Thursday 30th April 2020
Information and Advice for Leaving Cert Students with CF
Cystic Fibrosis Ireland would like to extend good wishes to students with CF who are sitting the Leaving Certificate commencing in July 2020. We know that this is a very anxious time for you.
We have received a number of calls from students and parents of students with CF due to sit their exams concerned about safety in schools before and during the exam period, because of COVID-19.
The simple answer is that CFI is not sure yet what new arrangements will be put in place. However, we have been informally advised that guidance will be provided by the Department of Education and Science/State Examination’s Commission (SEC) sometime in the near future.
CFI Advice
CFI’s main advice to our students and their parents (at this point) is to contact your school as soon as possible to raise any concerns you might have about the arrangements for people with CF to prepare for and to sit their Leaving Cert exams.
The person to contact within the school would be the person responsible for RACE (Reasonable Accommodation in Certificate Exams). If this person is not available, contact your school secretary or better still, the school Principal. You will need to be patient with the school as they have not yet received advice from the SEC on what arrangements will be in place. However, your call to the school will help raise this issue.
Key questions to ask of your school:
- Will arrangements be in place for exams and teaching prior to exams that take into account the needs of those with CF whose health might be compromised without special additional arrangements being put in place?
If arrangements are made within the school:
- Will there be a separate / non public school entrance?
- Will there be a separate classroom for each person with CF?
- What infection control measures are needed within each school?
- Will students with CF be offered the opportunity of undertaking their Leaving Cert and teaching preparations from Home.
- What supports and supervision will be provided before and during exams?
Our second piece of advice is to start collecting documentation that will provide support your application under RACE. For example a letter from your CF Unit/doctor and a letter from your school would be very helpful.
Some of the Frequently asked Questions (FAQ’s) being asked by students with CF and parents to CFI are:
What are the exam-taking and pre-exam schooling arrangements for those students who are designated high risk in relation to COVID 19, including those with CF?
No new circulars have been issued by the Department of Education/State Examinations Commission (SEC) in relation to the arrangements for Leaving Cert students who are cocooning / who are in a high-risk medical group arising from covid-19.
CFI understands that there are on-going discussions on this issue and that advice will to be issued in the near future.
We will update you when we hear of any news.
Will students with CF be allowed to take their Leaving Cert exams at home and if so what arrangements will be in place?
CFI does not know yet if students with CF will be facilitated to sit their Leaving Cert at home or in hospital, although this has happened in the past in exceptional circumstances.
The current RACE regulations state that ‘in exceptional circumstances’ students can undertake their Leaving Certificate from ‘somewhere else’.
For example:
‘If you are in hospital, then we can arrange for you to take your examinations there. In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to arrange an examination somewhere else’.
If they are undertaking exams at home, what will happen if there is poor broadband or will this matter?
CFI does not know yet what arrangements will be in place if a student has been granted the choice of undertaking exams at home, but has no access or poor access to internet broadband (and if good broadband is indeed needed) and what supervision arrangements will be in place.
What about safety in schools in the 2 week teaching period prior to the Leaving Cert?
CFI does not know yet what the SEC/schools will be doing about cocooning students in the teaching period prior to the Leaving Cert.
What is CFI doing about these concerns?
CFI has written to the Minister for Education and the SEC to urge them to amend their RACE guidance for those cocooning/those students with CF provide COVID-19 advice. This includes a new closing date for applications for reasonable accommodation, including the ability to undertake the Leaving Cert at home or in hospital.
Existing special arrangements for sitting the leaving Cert
The State Examinations Commission (SEC) has an existing policy in place called ‘Reasonable Accommodation in the 2020 Certificate Examinations’ sometimes abbreviated to RACE.
The latest version of the RACE is from October 2019 has a very useful student version is available by clicking here.
The basis of this policy is the Department has to make reasonable accommodation of students with a disability or health needs that impacts on their capacity to undertake the Leaving Certificate.
It should be noted that the existing RACE guidelines were written before COVID 19 and CFI does not know if they will be updated for the Leaving Cert in July 2020.
The student version of the RACE policy contains points in relation to examination environment and timing, for example:
Hospital or Other Location
If you are in hospital, then we can arrange for you to take your examinations there.
In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to arrange an examination somewhere else.
If you have a medical condition that requires you to use a special desk or chair, this will be allowed.
You can still be in the main centre, or the school may arrange for you to be in a special centre with other students.
Movement within the Centre
If you have a medical condition that requires you to move regularly (such as to stand up and walk around) this can be arranged. You will then usually be positioned in a suitable location in the main centre.
Food or drink is not normally allowed in the examination centre (other than water). However, if you need to take medicine, food, or drink because of a medical condition, this will be allowed.
Also, the school can make arrangements to ensure your privacy if needed (such as for insulin injections).
If there is a good reason why you cannot be in an ordinary main examination centre, you may instead take your examination in a centre that has a smaller number of students. This is referred to as a special centre.
In most cases, this has to happen because of some other arrangement that you have. For example, if you are using a laptop, you will be in a special centre with other students using laptops or who have other special arrangements. A special centre can also be arranged if you have been diagnosed with social, mental or emotional needs that cause significant problems for you being in the main centre.
You will only be in a centre on your own if you are working with a scribe or have an individual reader or if you have a contagious medical condition. We refer to this as an individual special centre. Other than the circumstances listed, access to individual special centres is only granted by us in the most exceptional circumstances (CFI emphasis)
You can be granted rest breaks if you need them because of a medical condition.
You must be supervised at all times during the rest periods and are not allowed to read or write. The time you are resting for is added on to the end of the examination, so that you are not losing time during the rest periods. Except in exceptional circumstances, the total amount of rest time cannot be more than 20 minutes per examination.
Rest breaks do not represent additional time in which to complete the examination.
Break for Medical Attention
If you are injured or become very ill during an examination, the examination time can be suspended while you receive medical attention. That is, the time you miss can be made up at the end of the examination. You must be supervised by a member of the school staff at all times during the break.
If there is a medically certified or other exceptional reason why you cannot attend the examination at the correct time, you may be allowed to take it at a different time on the same day. This can only happen if it is arranged with us beforehand.
You will be fully supervised between the timetabled time and the time you sit the examination.
You cannot take the examination on a different day.
Laptops for the Leaving Certificate
In a separate initiative, the Minister for Education has allocated additional funding to schools in Ireland for technology. The purchase of laptops for Leaving Certificate students who need them will be a priority.
The Government has allocated €10m to schools to be spent on measures to address the digital divide being experienced by students. Around €7m has been allocated to second-level schools. The funding will be used to purchase devices that will be owned by schools and loaned to students.
All schools, with the exception of fee-charging schools, will receive a proportion of the funding based on enrolment numbers and disadvantaged schools will receive 10% more.
Further General Information
Visit the State Exam Commission website for further information.
Teaching Assistance provided through CFI
CFI has a Leaving Cert support scheme scheme of matching students with teachers for the Leaving Cert. Please contact Samantha Byrne sbyrne@cfireland.ie
