Bucks "Order of Suitability"
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dissapointed mum
- Posts: 116
- Joined: Fri Nov 24, 2006 2:05 pm
berks order of suitability
To anyone who knows!!
If Berkshire school heads dont have to provide an order of suitability, does it affect the appeal in any way, or are the panel likely to ask me why my son wasnt placed in any order of suitability by the head. Will they know that our school did not have to provide that information? Or will they presume he wasnt listed into any order???
Thanks
DP
If Berkshire school heads dont have to provide an order of suitability, does it affect the appeal in any way, or are the panel likely to ask me why my son wasnt placed in any order of suitability by the head. Will they know that our school did not have to provide that information? Or will they presume he wasnt listed into any order???
Thanks
DP
Dear DP
The panel should realise why your son hasn't been ranked because there will be no order of suitability for the school in the paperwork.
As to whether it affects your appeal ..... The panel won't hold it against you.
If there had been a very accurate O. of S., and if the head had very strongly supported your son, it could have been a useful point. However, other schools that do the O. of S. might have other bits of information missing. Independent schools, for example, can't provide SATs predictions. Some schools don't do tests such as CATs, and so can't provide evidence of alternative VR scores.
The panel should realise why your son hasn't been ranked because there will be no order of suitability for the school in the paperwork.
As to whether it affects your appeal ..... The panel won't hold it against you.
If there had been a very accurate O. of S., and if the head had very strongly supported your son, it could have been a useful point. However, other schools that do the O. of S. might have other bits of information missing. Independent schools, for example, can't provide SATs predictions. Some schools don't do tests such as CATs, and so can't provide evidence of alternative VR scores.
Etienne
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dissapointed mum
- Posts: 116
- Joined: Fri Nov 24, 2006 2:05 pm
Thanbks Etienne,
It is all alot clearer now. The head is supporting us and there was no order of suitability done, so it should be pretty straight forward. I think the basis of my questions are going to be on the extenuating circumstances regarding my son and our baby, and the academic evidence. My son has been placed in the next 25% category of the position in the year, but there are only 40 boys in the whole of year 6 and he is positioned 12th out of the year so he narrowly misses out on being placed in the top 25%. Is it worth mentioning that there are only 40 boys in the year, and that the school is a high academic achieving school. 12th is a pretty good ranking isnt it for a kid who hasnt passed the 11+ ???
DP
It is all alot clearer now. The head is supporting us and there was no order of suitability done, so it should be pretty straight forward. I think the basis of my questions are going to be on the extenuating circumstances regarding my son and our baby, and the academic evidence. My son has been placed in the next 25% category of the position in the year, but there are only 40 boys in the whole of year 6 and he is positioned 12th out of the year so he narrowly misses out on being placed in the top 25%. Is it worth mentioning that there are only 40 boys in the year, and that the school is a high academic achieving school. 12th is a pretty good ranking isnt it for a kid who hasnt passed the 11+ ???
DP
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Bubbly
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Sally-Anne
- Posts: 9235
- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
- Location: Buckinghamshire
Hi Bubbly
Yes, any child with a ranking of 3 or better should be on the form, as per the extract from the form itself that I posted for you earlier:
"Any child with a recommendation of 1, 2 or 3 must be ranked. A child with a recommendation of 1 must be ranked higher than a child with a recommendation of 2, and children ranked 3 should be ranked lowest."
What is interesting is that this statement only appears on the form, not in the actual guidance notes. If the Head had only read the notes and not scrutinised the form carefully it would be entirely possible for her to have overlooked the fact that she is obliged to show all children on 3:3 or higher.
I think this is a point worth making at appeal. You would need to ask the Head how many children took the 11+, and find out how many were ranked 3:3 or higher. I am guessing that she won't have an exact figure, having only bothered to put 1s and 2s on the form, so it may have to be an estimate. It could, of course, be that she only ranked the children that she thought stood any chance of passing, using only ranks 1 & 2, so your 11/21 will still stand.
The Head has either been extremely lazy, ranking only 21/90, or has not read the instructions properly! You need to get to the bottom of it by talking to her on Monday as soon as the school reopens.
Sally-Anne
Yes, any child with a ranking of 3 or better should be on the form, as per the extract from the form itself that I posted for you earlier:
"Any child with a recommendation of 1, 2 or 3 must be ranked. A child with a recommendation of 1 must be ranked higher than a child with a recommendation of 2, and children ranked 3 should be ranked lowest."
What is interesting is that this statement only appears on the form, not in the actual guidance notes. If the Head had only read the notes and not scrutinised the form carefully it would be entirely possible for her to have overlooked the fact that she is obliged to show all children on 3:3 or higher.
I think this is a point worth making at appeal. You would need to ask the Head how many children took the 11+, and find out how many were ranked 3:3 or higher. I am guessing that she won't have an exact figure, having only bothered to put 1s and 2s on the form, so it may have to be an estimate. It could, of course, be that she only ranked the children that she thought stood any chance of passing, using only ranks 1 & 2, so your 11/21 will still stand.
The Head has either been extremely lazy, ranking only 21/90, or has not read the instructions properly! You need to get to the bottom of it by talking to her on Monday as soon as the school reopens.
Sally-Anne
