Extra time for KS2 SATs

[dearcoty]

Hello, does anyone have experience of their dc getting extra time in SATs for SEN? I have raised this with my dd's school and it seems to be a complete unknown to them, as if it didn't exist, and they say that they would need evidence. The school has a psych ed report on my ds which clearly recommends that extra time should be given in exams and I was expecting that to be enough evidence!

Is this a difficult request do you think?

Thanks,
DC

[mystery]

I don't think this can be a difficult request. As a volunteer I have sat with children doing KS2 literacy SATS who have had extra time, and have been allowed to ask me to read out the questions if they wanted, and also we could write out their work again if their handwriting was not clear. None of these children were statemented so far as I know. None of them found the extra time in the literacy papers any use, one of the children would have been able to make use of extra time in the maths (as his conceptual understanding was good, but his fast mental recall of number facts was poor so working things out took him longer) but he was allowed it in the literacy but not the maths. So far as I could tell from speaking to the mother this was to do with the way the school had made the requests, not anything particular to do with the rules.

Hopefully someone with more knowledge will tell you where to refer to the actual rules and guidance that schools receive - would it be QCA and do they still exist?

[Morning Glory]

Dearcoty

Your school should have received the following document in with all their information regarding the administration of the KS2 SATs:-

http://www.qcda.gov.uk/assessment/3798.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We applied for extra time, breaks and a scribe for our DS - we had an EP assessment, OT assessment and I believe the school still had to supply extra evidence. For things like a scribe the school will have to prove that your DC regularly uses one in class. I believe the document above outlines what criteria is required for each adjustment.

Hope this helps

[dearcoty]

Fantastic! Thanks so much for the link MG, it's just what I needed (and luckily the application doesn't close until 28 Feb). Thanks also for hearing about your experience, Mystery. I am now armed and ready to battle!
dc

[southbucks3]

Hello
Does any clever epe person have the latest link for assessing extra time in sats please?
Just seeing if I can get ds2 a few extra minutes, as he now has a developmental optometrist report saying he cannot read quickly due to poor convergence creating bad tracking problems and he cannot remember what he has just read, due to his brain over compensating.
Thank you

[Guest55]

http://www.education.gov.uk/g00227867/k ... -reporting" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This is the guidance you need.

[southbucks3]

Many thanks, just what I was looking for.

Hopefully his eyesight issues will have resolved by then but it is nice to have contingencies in place, and he definitely cannot read age appropriate text without making errors, or losing his place at the moment. I also would like to find out if he can get enlarged and simplified font, that is not on a huge inconvenient a3 sized paper? They often do things like write journals or letters in italics which I now know makes reading much harder...why do they do this?

[Tinkers]

Many thanks, just what I was looking for.

Hopefully his eyesight issues will have resolved by then but it is nice to have contingencies in place, and he definitely cannot read age appropriate text without making errors, or losing his place at the moment. I also would like to find out if he can get enlarged and simplified font, that is not on a huge inconvenient a3 sized paper? They often do things like write journals or letters in italics which I now know makes reading much harder...why do they do this?

Have you ever tried this font with him? I'm dyslexic and find this easier to read. A friend of mine has found it a revelation.

http://opendyslexic.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[southbucks3]

This is all a learning curve for us, but his new optometrist has said verdana 14 is the one to help with blurring. I will deffo let him have a read of the dyslexic font though.

Weird how universities and giant corporations are standardising fonts to verdant, yet primary school tests and workbooks, muck about with it all in the name of "interest".
The cem familiatisation for bucks was tiny orange, on a pale orange background....why? I am sure the scanner can pick up dark blue Ariel on cream paper, in a decent font size, just as easily if tweaked. I was taught many moons ago, that particular combination was the only one approved by RNIB when I did a bit of adult learning teaching, although I suspect research has moved on greatly now. Sadly it is not until your kiddy struggles, you realise how much these things matter.

Oh, and website builders, who think it is arty and clever to write text over muted landscapes...get a grip if any of you ever read this!

[mystery]

Orange cem paper? How silly is that. What colour was the real thing?