[senco-forum] Exam access arrangements -leaflet for secondary teachers

 I am on a roll at the moment re.access arrangements and have now produced
the student leaflet. I will send this to everyone who requested the other
one. Further requests will also be responded to. I work in a girls school so
the graphics are girl friendly. I thought I would make the students' leaflet
more colourful. I have tried to address some concerns that the girls have
recently expressed - for example, that they will have to go to another class
for their lessons, or that they are now "special needs" which one girl
thought meant  having  an LSA to take you into dinner. Obviously there are
all kinds of perceptions around re. SEN (BTW, our school does tend to still
use that label for the rooms etc although I did want to change it). I did
some research on attitudes to disability  when I first came to the school
and did note these feelings (as well as more positive ones).  Then again, I
do have some girls who  come to me because as they say, they have  realised
that "words swim around their head " etc. and in the end they are glad that
someone else can suggest ways they can compensate. However, I have to work
very hard to track back their "history" if they haven't been really known to
us before, and it gets very late to actually give them some teaching to help
their specific difficulties. Does anyone else have this problem? 
 We have had a visit from Achievability, who have student ambassadors with
disabilities, who have themselves succeeded  at university and who want to
help others achieve their potential. Hopefully this will make it easier for
students to admit to difficulties and also to raise their expectations of
themselves. I would recommend this organisation. 
I was asked whether we have a lot of students who need access arrangements.
The last couple of years it has been about 23 per year(out of 270 students-
- about 9%).All the ones I apply for have been granted so far. I wonder what
other schools numbers are? Ours are mainly for readers and extra time  with
a few for scribes and also for modified papers for sensory impairments. The
numbers are definitely increasing and now I find I am spending a lot of time
on this. As I said before, one of my big concerns is whether students are
practising their arrangements when they are scattered round the school in
mixed ability mainstream GCSE classes. We also have many entry level courses
so there are girls who do these (with more flexible access arrangements)
rather than having to apply for GCSE arrangements. I do try to make my
numbers as small as I can. I try to make sure that the girls understand and
agree to these. I get them to sign a lettter and also write to parents so
that they don't feel they are forced into this. However, I do try to
persuade! I am getting rather obsessed with A.A. s at present - I will be
glad when I get all the year 10 reports sent off. 
Linda 

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