How to...prepare for exam season.

Last term I was school nurse, a role I didn't particularly enjoy and wasn't very good at. It was a blessing to all that none of the students got very ill. And another blessing is that Misha, one of my new housemates, was keen to take on this job (and the 'Where there is no doctor' book) when she arrived in January. She is doing a marvellous job! Thanks, Misha!

This year I am in charge of internal exams which is infinitely more preferable to being nurse, but not without its challenges.

Most teachers type their exams onto the (one) school netbook or get someone to do this for them. We had some trouble doing this last week as cloudy weather meant there wasn't sufficient solar power to charge the netbook as well as light the classrooms in the evening and early morning. So last Friday afternoon some of us encamped to my house where we set up 'staffroom #5' and teachers borrowed me and my housemates' laptops to meet the deadline (that I had set!).

I proof read and format the exams and print them out at headteacher Laura's house.

Then, once staff have done a final check on the printouts, and the 'exam panel' check for accuracy and syllabus coverage I photocopy the exams. Simple, you might think - just pop down to the print room. Not here. It's a 40 minute round trip, walking, from school to the copier. I have to arrange in advance when I want to photocopy so that the church hall is open, paper available and the generator on. There's no Charlotte  (LCHS's lovely reprographics assistant) to help when the copier jams, it doesn't do double-sided and it is really slow! 

We often say that children in UK are over-tested, but here formal internal exams happen three times a term. Beginning, middle and end! All students are off timetable, classes and year groups are mixed up to reduce cheating, and all staff do invigilation! They are taken very seriously; all marks count towards a student's grade for the year. If they don't pass they cannot move up!