TWGSB appeal - your help needed

Eleven Plus (11+) in Kent

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Villagedad
Posts: 526
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2008 5:22 pm
Location: Tonbridge & Tunbridge Wells

Re: TWGSB appeal YOUR HELP NEEDED

Post by Villagedad »

Belinda wrote:Your DS's wobble in the exam adds to the evidence that the result is not a true reflection of his ability and is not extenuating circumstances in itself. In other words the wobble did not allow him to show his true and accurate ability. Don't lose sight of this important aspect of proving the result is not a true reflection. Make the connection but always focus on the result not being a true reflection. That's the thought you want any panel to have in their mind when you leave the room after an appeal.
Thanks Belinda, yes your right we need to think how best to get this across if we were to go for an appeal. I'm trying to get a sense of how difficult an appeal would be to TWGSB..., so if anyone knows of any success stores here and the circumstances that would be really useful :)
tigger2
Posts: 755
Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:35 am

Re: TWGSB appeal YOUR HELP NEEDED

Post by tigger2 »

Village Dad, just wanted to add that I think that you should consider Skinners and Judd appeals too....I am just about to rush out of the door for the day but successful non qual appeals have been heard for both these schools too.

Tigger
Villagedad
Posts: 526
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2008 5:22 pm
Location: Tonbridge & Tunbridge Wells

Re: TWGSB appeal - your help needed

Post by Villagedad »

On another note

With regards to Head Teachers Assessments. Has anyone heard that they were tougher this year than in previous years, or was there any directive from KCC to be tougher (too many passing etc.)?

Thanks
mystery
Posts: 8927
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: TWGSB appeal - your help needed

Post by mystery »

Sorry I do not know any TWGSB appealers personally. I guess the appeal panel members are not absolutely constant from year to year so in some ways the "flavour" of it may change but I'm just exercising my grey matter to try and think how you might get hold of a successful TWGSB appealer who has a child going into year 8 this September, as these are the people who can give you the most "up to date" view of a TWGSB appeal. Probably most will have stopped being active members of this forum if they were on here in the first place. You could maybe try looking at threads from last year and PM a few people who look like they may have started a child in year 7 this year and see if they can ask around their year group and tell you the successful ingredients for appealers.

But I'm not sure how much it matters that you contact a successful TWGSB appealer. I would think that the current head of TWGSB is very good at deciding which appeals he wishes to defend strongly and which he doesn't. At the end of the day more children = more money, and if they can possibly squeeze in more children of the right calibre, I am sure he is happy to do so. He seems a very logical and intelligent head. Clearly the panel is independent and who knows quite how they balance up the academic argument, the extenuating circumstances, and the school's argument, but I would think that they are, as described in the FAQs, most likely to be swayed by very strong academic evidence.

I really would put my all into developing your son's maths this year and having some really concrete evidence by the time of an appeal meeting that he is both "solid" in some high NC levels, and that he has potential which comfortably places him in the top 25% of the population maths-wise ........ maybe through some kind of EP ability test which tests the kind of things which connect to maths ability.

And have a bash at Judd and Skinners too if your maths evidence looks good. You can appeal for schools you have not put on your CAF - but you can appeal immediately if you put them on your CAF but a bit later if you didn't.

Have you tried getting in touch with (name escapes me, I mentioned it in a previous message) whose son last year was high ability but flunked it on the day. She had no extenuating circumstances and gave it a good whirl despite that. She may be able to give you some ideas why her appeal was not successful ........ but it is all a bit of a mystery isn't it.

Are you pretty much a dead cert for Bennett? If so you can afford to put quite a few grammars on your CAF so you can appeal immediately on 1 March and not be towards the back of the queue for appeal hearings. **** might be able to give you some clues too ...... this could be worth a few £££.

Was the maths a different day from the two papers in which your son scored extremely highly?

