I am interested to hear of other peoples experiences in SEN / Disability cases.

Particularly with any reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act in 11+ exams such as extra time or special considerations in the exam result.

Feel free to PM me as well.

Hi there. My DD has a diagnosis of ASD and has speech dysfluency - stuttered speech that increases with her anxiety. She has speed issues physically with her writing and processing delays.

She sat the 11+ in Slough and Bucks. She had an EP report and S+L report recommending that she gets extra time for tests, which she does get at school and did get for her SATs.

I do not think Bucks makes allowances for extra time very often from what I have heard. All our paperwork was not enough to get extra time allowed. They did however allow her to take the test in a room on her own with breaks for if she needed to take a moment. This actually was more beneficial than extra time. The conditions were silent, calm and staff were fab. She took the test at the council building rather than a loud school. She missed the mock as I couldnt get time off work (her test date changed last minute). Although she had a disadvantage with speed, she did well with no extra time due to the ASD friendly testing environment.

Our experience in Slough was quite the opposite. She got 25% extra time but was in a room with others by the main hall. She had no breaks. The extra time had no benefit as they started her room off before the main hall and she came out saying she was distracted by the tape playing for the test in the hall and by other noises. Upon flagging it up I had the reaction "We do the best we can". She did not finish that test even with extra time.

Different areas seem to offer different provisions, so it may be worth asking your SENco what may be available in your testing area.

What’s offered at your local school placequest?
Ours offers 25% extra time for all kids on an ehcp and for sen plus they get regular adjustments as used every day in class within jqt (?) usual limits

Yes for 11+ exams that seems to be the case. Provisions for reasonable adjustment should be more standardised as I think they arise from the same legal duties that all schools have.
Access arrangements including extra time in SATs are clearly posted: https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... rangements
Although schools can't apply for extra time in SATs until the 29 January which makes it impossible to get extra time in the entrance exam if the grammar school insist in the same arrangements to be in place in the primary school.

You are lucky to get a proper diagnosis, with the cuts in SEND provisions and school budgets many schools are not interested in doing much.

If you mean the primary school? My ds got 25% extra time in his SATs. The grammar school we applied to also offers 25% extra time in the entrance exam, but that proved impossible to get.

With all due respect, I don't think it is impossible to get it is just that you did not offer sufficient evidence of the need for extra time PRIOR to taking the 11+, wasn't it? I may be reading it wrong but I think you offered the evidence required after your child had taken the 11+ and it was then granted going forward for your SATs.

As someone who works for exam boards, I know evidence is key in the sense that you would not believe how many parents hassle the exams officer before during and after various exams with all manner of reasons that they are adamant should give their child extra time/a separate venue etc - most of these are totally without regard for exam board regulations/requirements and evidence from professionals, which are an absolute requirement before reasonable adjustments can be made (otherwise it opens it up even more for the pointy elbowed brigade to actually get unfair advantages over parents who don't know or don't care!) This is different to your circumstances, obviously, but the principle of providing evidence is the same I think.

I didn't read KatherineB's post that way - she was saying that she did get detailed paperwork into Bucks but they provided a different option to extra time and that it worked out extremely well as it was so ASD friendly, whereas the other authority gave extra time but it did not work as the conditions were not ASD friendly.

I found that a very interesting post. I've helped out with KS2 tests with children for whom adjustments were allowed including extra time. I do not know what the rules were nor what the issues were which had led to the adjustments but the whole arrangement was unsatisfactory.

So, it was good to hear that Bucks had made some really good arrangement for this child's 11 plus test and also for her to know that she did well without extra time. Fantastic.

I was responding to PlaceQuests phrase that the grammar school offers 25% extra time but that this proved impossible to get.

It isn’t impossible to get, prior to sitting the test, if you provide them the evidence they require by the time they need it.l, is all I was saying.

Ah I see - not sure if Placequest is in Bucks too and I had the impression they sent the paperwork in on time for the 11plus test but it could be ambigous.

Ineresting that for KatherineB Bucks did not give extra time for processing delays even with paperwork which included a diagnosis and presumably evidence of the nature and extent of the processing delay.

I wonder how "scientific" the process is in deciding who gets extra time in Bucks and other authorities. Be interesting to hear more contributions on here. I would have thought that all these requests for extra time are going to be dealt with in rather an arbitrary way unless they are all backed up with results from appropriate standardised tests and considered by an appropriately qualified person.

It is a tricky and nuanced business...given the 11 plus exam is surely testing capacity to work at a certain pace. Many parents could probably argue their child could do better given more time. The tests are by their design discriminating between children at many levels...it is the unpleasant reality of the situation.

The accommodations my son has are around use of a laptop for his normal way of recording longer pieces of work including in exams and he has never needed or asked for extra time for any subsequent exam even though it was offered for the purpose of rest breaks given he has a long term health condition.