The Student Room Group

Please help:difficult examination officer, late start exams and supervison

Trying to explain this as quickly as possible backround info: I have medical problems which mean I find mornings really difficult. I can sometimes wake up and go to school but I start falling asleep in less than an hour, and even in the first hour I'm not properly awake and I haven't arrived at school at nine since before feb half term because I sleep through alarms and often need my dad to physically shake me or something to get me to wake up (but he's been abroad a lot).

So my exams officer managed to arrange with the exams board that I can have a late start for morning, however... she's still saying I need to be in school at nine o'clock under staff supervision and I can't fall asleep because it's a child protection issue (even though I'm 19).
I've accepted she won't let me have naps in rest breaks (what I did in the previous centers because hopefully I'll be well enough that I won't need them and she won't budge on thinking it's a child protection issue...even though I fall asleep in lessons all the time:rolleyes:... But there's no point moving my exams later if I can't sleep (which I'm not allowed at school).

Actual point: I've taken AS exams in two different exam centres, they've both moved my exams for me for the afternoon and had an exam boards form that my dad had to sign to say he'd supervised me (He'd take my mobile and netbook away before I went to bed etc). I'm now at a third centre; the exams officer doesn't believe me, says that I'm the first pupil she'd ever had who's needed their exams moved for health reasons etc and is telling the deputy head that it's against exam board rules for anyone other than the exam centre to supervise me.
My deputy head is a decent chap, and says that if I can provide evidence that this is allowed then of course they'll do it, but he has no idea about this sort of thing and can only go on the examination officer's word. So does anyone have an evidence? I can't find any info on the examination boards website. Or can anyone help me think of where I can get evidence or any other way to help because I'm stuck? :s-smilie:
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 1
I am fairly astonished that the previous centres did not expect you to be supervised in school, TBH

However ... falling asleep in school is not a CP issue
Reply 2
I'd ring up the exam board ASAP and get them to confirm whatever is available to do, and send out written conformation that you can show to the officer.
Reply 3
Original post by pratstercs
I'd ring up the exam board ASAP and get them to confirm whatever is available to do, and send out written conformation that you can show to the officer.


Hopefully this will work but they often just want to communicate with the exams officer


The person on this site who may know is Data
Could you try falsely jet lagging yourself, e.g. going to bed and getting up 3 hours earlier than usual
Reply 5
Original post by Helloworld_95
Could you try falsely jet lagging yourself, e.g. going to bed and getting up 3 hours earlier than usual


Haha unfortunetly not! Good suggestion though I went to UCLH for a few weeks a few years ago and they tried to do that but it made me worse. This has sort of been a problem for six years.
I naturally start sleeping more normally when I'm not so ill. Doctors think it's just inflammation/pain from my condition that means I need extra sleep to heal or something now.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 6
Original post by xfirekittyx
So my exams officer managed to arrange with the exams board that I can have a late start for morning, however... she's still saying I need to be in school at nine o'clock under staff supervision and I can't fall asleep because it's a child protection issue (even though I'm 19).
I've accepted she won't let me have naps in rest breaks

Actual point: I've taken AS exams in two different exam centres, they've both moved my exams for me for the afternoon and had an exam boards form that my dad had to sign to say he'd supervised me (He'd take my mobile and netbook away before I went to bed etc). I'm now at a third centre; the exams officer doesn't believe me, says that I'm the first pupil she'd ever had who's needed their exams moved for health reasons etc and is telling the deputy head that it's against exam board rules for anyone other than the exam centre to supervise me.
My deputy head is a decent chap, and says that if I can provide evidence that this is allowed then of course they'll do it, but he has no idea about this sort of thing and can only go on the examination officer's word. So does anyone have an evidence? I can't find any info on the examination boards website. Or can anyone help me think of where I can get evidence or any other way to help because I'm stuck? :s-smilie:


It's not that unusual to get permission for late starts for candidates with ME or similar problems. If you are in school, supervised, by 1000hrs (but absolutely no later) then there is no need for major paperwork (as long as your centre has the standard 0900 start and the exam lasts at least 1 hour). If candidates really need to sleep during an exam I've normally arranged for them to do the exam at home as it is so much easier for them to relax suitably there (I still remember one mother from whom you could pre-order your choice of cake if you were going to invigilate there and she'd bake specially.)

If you want to get to school later than 10 then the standard procedure is for the EO to get permission to use the overnight supervision form (normally used when a candidate has over 6 hours of exams in a day and needs to delay an exam until the following day). A responsible adult* (a parent is fine), will have to sign to say that they will supervise you, deny you internet access etc and physically hand you over to the exams officer (no dropping off outside the school) when you do arrive in school. I can't see any reason why you can't go to sleep in school if you need to (at any age), I've certainly had candidates do it, and I have had to collect at least 2 of my kids from schools when they were sick and got there to find they were asleep.

* It used to have to be a member of centre staff, but this was relaxed about 8 years ago when the child protection implications of taking a 16 year old home with you for the night freaked people out. I only did it once and the poor lad was completely unsettled by my 6 year old daughter watching him like a hawk the whole time.
Reply 7
Original post by Data
It's not that unusual to get permission for late starts for candidates with ME or similar problems. If you are in school, supervised, by 1000hrs (but absolutely no later) then there is no need for major paperwork (as long as your centre has the standard 0900 start and the exam lasts at least 1 hour). If candidates really need to sleep during an exam I've normally arranged for them to do the exam at home as it is so much easier for them to relax suitably there (I still remember one mother from whom you could pre-order your choice of cake if you were going to invigilate there and she'd bake specially.)

If you want to get to school later than 10 then the standard procedure is for the EO to get permission to use the overnight supervision form (normally used when a candidate has over 6 hours of exams in a day and needs to delay an exam until the following day). A responsible adult* (a parent is fine), will have to sign to say that they will supervise you, deny you internet access etc and physically hand you over to the exams officer (no dropping off outside the school) when you do arrive in school. I can't see any reason why you can't go to sleep in school if you need to (at any age), I've certainly had candidates do it, and I have had to collect at least 2 of my kids from schools when they were sick and got there to find they were asleep.

* It used to have to be a member of centre staff, but this was relaxed about 8 years ago when the child protection implications of taking a 16 year old home with you for the night freaked people out. I only did it once and the poor lad was completely unsettled by my 6 year old daughter watching him like a hawk the whole time.


Thank you for your reply! I really wish you were my examination officer right now! I found the overnight supervision form, it listed undersupervisors parent. Gave it to the deputy, he spoke to the EO and she said she spoke to the exams boards and told the deputy head to tell me they still said categorically no it's not allowed.

I was shocked, I spoke to the Ofqual and they too pointed to the overnight supervision form. I phoned AQA, got told off for contacting them but luckily eventually spoke to someone who said she couldn't give me anything in writing because their contract is with the school not pupils but what the school is telling me isn't right, it is allowed, it's something you apply for. I don't know what I can do now :frown:

The thing about this situation which is so frustrating is I don't understand the EO it would be less burden for the school not to have to supervise me. I do want to take my exams at home, I'm barely making it in atm because the travel alone is exhausting. I took my exams at home for GCSE's and my first year doing AS's (wasn't well so did AS's over two years) but she said the school doesn't have enough money for that and they've only ever let one pupil take their exams from home and that was because she was completely housebound -as she had a phobia of leaving the house.
Reply 8
Lol @ the house phobia part.

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