I suffer from chronic depression and anxiety but I didn't apply for anything for my school certificate and have been offered Special Provisions more than once by different parties. I attend a private school and looking at the Special Provisions for the SC, I can attest for the amount of people taking Provisions. I don't know the reasons why for most, but for some people, I do feel it is necessary. However, having Special Provisions doesn't necessarily grant you extra marks, we don't see any of them gaining a huge increase in mark gain.
I don't feel disadvantages with my illness though I could certainly apply for SP. I feel that if I perform to my complete capacity, then I have achieved what I can and if someone else gets a higher mark, it just means I haven't done enough work or tried enough. If someone else feels it necessary to carry a SP, then so be it, it doesn't grant them any more marks than time, and in the end, if they're a crappy student, they're a crappy student, if they're a good student, they're good.
Going to a private school, I think the media is just doing so much private school bashing right now. They had something on uniforms with the private school wearing vest and blazer and that, then the public school summer. That is just plain unfair, but you also have to remember, it is not the student's fault. If a parent feels they are fit to pay for their children to go to a private school, and the additional uniform, they should let it lie because in the end, it is a person's own decision to spend the extra money on uniform, or a plasma screen TV. Perhaps half the schools don't offer such additional uniform pieces? Even so, there are plenty of public schools that have vests and blazers too, and admittedly, private schools are rip-offs in concerns to these additional uniform pieces.
But what else to expect? We can choose to pay up to $500 to get a brick with our name on it!