Watches in exams

[googlemad]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-49639413

 

I read with interest this article and was surprised to hear that students are allowed to wear watches in exams (although it sounds like individual rules can be applied)

 

Surely the simple answer would be a blanket ban and maybe the school to go down to the pound shop and hand out a simplistic time piece for students to have at their exam desk which would then be handed in after the exam if they had trouble with their vision from where they were sat at viewing the clocks already placed around the exam room?!

[Garacesh]

I don't know if it's the school's rules or if they're set by the exam board, but the signage around our exams says smartwatches are not allowed and must be handed in (along with mobile phones, mp3 players, and other electronic devices).

They also say that regular ('dumb') wristwatches must be removed from the wrist and placed on the desk and not interacted with, effectively making them act as personal clocks rather than wristwatches.

 

Seems to be a decent compromise.

Edited September 11, 2019 by Garacesh

[FishCustard]

When I worked in Secondary, we had giant clocks at the front of every exam room and asked students to remove wristwatches in the same manner as they had to hand in phones. I don't see the problem with that really.

[CAM]

Banning watches is overkill, but exam boards are the type who ban calculator cases in-case they have notes or formulae in them.

[hardtailstar]

Our students have to remove all watches along with everything else.

[HarryMonkey]

Blimey. I think there may be some safeguarding issues there

[Garacesh]

Our students have to remove all watches along with everything else.

 

Blimey. I think there may be some safeguarding issues there

 

At least you know there's nothing written on their arms!

... or anywhere else!

[HTCPCP]

Banning watches is overkill, but exam boards are the type who ban calculator cases in-case they have notes or formulae in them.

 

While we are at it - let's ban glasses, because of Google Glass etc!

 

As for hearing aids - well, how do we know they aren't actually miniture phones!

[pete]

While we are at it - let's ban glasses, because of Google Glass etc!

 

As for hearing aids - well, how do we know they aren't actually miniture phones!

 

Given many of the better ones are bluetooth-capable, there is scope for misuse. There's also massive scope for "school picks on deaf kids, what a bunch of XXXXs" headlines in the local or national rags, so a sensible school would just move any collected phones or smartwatches out of bluetooth range or power them off before handing them in.

[DrBeaker]

I think it's a bit unfair where again the minority are ruining it for the majority.

 

Might be showing my age here but I remember using my digital watch in exams. Setting the countdown timer and counting down from the 2-hour exams I had, showing me exactly how many minutes I had left and that helped me out.

 

I remember taking that off and putting it on the desk, can't say fairer than that.