Re: Appealing for Adams Grammar

LeonKing · Post by **LeonKing** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 10:19 pm

Hi,

Unfortunately my son didn't get offered a place at Adams but is on the reserve list. I have been told that nearly all the places have been accepted and it is very unlikely that any boys on the reserve will be offered a place.

Can we appeal and if so on what grounds? Both my husband and I would appreciate any help or advice that anyone can give.

Many thanks for your time.

Post by **Etienne** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 11:26 am

Welcome, LeonKing

I suggest you start by reading the Announcement and first sticky at the top of the page; also the Q&As.

If you then have any questions, do please come back and ask.

resmum · Post by **resmum** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 2:37 pm

I wouldn't give up hope. There are people who have accepted the place at Adam's but who may drop out before September because they decide to go to the private sector.

Many of the private schools in the area still have places to fill, especially for a boy bright enough to get into Adam's. Some parents may still not have made a final decision because of the current economic situation. In a month or two they may feel more secure and places may become free when they jump ship.

An appeal for the Girls High in Wolverhampton was upheld by the ombudsman last year but this was because of maladministration at the appeal. I think it would be quite hard to win an appeal for Adam's because the school is quite cramped in places already but you have nothing to lose by trying.

Did they tell you his postion on the list?

Resmum

LeonKing · Post by **LeonKing** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 11:29 pm

Hi,

I spoke to admissions on Thursday and they said that my son had missed out on a place by just 1 or 2 marks but were unable to say where he was on the list. Also I believe age is taken into consideration in the marking process and his birthday is in September.

Thank you for your message. I suppose nothing is ever definate.

Kindest Regards

LeonKing

capers123 · Post by **capers123** » Sun Mar 15, 2009 4:58 pm

LeonKing wrote:I spoke to admissions on Thursday and they said that my son had missed out on a place by just 1 or 2 marks but were unable to say where he was on the list. Also I believe age is taken into consideration in the marking process and his birthday is in September.

Age is a bit of a red herring. Many people think that their childs month of birth has unfairly affected the result. It doesn't, and just evens things out so that equally bright children born in September and July have an equal chance of getting a place. That's not to say that there will be 10 children from each month getting a place - it's not split that way, as one month might have more children born one year - say if there'd been power-cuts, bad snow or a good foot-ball result 9 months before they were born.

My guess is that when they say 1 or 2 marks, they're referring to marks after adjusting for age.

However, Resmum is probably correct (I don't know the school) in saying that there is likely to be some movement on the waiting list. People do accept places that they hope not to take (if their child gets a scholarship for a private school, or another more local-to-them grammar has a place come up and they are on the waiting list for that).

Do take time to read through the Guidelines / Q&A's if you've not yet done so - they are really helpful.

Good luck

emmaj · Post by **emmaj** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 6:45 pm

Good luck with the appeal.

LeonKing · Post by **LeonKing** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 9:45 pm

I don't think we can appeal as there is nothing really to base this on. If anyone out there has any ideas or experiences I would be interested to hear if anyone has tried to appeal to get a place at AG.

Many thanks

LeonKing

Sally-Anne · Post by **Sally-Anne** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 10:05 pm

Hi Leonking

You are perhaps right to take a gloomy view about the likelihood of success at appeal. In my home authority of Bucks, appeals against over-subscription have a dismal success rate, compared to other types of appeal.

I suggest that you now go back to Admissions and ask them the question about the waiting list. According to the Adams website, they require acceptances within 2 weeks, and that expires today. They should therefore be in a position to answer your question by late tomorrow, or early on Wednesday.

The site also says that a "sample re-mark" of around 10% of papers is undertaken. Given that your son missed out by 1 or 2 marks, have you thought about specifically requesting a re-mark? Although the entrance tests are GL Assessment (NFER) and probably electronically marked, which is usually extremely accurate, you never know?

Sally-Anne