Exams - advice please

[frazzledbutcalm]

Dd1 is sitting GCSE's in a couple of months. She's already sat GCSE maths last year as she was in fast track maths set, and part of GCSE science. She has sensory processing disorder, visual stress is a huge part of it. As she's bothered by noise (papers rattling etc) she sits her exams in a different room with other SN pupils. I've asked if dd is entitled to extra time for her exams but have been told she doesn't 'meet the criteria'. Explained to me in lamens terms 'because minifrazzleds grades are good and because she's not had this problem previously to set a precedent she's not entitled'.

So basically, because dd wasn't dx until age 14 she hasn't been sn long enough to qualify for extra help!

Anyone have any advice? Do I just leave it or push it?

Well done - really pleased for you both. And good luck to dd for the exams.

Brilliant news - 25% will make a difference, give her a boost once she realises she can finish the exam; and well done to you for being her advocate .

Yay!! Well done frazzled for not giving up. You are right we shouldnt have to fight for everything but your Dc's are lucky that they have you on their side

Thank you everyone ... your support helped me stay on track for dd!

UPDATE - Dd had her first exam with her 25% extra time .... ONLY THEY DIDN'T GIVE HER THE EXTRA TIME!!! [ANGRY]

It was Biology .. dd was still busy writing when the invigilator took her paper away. She'd left out at least one question and put 'silly' answers in a few others. She finished the paper and had gone back to answer the one she left out. She was then going to re-do her silly answer questions.

I've spoken to her head of year and the school's exams officer (seo) - seo said to dd "you're 15, you must speak up if things aren't right"
I said don't dare try to make this dd fault, she in sn group for a reason, it was all VERY formal, strange external man taking her paper, quiet room etc etc. Dd wasn't comfortable enough to 'speak up'! So all school can do is get in touch with exam board and let them know school messed up and didn't allow dd her extra time. He thinks they'll mark her paper then allow an average grade. BUT, my thinking is, they'll see a paper with all questions answered and not know which answers dd was going to change. Whereas if she'd left out the silly answers and left the questions completely blank then they'd be able to get a better picture of what extra to award.

I'm furious and don't really know what to do. School have assured me this WILL NOT happen again ... but they messed up her mock exam papers .. and I was assure then that this WILL NOT/CANNOT happen in real GCSE's

That's disgraceful. If she's anything like my ds she won't have the capacity to speak up if something isn't right, whether she's 15 or 50, and that shouldn't have been said.

First, you should make a formal complaint and have written assurance that they will take steps to make sure it DOESN'T happen again. When ds has extra time, it's written down on his exam timetable, so a 2 hour exam (for everyone else) will show as 2 and a half for him. It's also written on a whiteboard in the examination room - end time of X for regular candidates, end time of X - 25% for those with extra. Get them to check her timetable (or yourself if you have it) and make sure it's noted.

You can also ask JCQ to give consideration for the cock-up. Read the JCQ notes on how to do this (can't remember offhand as it didn't apply to us). They will give additional allowances, after an exam, for a candidate who's had difficulties on the day - might be illness or a bereavement, that sort of thing. You might have some come-back with that. I'd make the enquiry yourself though, rather than leave it to the SENCo because she doesn't seem to understand how JCQ works.

How is dd? I'll bet she's so disappointed, having gone through all this to get the support she needed only to find it wasn't there . I hope she's got a bit of time to regroup before her next papers.

Thanks streaky ... JCQ won't talk to parents so I have to go through school. School have said it won't happen again ... They're making sure her papers have 25% extra time written on the front cover and they're issuing dd with a start and end timetable so she'll know exactly where she is. I'm compiling my email to school as we speak.

(I've started a new thread about this so will answer both)

I would still find the relevant part of JCQ advice and show it to the SENCo. From what you've said before, she may not know about exceptional circumstances and that you can have consideration given. You might have to do her job for her, but if that's what it takes, so be it.

Thanks streaky.
It's dd head of year and schools exam officer who're dealing with the 'incident'. I've been through the JCQ website and found the (I think) relevant part. I've emailed the head of year and copied the email to the senco. I've done all I can, the email shows my expectations, points them in the right direction and has a paragraph of dd views so they can be in no doubt as to all the facts.

Good luck. I hope they can reassure you (and especially dd) that they've sorted it. They really should do something about yesterday's exam though - it won't be her fault if she gets a poor grade .