 5 min break (which is also including lunch) for his third exam. I just don't know how he can perform to any standard under these conditions. I don't think I could concentrate for 6 hours with 15 minutes of break and little or no time to eat/ go toilet. The timetable has clearly not taken the children with special needs/ extra time into consideration. It seems mad to give them extra time and then punish them for it.

I know it will never be like this for the real exams as mocks are over 1 week and GSCEs are not, but I'm worried that he's going to perform very badly and that will undermine his self confidence and the hard work he's put in. I assume offers for 6th form will also go on predicted grades from the mocks?

What can I do? I'm so angry so I'm not going to do anything tonight, but please help... 🙏

OP posts:
FrippEnos · 26/12/2021 22:32

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

With clashes it is possible for there to be three exams in one day

Yes with clashes. But students are isolated if there are clashes and sit another exam at another time.

yes that is what I posted.
lanthanum · 26/12/2021 23:38

Hopefully it will turn out that this is just the main timetable, and that variations will be made for those with extra time but there wasn't time to organised that before the end of term. The fact that he's down as being in the hall when normally those with extra time are in another room suggests that this isn't the final arrangement.

But whatever, get an email in raising your concerns, and reminding them that the mocks could be more important than usual if covid is still causing problems, so it's important he is not disadvantaged. With ADHD a decent break between exams is just as important as the extra time.

Pantoufle23 · 27/12/2021 10:24

MerryMarigold, I had the same problem - DD and gcse mocks and a timetable with 3 exams per day (DD has extra time). It is true that the squashed mock timetable makes it much harder for them. My DD had 3 exams per day. Like you, I queried it as I was worried her arm would literally drop off.

They basically worked on a slightly different timetable - earlier start time where possible, breaks at different times etc so they do work around it to ensure the extra time is given, but the reality is that they have to spend more time in exams on an already full day.

Original poster
MerryMarigold · 27/12/2021 11:34

I think it's his personal timetable, not a general one. It has his name on and even seat numbers! So, if they are going to make adjustments I think it will only be as a result of getting in touch, not because it was going to happen for the extra time kids anyway. Will draft an email today. Thank you!

OP posts:
Hercisback · 27/12/2021 11:45

It's probably a personalised one but based on the whole school one without considering extra time. It's likely that he will be in the hall unless he has a small room as an added exam consideration.

Once mock TTs have been set, lots of exams officers run them in the same way to summer exams in terms of seating/timetables etc so that they can check their systems work.

noblegiraffe · 27/12/2021 11:50

Probably no one looks at individual timetables, they will rely on obvious problems being flagged by the kids/parents.

Original poster
MerryMarigold · 27/12/2021 12:11

@noblegiraffe

Probably no one looks at individual timetables, they will rely on obvious problems being flagged by the kids/parents.
I'm sure they don't check them all but I'm assuming they run the timetable based on option groups. The maths and physics are for everyone in the year (180 so the extra time/ short break will affect a significant number) and the history option I assume will run at the same time as other options from that group of options? Whilst they can't individualize everything, surely this happens every year? He's not taking a weird combination of subjects.
OP posts:
Exhausteddog · 27/12/2021 12:15

My DD is fortunate that she has no additional needs. Her mock exams before Xmas included a day with 3 exams in a day, but they are not permitted to stay on the school site between exams. We don't live far from the school but one of the gaps meant by the time she got home it was time to turn around and walk back. I wfh that day and collected her and a friend but even then they only had about 10 min at home. Not sure what kids that come on the bus or live further away did.

5 or 10 minutes between exams seems ridiculous and not practical. I hope you can get it changed, OP.

Hercisback · 27/12/2021 19:28

Yes no one looks at individual TTs. 3 mocks in a day really isn't unusual (extra time issues aside).

Haskell · 27/12/2021 19:36

We put ET students into separate rooms, and it's likely that in this situation (because half the cohort at least would be doing maths, physics, and history) we would have a supervised lunchbreak for those with extra time, and they would begin the third exam late, after they'd had chance for a break, but to ensure no contact with those that had already begun (because like most schools, we have to cram mocks into a far shorter space of time than the real things).

CarrieBlue · 27/12/2021 22:55

What’s happened is the school don’t want to pay for invigilators beyond the standard school day.

You have no way of knowing this at all.

OP, just send a polite email pointing out the problem. It’ll get sorted out I’m sure.

Haskell · 28/12/2021 02:48

Or, you know @Shadowboy, schools have no money because a global pandemic has meant utterly unforseen costs for the last 18 months, including fuck knows how many £££ spaffed on covering ill staff?

Shadowboy · 28/12/2021 08:37

Our school doesn’t pay for any external cover. Many school don’t. Cover is done internally - in fact many schools do this. Over the years I’ve covered many different subjects.

Schools have no money not because of the pandemic but due to Tory cuts. This has been on going for at least 5 years. In fact as a department I ended up with more money this year than last due to the roll over from last year. Less photocopying and resources for experiments meant I didn’t spend as much due to lockdown.

