Advice on Appeal day

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ambermollie
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Jan 26, 2016 2:48 pm

Advice on Appeal day

Post by ambermollie »

Hi,

I was speaking with a friend who a few years ago won her appeal for her school and we are currently waiting for ours and she mentioned that she took her child along to the appeal as she wanted to show that this was a decision that the whole family were behind. I hadn't thought about taking my daughter along and I just wondered what others opinions/ thoughts were on this??
hermanmunster
Posts: 12821
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Re: Advice on Appeal day

Post by hermanmunster »

this from the forum EPE appeals FAQ http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appeals/general#a14" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Tolstoy
Posts: 2755
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2008 5:25 pm

Re: Advice on Appeal day

Post by Tolstoy »

Hemanmunster has posted the professional advice.

Personally I actually think it is up to parents to decide what is best for their DC at this age not the DC themselves. So couldn't give a fig if the 'whole family' as in the DC themselves, were behind it or not. My older DC would have opted to go to the local Comprehensive and not a Grammar when they took the test some years ago now. They were too young and inexperienced to know how important a good school is compared to attending a failing school. A school mate of eldest and his parents are now having to face the consequences of that decision as he is struggles to get a place at medicine school.
ambermollie
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Jan 26, 2016 2:48 pm

Re: Advice on Appeal day

Post by ambermollie »

Tolstoy,

the advice I was after was not for the child to decide on the school but whether it was appropriate for them to be at the appeal process
Amber
Posts: 8058
Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:59 am

Re: Advice on Appeal day

Post by Amber »

I think Tolstoy was assuming that by taking the child along, it would be implied that the child passionately wanted to go to the school being appealed for. And she was saying well really the child doesn't know what is best. I think there have been several threads about this in the past and the advice from Etienne and Sally-Anne, who really know their stuff, is that it isn't a great idea. Personally I think that would put a lot of pressure on the child and if the appeal was unsuccessful you might end up with a small person blaming themselves for it. I don't think I would even tell a child I was appealing if it were me; but of course you know your child best and must decide what you feel will work in your circumstances.
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: Advice on Appeal day

Post by Sally-Anne »

Amber wrote:the advice from Etienne and Sally-Anne, who really know their stuff, is that it isn't a great idea.
I blush. :oops:

I would go further than that and say that it is a terrible idea. An appeal is a legal process, desperately dull and often fraught with emotion. Occasionally, although fairly rarely, panel members can be quite robust in their approach to questions and parents can find it unnerving, having to defend their case. The effect on a 10 year-old child doesn't bear thinking about.

Please, don't take her.
DC17C
Posts: 1197
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:34 pm

Re: Advice on Appeal day

Post by DC17C »

I am also in the "please don't take your dd to an appeal" camp.

I am a Mum who has been through the appeal process.....and had a successful outcome; I also have friends who have been devastated by the process when they have not been successful. I am now a counsellling and psychotherapy student and currently learning about psychological development- there is no way I would want my child anywhere near the appeal room. The appeal process should not be interested in how supportive the family are to get a place.
Eddas
Posts: 78
Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2014 10:51 pm

Re: Advice on Appeal day

Post by Eddas »

Everything I've seen advises against taking your child along.

We didn't take our dd and I think it's quite a daunting environment as an adult so would probably be quite overwhelming for most children.

The panel asks lots of questions and I think had my dd have been there she may well have felt very disheartened by them, for example they questioned her maths ability for quite some time, dd already doubts her own maths ability so hearing all those questions would have only made it worse.

The panel are there to question why your child who failed should be given a place so they will be questioning their academic ability. I am all for being open and honest with my children (eg reading their own school reports) but having been to two appeals last year I would definitely agree it is not a place to take your child to.
mattsurf
Posts: 230
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2008 11:44 am

Re: Advice on Appeal day

Post by mattsurf »

The purpose of the appeal is to determine whether you can demonstrate that there is evidence to demonstrate that the child is of the required academic standards for a grammar school and whether the admission of an additional child would prejudice the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources or it finds that the admission arrangements did not comply with admissions law or had not been correctly and impartially applied.

I cannot see how bringing you DD will have any positive bearing on the outcome of an appeal. The panel will not assess your daughter, they can only assess the evidence that you provide.
ambermollie
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Jan 26, 2016 2:48 pm

Re: Advice on Appeal day

Post by ambermollie »

Thank you all for your replys.

I hadn't even considered taking her and at the moment although she knows it is happening she is not aware that it is next week, it was only because as I say a friend had said that she had taken her child that I thought I would put it out there to see what the general consensus was

Again thank you for all your thoughts
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