11+ Appeal with Statement of Special Needs

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lisnagree
Posts: 38
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 7:06 pm
Location: South Bucks

11+ Appeal with Statement of Special Needs

Post by lisnagree »

Please can somebody give me some guidance how to approach an appeal for a child with Aspergers Syndrome and a Statement of Special Needs. We have the full support of the school which is fantastic but just don't how much to emphasize, if at all, the SEN aspect.
Etienne
Posts: 8978
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:26 pm

Post by Etienne »

Hello, lisnagree

We'll be glad to try and assist you on the Appeals forum.

We will need plenty of background information, though.
• What were the two 11+ scores?
• Did the school fully expect your child to pass?
• Will the school predict level 5s for KS2?
• Does the school have good results for any standardised tests done by your child, such as CATs, that could be used as evidence? (Scores around the 90th percentile would be ideal.)
• Has there been an ed. psych report? What were the scores?
(There's a link at the top of the Appeals page for confidential information, if you'd prefer not to reveal too much in public.)

You might like to read of another Aspergers case first:
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... gers#87528

I'm afraid I shall be away until sometime on Thursday.
Etienne
lisnagree
Posts: 38
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 7:06 pm
Location: South Bucks

Post by lisnagree »

My daughter's scores were 117 and 117. The school did not initially want her to sit the exam but were a bit vague over the reasons but as soon as we pressed the issue at her Annual Review and stated that she would rather sit it and fail it than not do it at all they were happy for her to do it.
At the end of Year 5 she had achieved a level 5 in literacy (having just turned 10 and bearing in mind at the end of Key Stage 1 had not achieved the national expected standard for 7yr olds) and her teacher was very happy to predict level 5's for her SATS. What they told me then was that she had moved an entire level in 9mths in what it usually takes other children 18mths to do!!!
Her CAT score was 108.
The last assessments taken were back in Year 3, when she had just turned 8, as part of her Statement. It was taken by a Specialist Speech & Language Therapist. I will try to make as much sense as possible.

British Picture Vocab Scale (BPVS) - 72nd Percentile

Test of Language Competence - Expanded Version
Listening Comprehension: Making Inferences 95th Percentile
Figurative Language 84th Percentile
Ambiguous Sentences 63rd Percentile
Oral Expression: Recreating Sentences 95th Percentile

Test of Problem Solving (TOPS)
Explaining Inferences 94th Percentile
Determining Causes 89th Percentile
Negative Why Questions 70th Percentile
Determining Solutions 93rd Percentile
Avoiding Problems 57th Percentile

Hope all that helps. Look forward to hearing from you. Thanks
Etienne
Posts: 8978
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:26 pm

Post by Etienne »

Dear lisnagree

I've just got back. Thanks for your patience.

The two scores are quite respectable, and from the information you've given it seems to me well worth trying an appeal.

I do think the SEN aspect needs to be an important part of your case.

The panel will probably have come across Aspergers before, but it's best to take nothing for granted. I suggest you find some sort of official explanation of the condition (no more than a single sheet or so) and attach it as an appendix. Ideally we want something that mentions that children with Aspergers are at the 'high performance' end of the spectrum.

The CAT score is not particularly good. Was it for verbal reasoning?

Some of the other results (e.g. Determining Solutions, 93rd percentile) look very good.

With regard to the statement, what exactly is the extra help for?

The last assessment is rather dated now. Perhaps you should consider getting a Weschler or BAS test done by an educational psychologist. (It's expensive, and there is of course no guarantee it will give the results you want, but if it does, it could strengthen your case.)
Etienne
lisnagree
Posts: 38
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 7:06 pm
Location: South Bucks

Post by lisnagree »

Hi Etienne
Thanks for your reply. Not sure about CAT results - they were thrown out at the annual review last April in a very muffled way. The objectives of her statement are as follows:
1. Should have access to broad, balanced & differentiated curriculum suitably modified both in content & presentation to take account of SEN.
2. Teachers should take every opportunity of offering her experience of success to maintain her self-esteem & self-confidence.
3. a) to improve her social skills & social use of language
b) to reduce her anxieties about the school day.
c) to improve her phonological skills to an age appropriate level.

Have spoken to her consultant who will write a letter informing panel of her condition and how it could impact her in a testing situation.
As regards an Ed Psych report I am prepared to do whatever it takes so will look into that.

Thanks
Lisnagree
chad
Posts: 1647
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2005 1:49 pm
Location: berkshire

Post by chad »

hi lisnagree,
Have spoken to her consultant who will write a letter informing panel of her condition and how it could impact her in a testing situation.
just thought I would mention that my Ds (mild aspergers) has anxiety about exams, break in the normal school routine even at aged 14.

Unless he is aware of exactly what will be happening, what room he will be in, how long it will be etc it impacts on his results as will anything that distracts him during the exam (Other people messing around). A disruption during some science modules sent his results plummeting..... this anxiety, aparently, is quite usual when there is a diagnosis of aspergers, it is just to what degree it affects them.
asdguest
Posts: 144
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:06 pm

Post by asdguest »

I would ask your specialist to perhaps mention the fact that children with AS do not respond to time restraints as other children would - i.e. your child would not have felt that she had to hurry. Further, it is common with AS to work methodically through questions rather than moving on when it is beneficial to do so in order to answer more questions in the allotted time span - again, lack of awareness of the importance of speed and the overwhelming desire, that is common with AS, to get everything correct.
lisnagree
Posts: 38
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 7:06 pm
Location: South Bucks

Post by lisnagree »

Hi Etienne
I've used the facility for confidential information - if you could review the information I'd really appreciate it and tell if the enclosed is any good as I've never come across most of those tests before and as my daughter was only 10yrs and 4mths when the last tests were taken what does that mean? They obviously informed incorrectly about the VR score when it came to her annual review....not quite sure about that or reasoning behind it!!!!
lisnagree
Posts: 38
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 7:06 pm
Location: South Bucks

Post by lisnagree »

Sorry Etienne, forgot to ask - when submitting evidence for the appeal should we include her Statement of Special Needs plus all the supporting documentation that was submitted to obtain it?
Etienne
Posts: 8978
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:26 pm

Post by Etienne »

I don't see any real problem with the information so far. The last VR result isn't quite high enough, but it's balanced by the previous one which was quite good.
when submitting evidence for the appeal should we include her Statement of Special Needs plus all the supporting documentation that was submitted to obtain it?
In principle, yes.
Etienne
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