11 Plus Exams Forum

My daughter missed out on the pass mark by 3 marks. I am considering appealing for a place at our local GS. I believe that there are exceptional circumstances as to why she did not gain the required score but am unsure if I really want to bare my sole to what are in effect strangers on the appeal panel.

Is there an area of this forum where this can be discreetly discussed and good advice given?

Many Thanks

Hi valiantlad, and welcome.

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Sally-Anne

Hello and welcome Valiantlad, you have found the right place for help with your query.

I do have to say though, the writing on the banner is quite deceptive and you have to look really hard to realise that certain words (ie: Announcement, Q&A's and Here) are actually links. Would it be possible to highlight them better (perhaps the colour could stand out better/the relevant words could be underlined, etc) so people realised they had to click on them?

Sorry - I saw it after, like a bull in a china shop - apologies. I have sent an e-mail to appeals box etc.

Sorry

Thank you for your message, valiantlad, and I'm so sorry to hear about everything your family has been through.

If you go to appeal, rest assured that anything you say will be treated in strict confidence. Most appeal panels are used to dealing with the most extreme of extenuating circumstances, and in my time I certainly came across cases very similar to yours.

You do still need evidence of academic ability, of course.

Average KS2 predictions would be entirely understandable, but is there any evidence of high ability at an earlier age (e.g. level 3s at KS1)?

The fact that your daughter was only three marks short sounds encouraging.

You should consider an educational psychologist's report. It won't be cheap, but the tests aren't curriculum related, and if the results come out at around the 90th percentile or higher, they could provide useful evidence of high ability.

Hi there, haven't posted in a while but still browse occasionally! We too live in Lincolnshire and our daughter also scored 217 last year. We went to appeal and won so if you have any specific questions perhaps I may be able to help? Good Luck

Hi valiantlad

Thank you for the information you sent to the appeals box.

I am also sorry to hear about the serious difficulties you have all faced. I would like to make a suggestion as to how to present that evidence?

Panels can tend to "switch off" a little when the extenutating circumstances start with events that happened months before the tests, e.g. "Jane was bullied at school in 2006 ... in 2008 her father was made redundant ... last January her best friend moved away ..." It can often be an indicator that the parents are dredging up everything they can think of in a desperate bid to win the appeal. That is clearly not the case for you.

I think it is easier if the panel can read a dated list of events, described as succinctly as possible. A fictitious example might read as follows (with the dates in a separate column - I can't do that easily on here):

4 Jan 2009 - Jane broke her leg very badly (medical evidence attached) and was in hospital for 6 weeks.
1 Mar - Jane returned to school but was in a Year 4 group for the next 6 weeks as she could not climb the stairs to any of the Year 5 classrooms.
15 May - Jane returned to her year group and took Optional SATs the same week. Her results were 4c, 4c, 4b without any of the preparation the other Year 5 children received.
25 Aug - Jane had a further operation on her leg (medical evidence attached)
24 Sep - Jane returned to school 20 days after the start of term due to the recovery period.
1 Oct - Jane sat her 11+ paper.

The panel can now see that Jane has been disadvantaged in several ways, and they can also see the impact of the timing of the various events.

It may seem terribly clinical, but it would have more impact and be easier for a panel to understand.

I hope that helps, and I wish you good luck with your appeal.

Sally-Anne

I agree with Sally-Anne. I would also suggest that, having set out the facts in writing, and supplied the evidence, you can then skate over the extenuating circumstances at the hearing (saying how painful it would be to have to go through everything again).

You may, of course, get some questions, but the Question & Answer session (in my experience) is usually less distressing than having to run through all the details in a prepared speech.

It is important that the appeal panel are fully in the picture, so that they can take everything into account when making their decision.

Appeal !
You have nothing to lose,but everything to gain.
We were in your position last year too,& DS is now thriving in his chosen GS after we were successful
No-one can promise you a positive outcome,however you will find on this site a wealth of information to help you present your case to its very best,& a huge cheer squad who will support you all the way.
Wishing the very best to you & your DD.
Sallyj

Hi again Thanks for the pm How do you do that!!? Anyway the school you want is the school my daughter now attends!! I can only advise what I thought the panel were looking for. After reading lots on here and asking lots of questions I put together our appeal and also advised a friend. We put similar things into our appeals ie latest reading scores spelling scores etc and we were both successful. Which primary are you from and do you have h/t support? My daughters predicted sats were good as were her KS1 scores. We had minor mitigating circumstances but mentioned them all the same! If you want I could go through what we submitted academically if you think it may help. I do believe that whatever your mitigating circumstances the academics have to be strong, thus proving the child will thrive at gs.