Success rates for grammar school appeals

[Etienne]

Hi Etienne,

King Edward VI (KEGS) Grammar School in Chelmsford, Essex, which along with the The Royal Grammar School in Colchester, is the most over-subscribed boys school in the county, have let it be known that only 1 appeal has ever succeeded in the last 12+ years. I also have a friend who works in appeals administration in the Manchester area and she tells me that there is also a very low success rate in appeals there. Is this a pattern across the counties that have grammar schools or are some authorities more sympathetic to appeals than others?

Thanks

Dear Guest

Nationally, approx. 30-40% of appeals are successful. The last figures I saw can be found here:
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR ... 1_2005.pdf

The most striking difference seems to be not between grammar and other types of school, but between local authority and non-local authority schools.

The success rate for foundation and VA schools tends to be around 10% lower than usual (i.e. approx. 20-30%). I have written elsewhere of my reservations about the conduct of appeals in some non-LEA schools. See, for example, section A5:
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/11plus ... nswers.php

The ombudsman, in his special report on appeals, wrote: "We have observed differences in performance between LEAs and other admission authorities ..... we found faults proportionately in virtually twice as many cases involving other admission authorities as compared with cases involving LEAs (39% and 20% respectively)."

Regards

Hi Etienne,

Many thanks for your detailled answer. I looked at the DFES document but it doesn't appear to break down the appeals between selective and non-selective schools. I have little evidence to support it, other than general conversations I've had with parents who have gone through the 11+ system but I'm ready to bet (and I am guessing) that a 20% sucess rate of Grammar school appeals may be a tad high. Would appreciate your thoughts. I guess what I'm suggesting is that if a child has on average a 30% chance at appeal, and as parents you feel he or she has a good case, then it's definetely worth going for but if it's less than 5%, which my gut feeling tells me it must be at the Grammars, then, for me, it's probably not worth the stress.

Buckinghamshire publish their selection appeals data each year - it is even broken down by score - about 38% were successful last year. obviously most were 116+ but not all.

So no-one should be put off - it IS different when you are appealing to a single school as the school is also probably full. Allocation appeals are dealt with separately in Buckinghamshire.

Dear Guest

I’m afraid I’m not aware of any national statistics that show the success rate for grammar school appeals separately.

Guest55 has given the figure for appeals against non-qualification in Buckinghamshire (an authority with a very good reputation for the amount of information it makes available). I would just add that Bucks is wholly selective, and handles up to a thousand 11+ appeals a year. The success rate is regularly around 40%. However, when it comes to appeals against non-allocation (i.e. the pupil is deemed qualified, but the Bucks controlled grammar school has no spare places), I’m told that the success rate drops to 26% (compared with 64% for other Bucks controlled secondary schools).

I agree with what is implicit in your comments – that parents ought to have some indication of the chances of a successful appeal.

I think foundation grammar schools that handle their own appeals should voluntarily publish each year the number of appeals heard, with a breakdown of those that are successful and unsuccessful. If they do not do so, then I hope some local parents will be prepared to demand the statistics under the Freedom of Information Act.

If it were to come to light that the success rate for a particular foundation school is only 5% or less, then I hope unsuccessful appellants will firstly start to ask questions:
* “Why are the figures so out of line with the national statistics?”
* “Who appoints the appeal panel members, and on what basis?”
* "Who trains them and how often?"
* "How many panel members are available in total, and how long has each person been hearing appeals for this school?"

- and secondly will ask to see the minutes of their hearing under the Data Protection Act (to check, among other things, whether the decision-making appears to have been clear and fair).

Just my view!

Regards

[marie]

I am appealing to a foundation school were I have been told by the admissions secretary that there are normally 70 appeals each year and normally only 3 children will be successful. I was told that all appeals are valid but only the ones that most deserve a place will get through. If my child does not get through on appeal, ( bearing in mind that he is predicted to be level 5s and the headteacher has said she will fully support him) how can I find out why the other 3 have got through and he hasn't? Thanks

[Etienne]

Dear marie

Could you tell us what area you are in, and whether you have already sent in your appeal? Are the appeals being held before or after 1st March?

[Marie]

It is for Slough, I have already sent in the appeal which is to be heard at the end of April.

[Etienne]

Dear Marie

I can't see the appeals secretary giving you information about other children's cases that would make possible the sort of comparison you want.

However, if you had grounds for a complaint, the ombudsman (who has the powers of a high court judge) could ask for whatever information he thought appropriate.

St. Bernard's appear not to publish appeal arrangements on their website, but I found the arrangements for the "consortium" here:
http://www.langley-grammar.slough.sch.u ... T_2007.pdf
They are confusing! Under "Procedure" there are references to year 6 work and a recent school report, which fits with an appeal against non-qualification. However, under "The Decision .......Stage 2", there is no mention of how non-qualification is handled, only a reference to the balance of prejudice, which is used to determine appeals when a school is full up. This is then followed by "Successful appeals whose score was below 11" ..... but no mention of what happens next if there are no places.

Assuming that you have applied to this consortium, it is not clear to me whether you should initially be appealing against non-qualification, or against non-qualification plus the possibility that there are no places.

Now, it may be that I have misunderstood, or that you have other papers or documents that make the situation clear to you.

Assuming, however, that you think you are appealing only against non-qualification (and I note the only evidence you have mentioned is academic), then you might have grounds to ask the ombudsman to consider:
1. Whether the arrangements are clear and rational, and
2. Whether successful appellants were at an advantage because they interpreted the arrangements differently and presented strong social, medical or academic reasons for wanting a particular school.

Each appeal against non-qualification ought to be judged entirely on its own merits, whereas appeals against the school being full could well involve making a comparison between the different cases.

Regards

[Marie]

Dear Etienne, thank you for your time and help. I am appealing against non-qualification.I will look at Langley's details and see if I can understand it! Thank you.

[Peter]

does anyone know whether the appeals panel get to see the common application form ?

[Etienne]

Dear Peter

If I remember correctly, you're in Berkshire, so it rather depends how the foundation school appeals are handled. If the only issue before the panel is that of non-qualification, then it seems to me that the Common Application Form is not strictly relevant. But if the same panel moves straight on to consider whether the school is full, and the "balance of prejudice", then the CAF should be admissible.

In your neighbouring county, Bucks., things are clearcut: the CAF is not made available at selection appeals (against non-qualification), but is produced at transfer appeals (when the school is oversubscribed).

However, you should get to find out when the papers are sent out in the week before your appeal. If they follow the rules, you must receive exactly the same paperwork as the appeal panel ........

Regards

[peter]

Thanks for your help