(On another matter, having looked at my children's maths books at the recent parents' evenings I could see they could be on the path to failure in the Kent maths paper ...... even in the top maths groups at their school they don't seem to get beyond some very basic basics this year .... they are still on a downward slope forgetting what they knew last year and it would be a miracle if I rely on school alone this year if they get back to where they were at the end of last year by the end of this year!)
bertalone
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Mar 11, 2012 10:58 pm

Re: TWGSB appeal - your help needed

Post by bertalone »

My friends son successfully appealed to TWGSB last year. He had a score of 407 with full marks in VR and NVR and 127 for maths. She won it based on where they lived (Westerham) as there were no other GS he could access from this area and the fact that he was obviously suitable for grammar school due to his scores. He probably would have got a place anyway because they opened up an extra class which they may well do again this year. Her appeal to Skinners' was rejected because, although he got a good score, they were focussing on the maths and that is the subject he scored lowest in. She had evidence from the primary school that he was working at the same level for maths as the two boys who did get in and the Head told her that if it was up to him personally he would give her a place but the panel had more stringent criteria?! I heard that the successful appeals there (9 in the end) were for children who had high maths scores and lower VR or NVR but I have no hard evidence on this. My son is at Skinners' yr 7 and has a boy in his class who got in on appeal with 407. (I don't know how though) I do know that there were children this year at TWGSB given a place who had not passed their 11+ on appeal since there was uproar in the Chronicle over it.
Villagedad
Posts: 526
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2008 5:22 pm
Location: Tonbridge & Tunbridge Wells

Re: TWGSB appeal - your help needed

Post by Villagedad »

bertalone wrote:I do know that there were children this year at TWGSB given a place who had not passed their 11+ on appeal since there was uproar in the Chronicle over it.
Many thanks bertalone, very interesting

Do you have any more information on those that didn't pass and how they got a place? What did the Chronicle article say to cause uproar?

I've also heard the school often opens an extra class if lots come through following appeals. I think this happened this year but does anyone know how common it is?

Many thanks all
doodles
Posts: 8300
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2009 9:19 pm

Re: TWGSB appeal - your help needed

Post by doodles »

VillageDad, this is the article they are referring to I think:

http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/Test-failur ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
mystery
Posts: 8927
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: TWGSB appeal - your help needed

Post by mystery »

Anyone know what had happened by the beginning of this term? Had the children with the 3 hour return journey to Maidstone appealed too? Shame people don't read that their place on a waiting list can get worse at any point if someone higher up the admission criteria joins the list.
T12ACY
Posts: 800
Joined: Tue Mar 16, 2010 9:12 pm
Location: Kent

Re: TWGSB appeal - your help needed

Post by T12ACY »

With HT appeals there is a pretty limited number, same as with 'passing' the Kent Test. Can't remember the specifics but there will be a target number and miraculously this is matched by the upheld HT appeals..... Will have a mooch around and try to find the official stats on it.

As for a school taking an extra class it's going to be all the more common I would think to meet the need from DC clearly of GS ability. At appeals if the School state they can accommodate an additional class it's easier but a panel can impose it if the need arises. It comes down to how the school have coped in the past with it. If there was any evidence it caused a real H&S problem, not just that the timetabling caused a headache, it would be almost impossible. My experience is that if the school have coped in the past they can usually again within limits. I mean they couldn't necessarily just add an extra class every year but if they have 1 or 2 in the whole school that may be ok.

****Stats are - 21% pass the KT and 4% are put through on HT appeal, in theory 'passing' 25% as GS suitable.....
bertalone
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Mar 11, 2012 10:58 pm

Re: TWGSB appeal - your help needed

Post by bertalone »

The post above was the one I was referring to earlier (thanks for finding it) I know that TWGSB opened an extra class for the current year 10s and I remember the head teacher saying that they couldn't do it every year because of space. (I don't remember if he said anything about how many extra classes they could accomodate across the whole school.) I think that's about exhausted my useful information I'm afraid!
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