Exam timetabling 'causes stress'

Head teachers have warned that timetabling issues are adding pressure to pupils sitting their exams, it has been reported.

The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has said that some pupils can end up sitting four or four exams in a single day, according to the BBC.

Reasons for this include more pupils taking a wider range of subjects, resulting in a greater chance of some experiencing timetabling problems.

Although the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) attempts to minimise the number of clashes, it admitted that some were inevitable.

The organisation, while represents exam boards, faces the prospect of fitting around 3,000 papers into just 30 days of examinations.

However, the head teachers' union believes that this can pile extra stress onto pupils and has urged exam boards to do more to avoid these situations.

Chris Howard, vice-president of the NAHT, told the news provider: "The exam boards need to do more to best co-ordinate their efforts so that youngsters don't have this problem of three or four examinations in one day which is clearly asking too much of anybody."

The JCQ works to promote and maintain standards among exam bodies and represents their interests to the government.