Horrible phone call with school😭

[ArseInTheCoOpWindow]

My dd has bad anxiety and severe stress migraines. She’s struggled in through all her exams with blinding headaches. She was diagnosed 5 days before her first exam and medications are a bit hit and miss. She’s hardworking and diligent.

Last night she started with the worst one ever. Was very upset about her history GCSE today. She was not in a fit state to go. All of her problems have been supported by lots of GP evidence. I sent the last letter in yesterday.

Conersation with school 1/2 an hour ago.

’It’s only an hour, can’t she come in’
’Can’t she take medication’
’Not sure what the exam board will do’
’You’ll need a doctors note’
”Can’t you just encourage her’

Like l was fucking lying!!!
She’s so upset, l was upset by the call. It’s all documented and this is what you get. Gilt tripping when your poor 15 year old is too ill to think clearly ‘Can’t she just come in for the hour?’🤬🤬🤬🤬

As a migraine sufferer I can sympathise OP.

I take Triptans (Sumitriptan now but used to be Zolmitriptan). Don’t know what I’d do without them as nothing else works.

You’d assume the school would have protocols in place for sickness during exams. After all, any child could wake up with any illness.

A migraine is totally debilitating, of course your DD was unable to sit an exam in that condition. I am usually vomiting with one, and can’t bear light, so I can empathise. Awful, awful pain.

OP you havent done anything wrong. Neither have the school, unless they have said outright you’re lying. They have to do all they can to ensure they did what they should, just the same as you are for your daughter. I would take a step back, you seem to be getting very upset about something that isn’t personal.

IMO nobody is in the wrong here. You as the parent and the school for just trying to push a bit. Don’t be upset OP, the school tried and you said she can’t. That’s fine.

I'm sure the school are doing what they can. School can't decide anything, they can only put things forward to JCQ and they will question everything the school say.
For normal access arrangements for medicals, they won't accept gp letters only specialists and consultants letters as evidence.

The school are right though. Exam boards make almost no allowances for these types of situations. So if she misses it then she might not get the GCSE.
A child's mum could die the day before and the exam board only give them 5% dispensation.

In some cases if the student has already sat over half the papers, a school can ask for special consideration so long as there is strong evidence they are unfit to sit the exam. Although even then the exam board don't have to accept it.
The school isn't saying you're lying, they are just trying to get her in despite her being ill if possible because it might cost her a GCSE.

I had a seizure on the morning of one of my exams. It had never happened before so you can imagine I was a bit bewildered. No one was home so somehow I managed to make it to the bus and do the exam, but I didn’t do very well. The exam board gave me no discretion and failed me. I was diagnosed afterwards with epilepsy.

I'm sorry your daughter is unwell.

Wow lots of people who have clearly never had a migraine on here.

This.
I was 12 when I had my first migraine.
My second one a few months later lasted for 4 days and I was hospitalized on day 3 as I'd vomited much I was dehydrated.

A migraine is so much more than a headache, it's the worst blinding pain you have ever felt, visual disturbances ( I get loss of peripheral vision and bright flashes of light in the vision I have left) extreme nausea followed by copious vomiting.

Sitting an exam ? I cant even sit up.

My daughter is 13 and has been on Topirimate for about a year. She was on max dose of pizotifen for about 2 years before that. Sumatriptalin made her so sick and didn't touch her migraines. Think it all depends what type of migraines they are. My daughter is under a neurologist at Addenbrookes after being referred by pediatrician and it was the neurologist that moved her off Pizotifen as he felt Topirimate was a better option. She's not on a max dose and her migraines are relatively stable. Shes had no side effects but at last check up he did tell her that she can't take Topirimate if she gets pregnant lol

Sorry your dd is having a rough time. While doing exams I had similar migraines and epilepsy seizures also. A letter can be put in but they don’t necessarily take it into consideration every time it’s all case by case. I read you mentioned Topimpramate is being considered when she’s older. Unless it’s completely necessary after personal experience I wouldn’t recommend especially for young women. Hope dd is feeling herself soon.

Well you've certainly not read this thread properly, for whatever reason. Schools have procedures they have to follow when dealing with external examinations and all they seem to have done is follow those procedures. I honestly think that too many people think that schools can make decisions regarding exams whereas all they can do is liaise with the Board.

My son is in Y11. What they have done to this cohort is brutal. I would keep going for school help. Lots of kids have had to be coaxed in and the school cannot tell those genuinely ill from those not. Neither can the exam boards. There was a 16yo on chemo who missed one exam and the school/board were disgustingly unhelpful and said she could resit next time!

Migraine sufferer here too. Oddly cheese helps mine.

Who are ‘they’?

They just want her to sit her exam. They weren't guilt tripping you.

The school exam officer explained this was actually a better option than special consideration as the death of a parent only warrants a 5% leeway so injury/illness is hardly anything

Agree with this totally, better off missing it than struggling in.
DS went through all of his A Levels in 2015 with me having just come out of High Dep after life-saving surgery and continuing in hospital for the next five weeks, at the same time as DH was recovering from a brain haemorrhage (and couldn’t see properly at that stage).

DS got 3% allowance.
3 pissing percent for not knowing if either parent was going to be alive by the end of his exams.

I have had seizures during secondary school and university exams and no allowances ever given.

I understand, @ArseInTheCoOpWindow.
My mum had blinding migraines. She was a teacher & would get them at school. Sometimes she’d make it through the day and sometimes she wouldn’t, but every single time she’d drive herself to the GP (we lived a few doors down) where he’d give her an injection and then she’d come home and lie in a pitch-black room until the next day.
Migraines aren’t something you can overlook. I hope this isn’t something your daughter is stuck with for life. It’s a miserable, horrible way to live.

What exactly do you want them to do. The rules are strict or do you want them to allow someone else to take your child’s exam. Unfortunately, bad results/ missed exams are something you’ll have to deal with

You are overreacting. They will of course want her to come in. If she certainly can't, they are probably right that the exam board will want a GP note.
This isn't about believing or not believing. These are public exams. The rules are very strict. The board perhaps won't make an allowance on your say so or letters that you have written about her migraines.

Anyone who thinks she can do an exam with this has never had a migraine, I suffer with them an they completely wipe you out an knock you sick an you can not focus for the pain, I think op is right to keep her daughter of.

Age 6-9 my DS had debilitating migraines.

Aged 9 he was diagnosed with ADHD and put on ritalin. Within 2 months all migraines went. He's been off his preventive treatment for a year now and has had only 1 migraine in that time. A real miracle

I hope your DD is feeling better today OP and that you've had some more information about what can be done to resolve this.