Exams brought forward to help fasting Muslim pupils

HUNDREDS of thousands of teenagers in England will have to take key exams earlier than usual this year to help Muslim pupils fasting for Ramadan.

The GCSE and A-level schedule has been rearranged so that some exams in key subjects are clustered before the start of the Islamic holy month.

Where maths and English tests do fall during the festival, a larger number than usual are being held in the morning. This is to avoid disadvantaging fasting pupils who can suffer low energy levels in the afternoon.

The Joint Council for Qualifications, which represents exam boards, said timetable allowances would be made where possible in subjects with large numbers of entries. Several core maths exams appear to have been shifted to earlier dates than last year, meaning candidates will have fewer days to revise. Similar measures are likely to be in place for at least five years, until Ramadan no longer clashes with the exam season.

The holy month, which runs from June 6 to July 5 this summer, moves backward through the calendar by around 11 days a year.

Muslims avoid food during daylight hours, eating before dawn and after dusk instead.

The exam boards said that the timetable would not see drastic changes but campaigners yesterday questioned if special allowances should be made.