Teach Secondary Issue 14.3

When this happens, schools can put measures in place to support the students in question via ExamAccess Arrangements (EAAs). These can cover a range of possible options – from holding exams in smaller and quieter rooms for students who struggle with their mental health, to providing typing facilities, extra time to complete exams and allowing for additional toilet or movement breaks. However, recent years have seen a significant increase in the number of students needing EAAs, thus giving further urgency to the question of whether the exam systemneeds reforming, given that it seems to be so inaccessible to so many. According to Ofqual, a total of 624,975 EAAs were approved during the 2023/24 academic year – a 12.3% increase on the previous year. In 2023/24, around 30.1% of all GCSE exam candidates were allowed a 25% time increase, after securing an EAA. Added pressures At a time whenmany young people are struggling with their mental health, the added pressure that comes with facing a huge number of examinations has proved to be a key factor in students’ non-school attendance. As the 2024 ‘Children’s mental health services’ report issued by the Children’s Commissioner observed (see tiny.cc/ ts143-TM2), “ There were 949,200 children and young people who had active referrals to Children and Young People’sMental Health Services (CYPMHS) at any point within the 2022-23 financial year. This is 8% of the 11.9 million children in England. ” If that wasn’t frightening enough, only 32% of those in the system actually received treatment within that year. The rest were found to have been still waiting (28%), or had their cases closed (39%) before they could access any support. The result? Many young people find themselves relying on the support of school staff to cope with each day as it comes. The added pressures of exam season at the end of Y11 then becomes a tipping point. The GCSE examination process undoubtedly needs reform if we’re to have a more inclusive and realistic way of assessing students’ learning over time. But for any such reforms to be successful, we’ll need appropriate CPD sessions for school staff, as well as sufficient time to properly consider how the changes can be implemented in a way that meets the needs of school communities across the country. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Amy Sayer is a freelance mental health trainer, writer and workshop facilitator for West Sussex Mind WHAT’S THE ALTERNATIVE? How can we manage the volume of exams sat at GCSE and ease pressure on young people’s mental health? In its ‘Striking the balance’ report (see tinyurl. com/ts142-TP4), exam board OCR recommends the following: Reduce the overall number of terminal examinations and spread them out across the two years of the GCSE course, with the option of resits if needed Re-introduce coursework components in certain subjects to make the assessment systemmore inclusive Reduce the content of GCSE courses to allow for the development of broader skills Introduce a more rigorous assessment process at KS3, so that gaps in knowledge can be identified sooner and prevented from impacting students’ progress at KS4 29 teachwire.net/secondary G C S E s TEACH SECONDARY SPECIAL GCSEs