Sitting GCSE exam papers at home is it possible?

[Altonbeck]

Really appreciate any help as going round in circles!

DD 16, Yr 11, is an adopted child with ADHD, Mixed Mood and Anxiety Disorder, ASD difficulties (no official diagnosis but stated on her ADHD report) self harming & under Connect (part of CAMHS for adopted kids/ kids in care).

She has been falling apart since Senior School, we moved schools a year ago to start afresh but it didn’t work, her anxiety difficulties resulted in her attendance dropping and now she is at home permanently having only managed the first 2 weeks of school in September.

She will not set foot in school again and so whatever accommodations they now offer (so late in the day!) are worthless. The school is an independent which doesn’t help as they are not really accountable to the local authority.

We are paying for private tutors to come to our home to cover 4 subjects, mainly core but most worrying now is that I need for her to have somewhere to sit the exams. The school are willing to have her sit there even if she is off roll but she won’t entertain the idea! She seems more receptive however to going into a school/college which is unknown to her and she is unknown to them.

My options, I think are:
have her sit them at home ( but the school are looking blankly at me whenever I mention this, like it never happens? and I would need them to advocate for us) so without their help I don’t think I alone could make it happen

contact other local schools, probably independent ones and pay for her to sit as an external candidate, however, the most likely one is at least an hour away, not great for my daughter really

contact our local authority admissions and try to get her on roll at a mainstream school to sit them there, but would they put her on roll knowing that she probably won’t go into the school until exam day!

Any advice on my best option?
Thank you so much, very worried Mum

In some situations home invigilation is possible. You can see JCQ’s rules here.

Some centres will accept private candidates, but you normally need to book early when DC will need significant access arrangements so they may be fully booked for those pupils.

Does DD have an EHCP? If not you should request an EHCNA ASAP. If she does, you can look at an EOTAS package. Have you had the phase transfer review yet?

You don’t need to be funding private tutors. The LA has a duty to provide a suitable full-time education to CSA pupils unable to attend school. Email the Director of Children’s Services requesting provision under s19 of the Education Act 1996.

Thank you, I applied for an EHCP 3 weeks ago and they have acknowledged receipt. What is a phase transfer review and also not sure what CSA stands for?

My question about a phase transfer review was in relation to if DD had an EHCP. It is a review that is held for those with EHCPs who are changing phase of education which Y11 to post 16 is. So, it doesn’t apply to you.

CSA is compulsory school age.

I can't answer your question, but I have come on in solidarity as a fellow adoptive parent.
My DD missed y11 in Covid due to MH. We applied for an EHCP when she started at college and couldn't cope. Having it really helped her at college, partly for what was written in it, but also just the fact of having one.
Post Adoption Support were also our main support in y11 & y12. She is 'y14' now and still having therapy via PAS and her SW advocates for her with the LA re what she is doing this year.

Thanks TeenDivided,
We have had some help from post adoption support in the form of therapy providers but they don’t seem to feel it in their remit to push the LA for support on our behalf education wise.
i thought they might as they are all part of the same county council but they seem to be letting us try to resolve the situation unfortunately without much input.

Any teachers or exam officers out there who might know how difficult it is for a school to organise exams to be sat at home?
Am I asking for the impossible?

It’s not impossible. But, it might not be possible for next summer as a private candidate because centres who accept private candidates who need home invigilation may well be fully booked by now.

Are you willing & able to pay for the invigilator's time?
That might smooth the process.

Logistically the exam papers and the invigilator need to get to you. I don't know whether the invigilator can bring the exam papers themselves or if they need to be delivered separately. Then of course the exam papers need to get back to the school.

You could try posing on Secondary or The Staffroom asking if there are an Exams officers around as they will be best placed to answer whether it is possible/legal if logistics/cost can be sorted.

Centre staff can transport the paper to the alternative site (including a candidate’s home) and back to the centre. The detailed rules are available on JCQ’s website.

There are DC with EOTAS or who are electively home educated who sit exams at home. There are also DC who are on the roll of a school but too unwell to attend who sit them at home. DS1 will be sitting exams at home and I have supported others to secure it.

It is definitely possible because ds2 did his A levels at home. His tutoring agency (NTAS) organised it and did the invigilation. The biggest headache was finding a school who was willing to accept and send off the exam paper for him as the agency was not a recognised exam centre so could not be sent the papers direct. But it sounds like you have a school who could do this for you.

Thank you for all your messages.
Good to get an idea of how viable it is before we meet with school next.
I think our biggest obstacle is that School won’t want the hassle of doing that for us.
They have already said that my DD will have to come off roll, they are willing for her to sit her exams at the school still even if she’s off roll but they may well not want the added complications of arranging off site. 😒