What real chances would we have for an appeal?

[LostInMaze]

Please help, we are trying to decide if we can build a case for appeal with low results.

Our DD scored 112, 113 in Bucks exam.

She was graded 2:2 and we have the Head Teacher's full support.

At end of year 5 she was graded
Reading/Writing 5 (Reading Age 15 yrs 3 mths Spelling 11 yrs 6 mths)
Maths 5C
Science 4B


At end of October 09 (Parents Evening) she was graded
Reading/Writing 5B
Maths 5C
Science 5B

CAT results in May
VR 116
Q 107
NR 127

We don't really have any extenuating circumstances.

We can't decide what to do? If we don't try, we'll never know but likewise what are the real chances?

Any help, greatly appreciated!

[Etienne]

She's clearly doing well in the curriculum. The NVR is very good, but the CAT VR doesn't help, and Quantitative R is (relatively) weak.

I'm assuming the only CATs were those taken in 2009.

You might want to try an appeal to see what the panel think, but, to be honest, even with headteacher support, the chances look slim with 112 + 113, and no extenuating circumstances.

[Rob Clark]

Sounds like you’ve got a daughter who is intelligent but not suited to the 11+-style exam. It happens – we have a family friend whose eldest is at Cambridge but still can’t do his brother’s 11+ papers

DD missed the 11+ last year but got 3 x 5s in her SATs and has improved on that in the first half of term at her secondary school. We console ourselves with the thought that, at GCSE and ‘A’ level, curriculum-specific ability is what is going to count.

[TIDDLYMUM]

I would echo Rob's comments.

Last year my niece narrowly missed passing the 11 plus. We won appeal on non qual (extenuating circs) but then lost out on oversubscription (very frustrating).

If a copy of our appeal info would help anyone , happy to share. I have already shared it with a couple of parents on the Trafford forum.

Going back to my niece she has settled well into her new school (in spite of the very long coach journey). She is sporty as well as bright and is on all the sports teams already, representing the school at parents events such as open night and the icing on the cake was, as a result of her excellent SATS results in Yr 6 (all 5's) and her CATS which were tested just after starting Yr7, she is now in the extension sets in all subjects.

We are all very proud of her.

Contrast this with a girl from her school who scraped in to the grammar on appeal to Grammar despite low SATS and dubious extenuating circs after being tutored within an inch of her life.As a result is now phoning her friend every night for help with her homework.

So no one should despair!

[LostInMaze]

Many thanks Etienne for your very quick response.

As you say she is doing really well in the curriculum, something that can easily get forgotton in the initial days of opening the dreaded results. We are very proud of her.

She has only ever had one CATs in May 2009, the Quantitative R is odd as she has always been in top maths groups all through the years and always identified as a strength.

Rob, many thanks for your words of wisdom, she will succeed in any environment, and as you say it's GCSE etc that really matter.

Tiddlymum, it's great to hear how well your niece is doing and she's becoming my ambassador for life after the eleven plus!

Thank you all, probably now 'not so' LostInMaze!