Hi,
He did pass and very well - would have got Skinners in previous years but don't think that would have been right for him so that worked out for the best for him! He didn't want to go there anyway!
We had lodged the appeal but the place came up before we had to go through with it. In some ways I think an appeal is might be easier if you haven't passed / have just missed the mark or have extenuating circumstances - we had nothing to go on except we thought would be best fit for him. As we also had such a good back up we couldn't use that for a reason in the appeal. I have to say being OOC in East Sussex I always thought we would just try - we played a straight bat (i.e. didn't move or buy a property to get him in) and in the end decided if it was meant to be, he'd get a place. Risky I know but it did come right for him. As I say, seeming like the right decision at the moment, but always keep these things under review! For some reason TWGSB is viewed somewhat as a lesser option than Judd or Skinners and even maybe Bennett - Weald and TWGGS don't suffer from this even though their students also just need a pass. I suffered a bit from this prejudice too and put myself through torture when deciding whether to take the place over Bennett!! Anyway, it's feeling like the right place and the staff have been really helpful and responsive in any dealings I've had with them. On our last tour to help inform the final decision the Head of year showed us around and I was pretty impressed.
It's such a tough one and if you're like me you will probably drive yourself mad!