Teachers are calling for GCSEs and A-level exams to be scheduled in the morning to help Muslim students who are fasting during Ramadan, it emerged today.
Hundreds of thousands of pupils across Britain could be forced to take 'large entry' tests, such as maths and English, before 12pm under a radical shake-up.
School exam boards and universities are considering the move over the next five years, when the religious period of Ramadan progressively clashes with the exam season in June.
The holy period in the Islamic calendar requires Muslims to fast during daylight hours - meaning they will be at their hungriest towards the end of the day.
This will inevitably cause students to struggle and lose marks during their summer exams, the Association of Teachers (ATL) annual conference in Manchester heard.
Barry Lingard, who is on the ATL executive committee, said the union had been discussing the issue with the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), which represents exam boards, and a number of Muslim organisations.
WHAT IS RAMADAN?
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, during which strict fasting is observed by Muslims in daylight hours.
Most also abstain from other physical needs and bad habits - including drinking, smoking and having sex - from sunrise to sunset.
Fasting is intended to help teach Muslims self-discipline, humility and patience.
It also reminds them of the suffering of the poor and allows them to focus their attention on God.
During the holy month, many Muslims will also attend special services in Mosques, during which the Qur'an is read.
He said it was 'highly unlikely' that exam boards will change summer timetables - but added: 'JCQ have said that they will work collaboratively on a timetable with Muslim groups to review whether a balance of morning and afternoon slots for large entry exams is more appropriate, or just morning slots.'
It is thought that this could mean that schools would be forced to schedule GCSE and A-level exams taken by large numbers of students, including maths and English, in the morning only.
Abdul Choudhury, an ATL member from Tower Hamlets, London, said Ramadan will have 'quite an effect on a number of schools across our country' compared to the last time it fell during exams season, around 25 years ago.
'We have quite a significant number of Muslim students and I have no doubt whatsoever that standards will be affected by this,' he said.
'We work so hard as teachers to try and get just that one mark, that two marks, and if kids - 16-year-olds, 18-year-olds, even university students - are going into exams without any water, and food, it will have an effect on their overall results.'
Delegates passed the resolution, which called on the union to raise awareness of the potential impact of Ramadan on Muslim students' education.
Michael Turner, JCQ director, said: 'We are consulting on the exams timetable for 2015 and we will be looking at the impact of Ramadan on that timetable.'
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