Great subject. We had 18 out of 235. Most were for medical conditions (hypermobility, fibromyalgia) or ADHD. Some are anxious. Most are very sensible and take time when needed. On good days they do not take any at all. I just wonder now with all this tightening up on rules the rest breaks will become more in demand. Luckily the SENCO and I are signing from the same hymn sheet and try to avoid giving anyone an unfair advantage.
Kind regards
Marjanne
Marjanne Worsley
Examinations Officer
Phone: 01444 446844
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
Central Sussex College - Sixth Form College
Harlands Road
Haywards Heath
RH16 1LT
>>> "Hemming, Christopher (Hills Road Staff)" <[log in to unmask]> 10/10/2014 09:19 >>>
This looks like a good topic for discussion at the AoC Conference. We had 84 with rest breaks last summer - it's becoming a cause of great stress to our invigilators.
What is a reasonable amount of time and how many during the course of an exam? Are they fit to take such an exam?
Chris Hemming
Examinations Officer
Hills Road Sixth Form College | Cambridge CB2 8PE
Direct line 01223 278027 | Fax 01223 278070 | [log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: The FE Exams Network mailing list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Claire Willis
Sent: 09 October 2014 16:33
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Changes to JCQ Access Arrangements for Rest Breaks
Hello all
Can I canvass your ideas and planned approaches please to the new instructions from JCQ on page 21 par 5.1.3 where it states that the duration of the supervised rest break should be determined by the SENCo and that this must take place before the start of the examination series?
We have approximately 70 students with rest breaks for various needs and there is a concern that it is impractical to determine a suitable rest break time for every student for each exam.
We have queried with JCQ the scenarios of students with CP or anxiety/panic attacks and the difficulties encountered by the SENCo in trying to predetermine a time scale for rest breaks. JCQ agreed that if it's the candidate's normal and established way of working is to seek a supervised rest break during the course of an examination when their pain or discomfort begins to manifest itself, or their stress or anxiety levels begin to rise, then having variable amounts of time for rest breaks would be perfectly acceptable.
Would you consider that this caveat almost seems to make the directive in the JCQ guidelines impractical? Perhaps this requirement for predetermined amounts of rest break time can be applied to those with ADHD etc who know in advance how long they need to refocus?
I know what I think we should do but some others aren't so sure so I'd appreciate your feedback if you can spare the time.
Many thanks
Claire
Exams Manager
Peter Symonds College
Owens Road, Winchester, SO22 6RX
01962 857500
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