GCSE's Medical condition diagnosed too late for access arrangements

[MoonUnit27]

My DO has been unable to attend school since December due to visual problems (not previously experienced). We're getting closer to diagnosis but still not got it due to wait times for specialists. Sat a couple of papers but really struggled. Mock results good.
School have given rest breaks and laptop for exams, but didn't know what other access arrangements would help. Has anyone got experience of requesting "statement of recognition of likely qualifications and results" to allow DO to move to next stage without having to resit. School have suggested may not be able to resit there as no room in year below. Any similar experiences / advice?

No experience.

Some other thoughts, feel free to ignore.

Would she be staying at school anyway?
Is she likely to still pass maths & English?

If mocks were good would school still let her stay on anyway?

Alternatively would going to a college for a year at a level 2 course help her recover from / adjust to / get more diagnostics with whatever this condition is, rather than attempting to repeat y11?

I would push to resit the year if not been in since december its not just not sitting the exams they will have missed some content too. That could imoact on the alevels too.

Would enlarged papers help more than a laptop?
That might be something the centre can just give, I'm not sure.
Similarly would different coloured paper help?
The other thing is applying for special consideration.

(It may depend on whether it is the lack of being at school that is impacting, or visual problems during the exams themselves.)

ex teacher I have had visually impaired students in the past.

you can get enlarged exam papers. One students of mine had them enlarged to a3.

also possible - reader and scribe.

one of mine had an op quite late in year 11 and lost a lot of his sight. Reader and scribe sorts most things.

you’ll need medical evidence of the difficulties.

retaking year 11 is not a thing, for funding reasons. If he “fails” English and maths (doesn’t get a 4) he can do resits at college or potentially at sixth form.

I think the plan that you make will depend if this condition turns out to be treatable or permanent. It will be easier to submit evidence and know what you are asking for, if you have the diagnosis in hand.

A statement recognising expected results does not usually mean the results they would have got, had they not missed half the learning. It is usually sudden illnesses and bereavements after all the learning has happened. Do you honestly think that, if her vision improved tomorrow, she'd have the knowledge and skills to get these results and being out of school since December has not had an impact? She can't start A-levels so far behind her peers, it would be soul destroying for her.

I think that taking what is essentially a year out and trying to jump in as if it didn't happen would be setting her up to fail and it would be better for her to repeat, if possible, especially if she is managing a medical condition and figuring out how to manage it. Otherwise it would be too much for her, all at once, and not necessary.

She can't start A-levels so far behind her peers

That is assuming a) the DC wants to do A levels and not something more vocational and b) that the chosen A levels build a lot on the GCSEs (eg MFL & sciences
English Lit, History and Sociology A levels might be perfectly doable.

Will they offer English and Maths resits in November? What does DO hope to progress onto? Colleges tend to be more flexible and have a wider range of options than school sixth forms.

Does DD have an EHCP? If so, being educated outside of a child/young person’s chronological year group can be included in there. As can remaining in the current year group but having provision otherwise than in a mainstream school matching their point of education. If DD doesn’t have an EHCP, request an EHCNA.

Has alternative provision been in place if DD hasn’t been able to attend school?

Is there a QTVI involved? If not, request the school (or whatever setting DD moves on to) seeks advice from one.

The school has been poor. A diagnosis wasn’t necessary for other access arrangements to be put in place. As well as rest breaks and laptop, what about a computer reader, extra time and modified papers.

No direct experience of the statement you mention but my son's college will take him onto A level maths & another numerate subject with just an excellent GCSE maths grade, whether or not he passes English. They can see that he will suit A level maths much more than their level 2 courses. So there can be flexibility with some colleges. But he does have an EHCP.

As @TeenToTwenties said enlarged papers (and I'd get a bigger desk while you're at it) might help or can she change font size on laptop? If she is not able to sit the exams I think the next step is to get the right things in place for her to be successful next year, not necessarily to resit Y11. What will change between now and Sept to make her able to successfully resit Y11, if her issue is still ongoing? I wonder if she would be better targeting English, Maths or whatever GCSEs she finds most accessible now, and not sitting the others. Focus the next academic year on stabilising her condition and/or finding new ways for her to work - laptop set up, text to speech and speech to text software. If you can find somewhere where she can do this alongside A levels then it's worth a look, but it might be less punishing to do it alongside a L2 course or a handful of GCSEs from home, and look to start her level 3/A level studies in Sept 2026. It is really hard because DC this age are often desperately worried about falling behind, but she needs the building blocks for success not just a "bye" on her exams.

I've come across a couple of DC who have struggled with GCSEs, taken L2 animal care almost like a reset/year out and gone from there on whether to stick with the vocational route or switch back to the more academic and move to A levels. She just needs a plan for next year, it doesn't have to be forever but there are more options out there than resits, especially for an academic DC.

I am not sure but I wanted to express sympathy as I know how long and frustrating the diagnosis process can be.

I don't think you can put anything in place now for this year's exams. My son's school had to have everything in place and applied for by Christmas - extra time, reader etc.
But if she hasn't been in since Christmas then maybe it would be better to resist the whole year at college.

I would be asking the school for a reader and/or emergency scribe for the remaining exams.
Then look at resists next year at college depending on results . Good luck to your daughter.

