EP and school

[Stopsnowing]

DC had an Ed psych report in year six which found he had processing issues and that his cognitive load meant she recommended he use a laptop as his main way of working and in exams.

The private school where he is currently in year 7 had a copy of the EP report and allowed him 25 per cent extra time in his entrance exam. All pupils have a school laptop.

The school initially told me that he had to have two bad scores in different types of test to get a laptop in public exams. When I asked to see the exam board requirements they then said that to get this concession in fact he had to have a laptop as his normal way of working which in his case was against their policy
because his handwriting score is not bad enough.

Grateful for any advice.

I am not an expert but if his processing skills and cognitive load difficulties lead an expert to conclude he needs to use a laptop on a daily basis, then the question of how neat his handwriting is, would seem to be a complete red herring?

I would phone EASS and discuss the use of the laptop as a reasonable adjustment (they may have a template letter). Any blanket policy (eg. a handwriting test) which frustrates access to reasonable adjustments may constitute unlawful disability discrimination - EASS can advise.

https://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com/app/ask

You can see JCQ’s rules here.

Needing low standardised scores isn’t relevant to use of a word processor. It is relevant to extra time for those with learning difficulties.

For use of a word processor in exams, it must be the pupil’s normal way of working, but they do not have to have a slow speed of writing.

Thanks. I understand that the exam board rules just say the laptop needs to be the normal way of working. This has been recommended by the EP but the school is refusing to implement.

You need to phone the EASS; this is potentially indirect disability discrimination, by failure to make a reasonable adjustment. The Equality Act obligation to make reasonable adjustments applies to independent schools.

Yes it does seem that way to me too. I will call them. My concern is that my dc needs might not count as a ‘disability’ under the Equality Act.

The EASS can offer a perspective on that (the only time this is ever definitively determined is if tested judicially). Obviously the definition is about having a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.