Critically ill teenagers who can鈥檛 sit exams can now receive GCSE and A-level grades, following a year-long campaign against 鈥渄eeply unfair鈥 policies. Schools Week helped expose last year how children with life-threatening illnesses or devastating injuries from accidents had to struggle through exams to get a grade. More families caught in the same position this year launched a calling for students to get teachers’ grades, which were used during the pandemic when national tests were cancelled. Exam boards told parents last year that children undergoing cancer treatment had to sit at least one exam to qualify for special consideration. But this week, has clarified that in 鈥渞are and exceptional circumstances鈥 a grade 鈥渕ay鈥 be available. Where a school cannot identify additional reasonable adjustments 鈥 such as extra time or sitting tests in hospital 鈥 an exam board could determine each case on an individual basis. The Joint Council for Qualifications adds that a board 鈥渕ay be able to determine grades using suitable alternative assessment evidence鈥. But the candidate must be disabled within the meaning of the Equality Act 2010, and the school 鈥渕ust鈥 have medical evidence to confirm this. Concerns remain Campaigners and MPs welcomed the change, but urged ministers to communicate it more widely. Caroline Ansell, the Eastbourne MP who pushed the government for answers, said the 鈥渟ystem is moving in the right direction鈥 after the 鈥渄eeply unfair鈥 situation. Ansell But Cath Kitchen, chief executive of the National Association for Hospital Education, said while the guidance is 鈥渞eally helpful鈥, she 鈥渇eels that it falls short of reassuring鈥 families that they will definitely get a grade if they are too unwell to sit exams. It also emerged that while 鈥渉undreds鈥 of sick children got grades from the exam boards in 2022, there are concerns for those that may have missed out. Ansell told MPs how, during the campaign, Ofqual claimed existing equalities legislation allows for the awarding of grades if schools provide 鈥渟uitable evidence鈥. The exams regulator told her 鈥渟everal hundred students鈥 were awarded grades that way last year. But Ansell told a Westminster Hall debate she fears thousands may have 鈥渂een overlooked and disenfranchised because their school did not recognise the signposting in the guidance last year鈥. Responding in the debate, schools minister Nick Gibb said he is 鈥減leased鈥 boards have now put in place a 鈥渃lear process that allows students with a disability that prevents them taking their scheduled exams鈥 after 鈥渁ll the hard work they put in during their studies鈥. He said senior examiners will use robust evidence 鈥 which is being collected this year by schools under new contingency arrangements 鈥 to determine grades. JCQ has shared the guidance with schools and government will look at promoting the document, he added. ‘Her results meant so much to her’ Last year, Schools Week reported how 16-year-old Grace Sanderson, from North Yorkshire, managed to sit two GCSE papers despite being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia months earlier. Grace and her dog Olive Her mum Emma said on results day Grace 鈥渂roke down鈥 in the school car park seeing 鈥渆veryone cheering and celebrating鈥 at Northallerton High School. But the exam boards, including AQA, decided to give her a full suite of grades 鈥 including an 8 in English literature and four grade 7s. It鈥檚 not clear when this decision was made, but Emma said her daughter鈥檚 鈥淕CSE results meant so much to her鈥. Grace died just two months later. The this year when 16-year-old Lara Kyprianou-Hickman from Eastbourne, who was undergoing chemotherapy after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma cancer, was told she had to sit exams or would only get a 鈥渃ertificate of recognition鈥, it was reported. Ansell told MPs Lara will now be awarded GCSE grades based on coursework, mocks and teacher assessment. Gibb said families who 鈥渇ind themselves in difficult situations鈥 before exams should contact exam boards directly. A JCQ spokesperson said: “Our primary focus is to put arrangements in place to help disabled students take assessments. We also consider reasonable adjustments that schools and colleges suggest to us for individual students that are new or not highlighted in our documents. “We keep our approach to students with disabilities under regular review to look for ways to support them and review each individual application on a case-by-case basis.”