More need for exam support leaves schools stretched

From extra time to sitting exams in smaller classrooms, more changes than ever are being made to exams to support students.

Figures released on Thursday by exams regulator Ofqual reveal 625,000 adjustments were made to GCSE, AS and A-level exams in England in the past year.

It has left many schools and colleges struggling to cope with the logistical hurdles required to make all the adjustments.

Some have had to hire external exam halls because their own buildings have reached capacity, while others are hiring more invigilators to monitor exams - all of which comes at an extra cost.

For Hannah, 17, a few "simple" tweaks to her exam experience made a significant difference.

When Hannah began sitting exams at school, at the age of 10, she started to experience panic attacks and "crippling anxiety".

On several occasions, teachers had to take her out of the exam hall to calm her down and regulate her breathing.

She rarely finished her exams, and the traumatic experience took such a toll on her mental health that she was eventually admitted to CAMHS, the NHS service which supports children and young people with emotional, behavioural, and mental health challenges.

But when she was later diagnosed with dyslexia, Hannah's school made a number of changes to her exam set-up.

"It completely and utterly shifted my high school experience," she says.

Hannah is one of many thousands of students in England granted access arrangements when she sit exams.

Now studying at Leeds Sixth Form College, she has several exam adjustments, including 50% additional time and an exam printed on blue paper, which helps her focus on the text.

Over the most recent school year, a total of 625,000 access arrangements were approved in schools and colleges in England - the highest number on record.

That figure is a 12.3% rise on the year before. In the same period, the number of students sitting exams only rose by 5.6%.

In the past three years, the total number of approved access arrangements has risen by 39.6%.

For students to be granted exam access arrangements, schools and colleges have to submit detailed evidence to qualified assessors.

They will then sit with each student to determine whether they are entitled to extra help - and what adjustments they require.

Some students are granted one adjustment, while others qualify for many.

Educational psychologist Dr Patricia Britto says the rise of approved requests is partly due to a spike in the number of children being diagnosed with neurodiverse needs, such as ADHD and autism.

"We also have better tools now than we've ever done in being able to identify the different needs that children have," she says.

But Dr Britto adds there are still more children who need extra help in lessons and exams to ensure they can "thrive rather than survive" at school.

Martin Stables, examination assessment and engagement lead at Leeds City College, says access arrangements are tailored to each student to ensure exams replicate the way they learn in the classroom.

More than 3,900 students - 38% of the total college population at Leeds City - have at least one form of bespoke exam arrangements.

And while the "holistic approach" allows students to perform better in exams, Mr Stables says a lot of planning is needed to make sure every exam runs smoothly.

In the past, the college has had to hire out a community centre to fulfil extra space requirements on exam days.

This year, it was a sports hall at a nearby leisure centre.

"The cost of all that is having to be swallowed by the college itself," says Mr Stables.

"Without these additional spaces, it would nigh-on impossible given the level of access arrangements that we have."

In addition, every member of college staff has been trained to invigilate exams due to the surge in the number of students requiring extra support.

Last year, the college CEO even stepped in to invigilate an exam: "It's everyone mucking in."

Barry Wheller, an independent exams access arrangements assessor, says funding and staffing problems are also becoming a major issue for schools.

With more students needing rest breaks and being given permission to sit exams in smaller rooms, schools are increasingly having to hire additional exam invigilators.

"Schools have to swallow this extra cost."

He also cites the price of assistive technology, such as read and write software and exam reader pens, which cost hundreds of pounds each.

For all the difficulties schools and colleges face in accommodating access arrangements, Hannah says the additional support can "completely change people's lives".

She cites her dad, who left school with no qualifications because he "didn't get the help he needed", and compares it with her experience.

"I think we're extremely privileged to have people who can recognise these issues, but the grades you get in your education do determine what happens in your career."