Mr. Donald Ewing:

Families where there is a young person who is in third year or sixth year are in touch with us a lot asking whether they are over the lines or not. Obviously, there is enough stress around exams, particularly for the leaving certificate. Not knowing what the playing field will look like come June is additionally stressful. Uncertainty and the late confirmation of the accommodations that will be provided is very stressful. Also, schools are busy places. Often schools have just a short number of weeks from the publication of their instructions as to the rules of the scheme to then getting applications out. That is post-primary schools where people are very aware that if something new is coming in, it will take a degree of consultation and a degree of planning. For both schools and families, and particularly for young people, it is just patently unfair to not provide something that is provided in third level all around this island and provided as the norm. One final point: high-stake exams is a phrase we might hear from the State Examinations Commission. The leaving certificate is a high-stakes exam, but so are A-levels in the North, as are degree exams at third level, as are professional exams to become an accountant or a doctor. These are examinations where extra time is routinely provided.