North East parents call for 'special consideration' for students affected by RAAC
Students are due to sit exams in the coming months
We are hearing just how much secondary-schoolchildren, who are due to sit exams, are being affected by RAAC across the North East.
Parents are calling on the Government to put in special considerations because of the crumbling concrete situation.
They are worried their children may not get into their first-choice university as their grades could be affected.
Nicola Cook has a son with special educational needs in Year 13 at St Leonard's Catholic School in Durham. He will be sitting his A-level exams in the coming months.
She said: "My child is an A-level student in music. They've lost the entire music department so there's no practice rooms, there's been a complete reduction on all of the out-of-school acitivities, and that included the school orchestra which hasn't been able to reform because there's nowhere to house it. It's just maddening.
"For a period of time we were using online learning which my child has special needs so none of that is being catered for in those environments. He's very isolated so it's not good for him mentally as well. Actually, since this has all happened he's had to be referred back to the school counsellor for some additional mental health support. That's how bad it is.
"My child has got Russell Group University offers which aren't contextualised so it's a bit hit and miss. He's expected to achieve the same grades and standards as a student who hasn't been through this level of disruption and that's unfair.
"This intake of Year 13's are the same group of students who were the first group to take GCSEs post the pandemic, so they already had their GCSE education disrupted and therefore that Year 11 started their academic year, one academic year behind where they should have been.
"As a parent and as a mother, it's heartbreaking because you always want the best for your child and you would do anything for them, and in my child's circumstances he's been let down multiple times throughout his education. He didn't receive an autistic diagnosis until he was in Year 12.
"He may not get into the university of his choice. He needs three A's to get to where he wants to go to and he was more than capable of achieving that and his predicted grades at the end of Year 10 last summer were well above that. They've already dropped, so at the moment he's slightly below where he needs to be.
"We know he's got the potential and he knows where he wants to go and because he's a young adult with extra needs, we're also having to consider things about the environment, support, and we managed to find a university that he's very keen to go to but it'll be a stretch for him. I believe he will get to university but he may not get to his first choice and that's through no fault of his own.
"We've had to get him extra mental health support. He's already reduced his own expectations of what he can achieve. He said to me about half way last term 'well mam, I've kissed my A*'s goodbye because I just don't think it's going to be possible', and I'm saying to him 'well, do you think you're still going to get the grades you need to get to your first choice uni?' And he's shrugging his shoulders kind of going 'well, I'll try.'"
A Department For Education spokesperson said: “The safety of staff and pupils is paramount, and we have been working at pace with schools to identify RAAC and support them to minimise disruption to pupils education.
“Alongside Ofqual we have worked with awarding organisations to help facilitate discussions with affected schools. We have asked awarding organisations to, where possible, agree longer extensions for coursework and non-examined assessment so that schools have as much time as possible to complete this important part of pupils' learning and qualifications.”