Crackdown on special needs help for exams

Published on Saturday 3 January 2009 19:21

EXAMS chiefs are cracking down on help for students with disabilities and learning difficulties amid concerns proper checks are not being carried out.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has written to all schools and colleges to warn that pupils could be refused extra time in exams or help with reading and writing if they do not prove they need it.

The SQA also raised concerns that some dyslexic candidates were opting for more help than they needed, such as taking calculators into maths exams and having English exam papers rewritten by professionals who corrected spelling and punctuation before they were marked.

In 2008, 12,284 candidates were given extra help in exams, the majority receiving extra time for those with difficulty reading or writing. A spokesman for the SQA said the authority was not accusing candidates of cheating, but said that 17 schools and colleges across Scotland were not properly checking pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities.

Dr Margaret Crombie, of Dyslexia Scotland, welcomed the move to ensure pupils received the help they needed: "People are getting a big slack about providing evidence for people's needs, and the SQA is right in cracking down on this."