Ofqual is investigating a growing gap between private and state schools in the use of exam access arrangements, after concerns were raised by the education secretary.
But the regulator has been urged to publish better data on their use and the attainment of those who receive them, after admitting it could not say whether independent special schools were skewing statistics.
Data published by Ofqual last week showed the use of access arrangements for pupils who would otherwise struggle to take exams soared by 12.3 per cent last year, with three in ten pupils now granted extra time.
But the proportion getting extra time in private schools was almost 42 per cent, far above the 26.5 per cent in state secondaries.
The Financial Times reported last week that Bridget Phillipson had said it was a “real concern to me there is such a big divide between the state and private system”. She had asked Ofqual to look at “why so many children require this support”.
Private-state gap widens
Extra time of 25 per cent is the most common form of arrangement, granted to pupils who would otherwise struggle to complete papers, such as those with ADHD or dyslexia. Other arrangements include a reader or access to modified papers.
Private school pupils have been more likely to get an access arrangement for years, but the gap has grown from less than 10 percentage points in 2019 to almost 16 last year.
Ofqual said that when it published official statistics, “we look carefully at the figures and any implications for regulation”.
“As the secretary of state has said, we are looking at recent changes in the data on access arrangements. We will consider what they show and how they should inform our regulatory approach.
“It is important that students receive the access arrangements they need to allow them to demonstrate what they know, understand and can do.”
Jon Andrews, from the Education Policy Institute, told the FT private schools “already get much higher results than other pupils … but if you are being given additional time in exams, that is going to materially improve outcomes”.
Questions around Ofqual data
There are also questions around the data published by Ofqual, which it collates from exam boards.
For example, data is not broken down by individual centre type, meaning figures for independent schools include private special schools.
Ofqual said most special schools would be badged either as “independent” or “other” centre types. This suggests special schools may be under-represented in the data for state secondary schools.
Special schools cater for pupils with the most complex needs, who are more likely to need such access arrangements.
The regulator told Schools Week it was unable to break the data down further.
Dave Thomson, a statistician from FFE Education Datalab, said special schools “only make up a small percentage of the total”.
In 2023 key stage 4 data, about 6 per cent of pupils in the independent sector were in special schools, compared with 2 per cent of state pupils.
“There will be a bunch of kids with SEN attending independent schools that aren’t classified as independent special … but not huge numbers. Certainly not enough to explain the differences the FT has reported.”
Publish more data, regulator told
He said Ofqual should publish aggregated data on grades achieved by pupils receiving extra time by institution type and subject. Andrews pointed out the proportion of pupils receiving some form of SEND support was higher in private schools (22.4 per cent) than state (15.6 per cent).
“So the difference in SEND rates will likely explain some of the difference – there’s a higher percentage of SEND in independent schools – but it’s clearly more complicated than that.”
Ofqual’s data shows that across the whole education sector, almost 625,000 access arrangements were approved for the 2023-24 academic year, up from 556,000 the previous year.
Last year, the equivalent of 30.1 per cent of all candidates taking exams were given 25 per cent more time, up from 28 per cent the previous year.
There were 69,095 requests for modified papers – for example for visually impaired pupils – a 10 per cent rise on 2022-23.
Ofqual also said that the figures “only show the number of granted requests … not the total number of modified papers actually produced or used in the summer series”.
Schools Week revealed earlier this year how some pupils with additional needs will be able to listen to white noise or music during their exams next year after new rules were introduced following a post-Covid rise in requests.
Meanwhile, schools will also be able to use mental health support service referral letters to apply for extra support to ensure youngsters are not disadvantaged by long waiting lists.
