Exams are a source of stress for most young people. For students with SEND, they present a unique set of challenges which can amplify this stress even further. From revision through to the exam room, differences in executive functioning skills, disruption to standard routines, and unclear or ambiguous test questions are just a handful of the barriers which make things harder for individuals with SEND attempting to sit GCSEs.
Two years ago, the first cohort of students at Abingdon House School sat GCSEs in English and Maths. Since then we have refined and developed the way we approach exams with our students, all of whom have a SEND diagnosis, to ensure they are able to achieve their own individual and best possible outcomes.
Working with parents
At AHS, we work closely with our parents to ensure they understand the exam process and the possible academic outcomes; to help them understand their own child’s academic potential; and how to support the students’ anxieties linked to exams. Throughout the year, we host a range of parent sessions designed to cover these areas which are led by the academic and therapeutic staff teams.
Preparing for the exams
In September, the Year 11 students started a weekly study skills lesson which is planned and delivered by a multidisciplinary team of academic staff, occupational therapists and the pastoral & wellbeing team to ensure the school’s ethos of integrated therapy is fully realised.
These sessions are a mixture of a traditional study skills curriculum along with wellbeing and therapeutic input. Students have practised different study styles; set up a helpful study environment at home and school; developed their understanding of their own access needs and how these will be arranged; made a revision timetable; and developed ways of managing their stress and worries linked to exams.
There have also been sessions where students have practised specific skills needed for the different exams. This has ranged from using calculators or mathematical equipment in maths exams, juggling the use of paper texts and typed online responses in English exams, to working through adapted past papers.
In other lessons, the students had a solution-focused intervention where they explored their motivation to do well and developed strategies to aid them in reaching meaningful outcomes.
Access arrangements and assisted technology
Abingdon House School has developed an in-house diagnostic process to identify each student’s most effective way of working. The bespoke bank combines standardised and in-house assessments which give a clear understanding of the students abilities so that adaptations can be made to harness their strengths and maximise their potential.
The diagnostic is combined with data from the DASH (Detailed Assessment of Speed of Handwriting) and the WRAT (Wide Range Achievement Test), which are administered by our OTs and SENCos respectively, to build a comprehensive understanding of each student’s preferred, and most effective, working method.
From these results, we can tailor interventions to refine and support a student’s specific ‘standard way of working’—what we refer to as their ‘technology diet.’ By embedding these strategies into their daily routines well in advance of exams, this approach becomes not just a tool for assessment, but a genuine, natural way of working.
The ultimate goal is to ensure that students enter exams with confidence, using methods that have been consistently practised and optimised over time. This not only aligns with the principles of accessibility and inclusivity but also empowers students to perform at their best, whether through handwriting, typing, or voice typing.
This information is also used by our SENCOs to apply for the necessary access arrangements for each student. The outcomes of the access arrangements are shared with staff so they can fully prepare the students on how to get the best out of their prompt, scribe or reader as appropriate.
On the day of the exam
Before the exams, students are offered a healthy breakfast to set them up for the duration of the exam; a fitness and/or sensory circuit is set up, for those that need it, to allow the students to regulate themselves; and staff from the wellbeing team are on hand to help calm any last minute nerves.
The exam room itself has been set up to best support the students through the use of lighting, quiet spaces and individual ‘pods’. Students are also able to take movement breaks or use regulation tools they usually use in class to support themselves in the exam. All of this is carefully checked against the JCQ regulations to ensure the integrity of the examinations are maintained.
After the exam
After the exam, the wellbeing team are again on hand to let the students debrief and let off any steam. As many of our students travel by local authority transport, they have to stay onsite until the end of the day so activities are arranged to help them stay regulated, give them a chance to relax, and, if appropriate, carry out some revision for upcoming exams.
Results day
On results day, our wellbeing team and preparation for adulthood teachers are on hand to support the students and their parents – whatever the results are.
At Abingdon House School, our aim is to enable the students to achieve their absolute best by reaching their own personal meaningful outcome.
To all the students at AHS and beyond taking exams this summer, we wish you all the best of luck.
