slough grammer and slough consortium appeals

[langley/mum]

Hi.My child acheived 117 in the Slough consortuim papers but as we put LGS as our 1st choice we understand it will be borderline whether we get offered a place there but also we will not get offered a place at Herschel,as we didn't put it as our first choice?He then only got 107 on the Slough Grammar papers,which we are appealing.I am told all the grammar schools are over subscibed,so how can i expect an appeal to be successful, if not all the children that did pass are going to get offered spaces?What are other peoples views/experiences on this?There is alot of info on this site about the Bucks appeals but not so much Berks?

[Catherine]

Hi.My child acheived 117 in the Slough consortuim papers but as we put LGS as our 1st choice we understand it will be borderline whether we get offered a place there but also we will not get offered a place at Herschel,as we didn't put it as our first choice?He then only got 107 on the Slough Grammar papers,which we are appealing.I am told all the grammar schools are over subscibed,so how can i expect an appeal to be successful, if not all the children that did pass are going to get offered spaces?What are other peoples views/experiences on this?There is alot of info on this site about the Bucks appeals but not so much Berks?

Hi Langley/mum,

There is infortunately more info about the Bucks appeals . This is because our appeals experts are mostly from Bucks and also because the appeal system is a lot more transparent than in Slough.

Have you seen the sticky about appeals at the top of the Berkshire section? At the bottom of the post there are links to recent discussions about appeals for Slough grammars from parents with the same concerns as yourself.
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... php?t=5006

The added problem with Slough is that since it is the first year that Slough Grammar hasn't been in the consortium, it is more difficult to guess the threshold to get into the schools.
Some parents mentioned that the Slough Grammar test was easier but that the scores seemed generally lower. We can only try to guess what it means in term of appeals unfortunately.

Unlike in Bucks, so far the consortium grammars will not say if you have qualified but don't get a place. They just send a letter saying that the appeal isn't successful... I don't know how Slough Grammar is going to handle the appeals.

[langley/mum]

Thanks Catherine for your speedy and considered response.I was wondering, as we have no mitigating circumstances for our appeal but only what i consider good academic support,how could that effect the outcome of an appeal?Most cases i have read on the forum or appeals section are pointing towards mitigating circumstances effecting the result on the day or leading up to the exam,in addition to the academic evidence?

[Catherine]

For all appeals evidence of good academic achievement is essential, and in general, the further from the pass score, the more mitigating circumstances would be needed. It is difficult to know what Slough grammar would consider close to the pass score.
Do you you have for yourself any explanation of why your son didn't perform as well as expected?

[langley/mum]

Hi again.....my childs results greatly differed....overall 117 in Slough Consortium test,which was sat a on thursday in his school.....107 in the Slough Grammar test,which was sat on the saturday in the grammar school?No logical explanation other than he may have been more nervous in unfamiliar surrounds and circumstances? How would that sound in an appeal?

[Etienne]

the appeal system is a lot more transparent than in Slough.

I agree with Catherine. The other thing to remember is that Bucks have some 900 appeals taking place in January and early February - it follows that there are going to be a lot of questions from Bucks appellants at the moment ........ and consequently a lot of answers.
Many, probably most, of the points made are going to apply to appeals generally.

117 in Slough Consortium test,which was sat a on thursday in his school.....107 in the Slough Grammar test,which was sat on the saturday in the grammar school - No logical explanation other than he may have been more nervous in unfamiliar surrounds and circumstances? How would that sound in an appeal?

Assuming the tests were of the same kind and standardised in the same way, then, from an appeal panel perspective, I think the marks are probably too far apart for "nerves" to be a really convincing explanation. No reason why you shouldn't put it forward, though.

[The reality, as I wrote recently in a Kent appeal thread, might be that one of the results is very unreliable. To give an example from NFER:- with a single score of 117, there is a 90% chance that the true score lies within a range of something like 106-123, and a 10% chance that the true score lies outside this range.]