A reader and a scribe. Medical evidence would back this up. School can apply for emergency arrangements. The usual deadline passed a few months ago. But as this has been going on since before Christmas I don’t understand why school didn’t sort this out earlier. I don’t know if an emergency application would be permitted as it has been known about prior to the deadline. Good luck

Regarding the access arrangements, modified paper and extra time need to be applied for in advance by the school. There is a deadline. Medical evidence is also required to support the need as well as evidence of usual way of working. The school should have discussed all this with you and I'm disgusted that they haven't. I would get medical evidence (a letter from GP stating her symptoms and where she is at regarding waiting to be seen) and ask for a reader pen, laptop for essay subjects. Ideally she should have someone to assist in reading the maths paper and would need to be in a small individual room with the reader and invigilator. Also look online for calculators, rules, etc for visually impaired. This is not always possible for a school to supply due to costs and space. You need to read the JCQ section on Access arrangements to see what would work and emergency applications - based on your experience with your school to date, I'd be slow to trust their knowledge. Go armed with info.

Good luck

Retaking year 11 is a thing (which is opposite to what Octavia64 said), a friends child is retaking year 11 this year. They do have an EHCP so don’t know if that makes the difference? They missed most of last year, sat 2 GCSEs last year and doing 5 this year.

I can’t really help regarding additional access requirements I would say push school for more support. While there are early deadlines for apply for access some things can be done later. For example my daughter was switched to sitting exams at home 2 weeks before the exams started.

There are alternative routes to sitting GCSEs in year 11 with everyone else. You can redo the GCSEs, or do a foundation course before A levels or equivalent, or go straight to A levels or equivalent if she gets the GCSE grades. Generally you just need 5 passes, and maybe higher grades in specific subjects.

Missed GCSE content may or may not be an issue depending on her subject choices?

My daughter missed almost all of year 11 due to her mental health and unable to study at home during that period. We dropped the subjects that weren’t relevant to her to ease the pressure (English Literature, Geography & Spanish), focused on the ones she needed to do the subjects she wanted to do next. Her results were significantly lower than the previous mocks but it doesn’t matter, it was enough to get to college and GCSEs are just a stepping stone to the next thing. Maths & English language can be resat alongside a-levels.

She’s now doing well at college, first year studying A-level Maths & Computer Science. Any missed content does not appear to be causing any issues (especially for CS as not all students would have done it for GCSE).

Good luck and I hope you work out what’s going on and how to help. Facebook group ‘not fine in school’ would give some good tips to alternative routes if GCSEs don’t work out.

I haven’t read the whole thread so maybe already said. Sounds like they need a reader and a scribe (not a laptop to help read).

If a child has a 'new' reason for special arrangements, the school can provide and complete paperwork. They can speak to exam board on phone to clarify if unsure. This could be a scribe, transcribe, reader or enlarged (photocopy) paper. However, as this may not be assigned as 'new' , some of these may not be allowed. I would speak to the assessment lead and see what access arrangements can be applied. Discuss with your child what they feel would benefit them most as a reader / transcribe is usually the most straightforward way.
Good luck.

No EHCP in place as this started in December and have been trying to get diagnosis ever since. No alternative provision in place as was unable to return to school so we were just "revising" at home and asking for work, which school refused to set for some time.
What is QTVI please?

School refused scribe on grounds that it would be a disadvantage as hadn't had time to practice dictating to a scribe. Also said too late for modified papers as they had already been ordered by the time we worked out what we thougth was going on. Apparantly they asked exam boards if they could enlarge at school but this was not possible.

School refused scribe on grounds that it would probably make things more difficult as never practised with a scribe.

Thank you - school refused scribe on grounds that it would be more difficult as never practised dictating.

We don't yet know whether coloured paper etc helps.

Apparantly they asked exam boards if they could enlarge at school but this was not possible.
This is an official thing - they are photocopied on to A3
and/or to different coloured papers.

(The laptops I have seen schools use have small screens and papers are black on white).

But yes, you normally have them in place before, so not sure what would happen here.

Request an EHCNA. You don’t need a diagnosis. EHCPs are based on needs, not diagnosis. On their website, IPSEA has a model letter you can use.

A QTVI is a Qualified Teacher of Children and Young People with Vision Impairment.

That LA should have been providing alternative provision if DD couldn’t attend school. Unfortunately, too late now.

Did the school even attempt to request modified papers even when they had missed the published deadline? Exam boards will still try to get a modified paper sorted. They just can’t guarantee it. For example, it is one of Pearson’s FAQ’s you can see here.

I agree regarding the scribe, using one with having no prior experience could be bad for her. She can use a laptop though and have the size. Regarding colour paper, unless there is visual stress there is no point and again, could make it worse. I would be demanding answers why they had not discussed access arrangements. Their excuse of your daughter not being school is not good enough.

That's absolutely ridiculous. Most kids have a different scribe for each exam! You need to complain.
I've never heard of this award btw. It's very different if your child has the knowledge but just couldn't access exams Vs doesn't have the knowledge. You really risk them being miserable in Post 16 or playing catch-up. Theres a lot of colleges now that offer a whole suite of subjects as a GCSE retake package, where you're essentially repeating Y11. Usually the requirements are at least a 3 in English or maths as the make it a 1 year course. It's much better to do that and give yourself some breathing room to sort out all the medical stuff.

You certainly can. Things happen, arms get broken mid, people have accidents, health doesn't stop for exams. OPs school seem to be quite difficult. @MoonUnit27 I'd be calling the exam boards and JCQ myself and then relaying what you need the school to do directly. There's still quite a lot of exams.