Appeals - some advice
Posted: Thu May 09, 2019 3:34 pm
I hope that the below will assist those who have to undergo the daunting appeals process.
I attended an appeal for Wirral Grammar School for Boys on behalf of my son who narrowly missed the 236 mark by 3 marks.
The panel comprises a lay person, two representatives of the school and a determining panel of three. So that's six people in total who you face as you walk in: the lay person is on your left, the Wirral Grammar reps are on your right, and you are facing three panel members. It is quite unnerving, so you need to brace yourself for this.
The rep from Wirral then read out the reasons/ criteria for non acceptance and defers to the panel chairperson. They will then give you an opportunity to speak and present your case. I prepared some notes in advance and rather than read a pre prepared speech I used the bullet points to ensure that I got my message across. I noticed that all 3 panel members rarely looked up and were busy making notes. The two reps from Wirral less so, and eye contact was made. However, later on in the process eye contact was made with the panel.
I would say that they will be sympathetic to something particularly untoward - trauma or sickness when undertaking the exam adversely impacting on them and not reflecting their true ability. However, in order to demonstrate this you will need to back it up. I would strongly suggest that evidence to support this needs to be provided to the panel in the written submissions several weeks in advance of the appeal.
There were approximately 30 sets of parents there at the debriefing and judging on previous success criteria, only 5 will be successful. So you must prepare yourself for bad news.
I believe that my submission was very well received and indeed I was praised by the chair for my succinct presentation. I mentioned the reasons I believed my son would both be an asset to the school and why it was the preferred school for him. It is about him after all. Mention of the ethos of the school and pastoral leadership is also recommended.
However, the overriding factor and ultimately the stumbling block for us, was not being able to back up the strong belief that my son had an off day during the test. As one of the panel members pointed out, the "mean" score for those attending WGB is in the 250 range, well in excess of 236, which is in excess of 233. Hand on heart, can you honestly say he will not struggle in the school environment from the off? And I believe that question to be genuinely levelled. So you need to have an honest and robust response. I floundered a little at that point, I have to admit.
The other strong recommendation I would advise is for your Head-teacher to write a letter to the panel on your son or daughter's behalf stating not only what personality traits they have, but MOST IMPORTANTLY to express a strong belief that based on evidence that they have witnessed, the child is well above average academically (with evidence). Better than expected, or above expected will not be enough. Remember, immediately before the results are made public to parents the Head-teacher has sight of the results and can appeal directly on behalf of your child if they believe the results do not reflect your ability. Bare that in mind too.
Good luck!
I attended an appeal for Wirral Grammar School for Boys on behalf of my son who narrowly missed the 236 mark by 3 marks.
The panel comprises a lay person, two representatives of the school and a determining panel of three. So that's six people in total who you face as you walk in: the lay person is on your left, the Wirral Grammar reps are on your right, and you are facing three panel members. It is quite unnerving, so you need to brace yourself for this.
The rep from Wirral then read out the reasons/ criteria for non acceptance and defers to the panel chairperson. They will then give you an opportunity to speak and present your case. I prepared some notes in advance and rather than read a pre prepared speech I used the bullet points to ensure that I got my message across. I noticed that all 3 panel members rarely looked up and were busy making notes. The two reps from Wirral less so, and eye contact was made. However, later on in the process eye contact was made with the panel.
I would say that they will be sympathetic to something particularly untoward - trauma or sickness when undertaking the exam adversely impacting on them and not reflecting their true ability. However, in order to demonstrate this you will need to back it up. I would strongly suggest that evidence to support this needs to be provided to the panel in the written submissions several weeks in advance of the appeal.
There were approximately 30 sets of parents there at the debriefing and judging on previous success criteria, only 5 will be successful. So you must prepare yourself for bad news.
I believe that my submission was very well received and indeed I was praised by the chair for my succinct presentation. I mentioned the reasons I believed my son would both be an asset to the school and why it was the preferred school for him. It is about him after all. Mention of the ethos of the school and pastoral leadership is also recommended.
However, the overriding factor and ultimately the stumbling block for us, was not being able to back up the strong belief that my son had an off day during the test. As one of the panel members pointed out, the "mean" score for those attending WGB is in the 250 range, well in excess of 236, which is in excess of 233. Hand on heart, can you honestly say he will not struggle in the school environment from the off? And I believe that question to be genuinely levelled. So you need to have an honest and robust response. I floundered a little at that point, I have to admit.
The other strong recommendation I would advise is for your Head-teacher to write a letter to the panel on your son or daughter's behalf stating not only what personality traits they have, but MOST IMPORTANTLY to express a strong belief that based on evidence that they have witnessed, the child is well above average academically (with evidence). Better than expected, or above expected will not be enough. Remember, immediately before the results are made public to parents the Head-teacher has sight of the results and can appeal directly on behalf of your child if they believe the results do not reflect your ability. Bare that in mind too.
Good luck!