appeal wednesday

Consult our experts on 11 Plus appeals or any other type of school appeal

Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators

11 Plus Mocks - Practise the real exam experience - Book Now
stressed mum
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2009 11:18 am

appeal wednesday

Post by stressed mum »

Hi
Just a small question. I have been on this site regularly since my son missed the pass mark, but have never posted before. Too anxious .
Very informative site.
My appeal is on Wednesday and i just wanted to know whether it was recommended to shake the hands of the panel when we walked in the the room.
We dont want to seem too pushy but want to seem confident and friendly.
Any ideas or has this been covered on another thread.
SM
Lily-Jane
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2008 12:25 pm

Post by Lily-Jane »

Hi SM
You probably won't get the opportunity to shake hands with the panel as they will already be seated behind a table when you walk in. They do introduce themselves however. We shook hands with the clerk who came down to reception to meet us and with the LA rep who was waiting outside the room.
Our appeal was last week and I was very nervous but the panel genuinely did their best to make us feel at ease.
Hope all goes well,
Lily-Jane
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Post by Sally-Anne »

Hi Stressed Mum

As Lily-Jane says, you probably won't be able to reach the panel to shake their hands! It all depends on the size of the table really. Take your lead from them - if they reach over the table to shake hands, obviously you respond.

Otherwise "good morning" and a smile. If you can ...! :D

Sally-Anne
capers123
Posts: 1865
Joined: Sun May 13, 2007 9:03 pm
Location: Gloucestershire

Post by capers123 »

The panels I've been on have always stood when the parents & LEA come in, and normally shake hands (and at the end) with the parents. This sometimes requires acrobatics if there's two tables between us & the parents.

We also smile when shaking hands. It's to try & put the parents at ease and to show that we understand what pressure they're under.
Capers
All Too Much
Posts: 72
Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2009 3:29 pm

Post by All Too Much »

Hi Stressed Mum

I had my appeal last Wednesday. Did not shake hands - it was not offered. I did chat about the weather (foggy day) with them and that seemed to soften the mood. They introduced themselves and said a little about their history. I tried to remember as much as possible - not easy under pressure, I know - but that way there may be a little connection somewhere. They gave me plenty of time to take out my papers and bits before it all got under way. My prepared speech did go out the window though as I went blank; but that did not affect the positive outcome - so don't worry too much. As everyone says, just follow their lead. It appears from this forum that everyone gets asked different questions i.e. mine was all academic, nothing about his out-of-school actitivies or interests and other panels are the opposite.

All the very best.
All Too Much
Etienne
Posts: 8978
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:26 pm

Post by Etienne »

I have known parents walk round the tables, invading the panel's "private space", and shake hands with excessive zeal! Don't do it!

Most panel members will smile and be welcoming.

You are not expected to take the initiative, e.g. by starting a conversation. Take your lead from the panel.
Etienne
stressed mum
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2009 11:18 am

Post by stressed mum »

Thank you so much for your replies, I will certainly take the lead from the panel, and not invade their personal space!!!
stressed mum
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2009 11:18 am

Post by stressed mum »

Well, we had our appeal this morning, it was grueling and i was very nervous, but it was not as bad as i thought it would be.
The panel were all very friendly but asked lots of questions. They seemed really thorough with their knowladge of our case and kept refering to our initial documentation and reports we had sent, as we were speaking.
They asked a lot of Qs relating to our case spefically.
Also
does he read
how was he when he got his results!!!!
What does he do in his spare time
Picked up on something in his report about needing to push himself to achieve great things. I thought of that as positive but the panel asked me whether my child tends to coast along and only do the bare minimum.
Did he finish the paper.
did he find any particular type of question in the 11+ hard.
We were in there for 45min.
We took all but 2 of his school books, they were all good but were they outstanding enough i dont know.
Asked about setting in the school as DD was in 6B and they thought the B meant he was in the B set. It is the initial of his teacher so i am glad we got that cleared up.
Came out of the meeting relieved it was over, but felt we could have said more, my husband does not think we could have said more but he thinks it could go either way.
Anyway, hope this helps, just take deep breaths.
Good luck to all of you
SM
Rob Clark
Posts: 1298
Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2008 1:59 pm

Post by Rob Clark »

Thanks so much for taking the time to post your experiences today, it’s helpful to be given advance notice of the sort of questions the appeals panels are asking.

I hope you get the result you’re looking for :lol:
totpotpink
Posts: 22
Joined: Sun Nov 23, 2008 9:20 pm

Post by totpotpink »

Yes, thankyou for sharing your experience - it all helps with the overall picture - it has been a great comfort to discuss our worries and concerns with like-minded parents - you have to experience it to know the incredibly high levels of anxiey it creates! Best of luck to everyone awaiting the appeal and results :)
Post Reply