But it’s a fact many schools will simply not want to staff two invigilators beyond the school day for one student.

Haskell · 28/12/2021 09:44

It's a lot longer than five years, but the plain fact is that if my school hadn't paid for cover, we'd have spent most of the last 18 months closed. It's not a case of "don't want", it's "can't".

Musmerian · 28/12/2021 09:57

@cloudtree

You can’t do anything. It isn’t up to you.

The teachers are obviously aware that it’s a lot but the reality is that gcse timetables are often crazy. Ds1 had one week where he had eight exams in different subjects for his actual GCSEs.

It’s good practice

That’s really not true. I’m a secondary school teacher and if this were my child I’d contact school- via tutor or Head of Year and rejig. That’s not reasonable and it should be sorted.
Original poster
MerryMarigold · 28/12/2021 11:30

I've sent an email today. Senco, hoy and form tutor and cc'd deputy head, who is amazing and has taken a lot of interest in Ds1 over the years - so hopefully it will be looked into by someone!

It does seem that some schools only have 1 am and 1 pm mock timetable and others squeeze 2 into the am and 1 in pm, which is what's caused this issue. I personally think losing one week of teaching to get mocks right and fair is worth it. So self defeating to make mock exams overly difficult and therefore discouraging/ demotivating just for 1 or 2 extra lessons in a subject. There is so much to make up for with Covid that the psychological side of exam technique is going to be far more important than being able to catch up so much lost learning. I didn't say that in the letter but I'm very aware of it with my DS. Going in calm and confident is so much more important than 1 or 2 extra lessons!

OP posts:
Original poster
MerryMarigold · 28/12/2021 11:31

What I meant by the rant above is that having mocks over 2 weeks and spacing them out a bit more is fast more beneficial in my opinion than squeezing them into 1 week and gaining a lesson or 2 in each subject.

OP posts:
crazycrofter · 28/12/2021 15:34

We had the same issue with ds’ mocks just before Christmas @MerryMarigold. Three on the first day with no gap between the first 2 and then a 15 min gap. Ds also has ADHD and 25% extra time. I noticed it when the timetable was sent through and raised it at ds’ SEN review. The SENCO got it changed so that he did one of the exams a couple of days later when he had a free afternoon. He could potentially have asked his friends what was in that exam but I doubt he did as he doesn’t really plan ahead! He found the 2 humanities exams in one day bad enough in terms of concentration and arm ache!

mastertomsmum · 28/12/2021 15:41

My DS had a couple of days like this during his mocks in November. He coped ok and his overall results were much better than the Yr 10 end of yr mocks

Hercisback · 28/12/2021 15:51

We do ours over 2 weeks and there is barely any space and 3 per day. We do a full set for each subject though, so 3 maths papers etc.

Losing 2 weeks of teaching time is a lot especially when mocks will need to be done again before May. It also means staff with exams in the last couple of days have a manic turnaround to get them marked.

Look on the other side OP, if he can cope with this, he'll be absolutely fine for GCSEs.

Mocks usually aren't made easy or difficult, they're past papers.

Original poster
MerryMarigold · 28/12/2021 17:01

He has 3 papers for Maths but only 1 Eng lang a 1 Eng lit, 1 each for physics/ chem/ bio which I assume will be more in the real things. Not sure why Maths got such priority! History has 2 but they are both short and afternoon exams when kids will be shattered after 2 morning exams.

OP posts:
Original poster
MerryMarigold · 28/12/2021 17:03

@crazycrofter

We had the same issue with ds’ mocks just before Christmas *@MerryMarigold*. Three on the first day with no gap between the first 2 and then a 15 min gap. Ds also has ADHD and 25% extra time. I noticed it when the timetable was sent through and raised it at ds’ SEN review. The SENCO got it changed so that he did one of the exams a couple of days later when he had a free afternoon. He could potentially have asked his friends what was in that exam but I doubt he did as he doesn’t really plan ahead! He found the 2 humanities exams in one day bad enough in terms of concentration and arm ache!
That's encouraging! Thank you. I've asked for physics to be moved. I think he'll have brain ache even more than arm ache with 4 hours of maths/ physics before lunch! Let's see what happens...
OP posts:
Hercisback · 28/12/2021 17:13

Maths is very difficult to accurately grade without all 3 papers. It also means that teachers know what gaps there are. It's not like say History where you can do one paper and see a grade and which techniques need work. Science usually haven't covered enough curriculum by now to do all the papers.

Original poster
MerryMarigold · 28/12/2021 17:34

Ah ok. History is also about knowing facts so the marks on papers can vary quite drastically (ie. it's not just technique). Which I guess is why they are doing 2 papers as the third topic is not yet finished.

OP posts:
Wisenotboring · 28/12/2021 17:36

I can't possibly imagine this is true. When do you think they would find these extra chunks of 25%...?

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