remark of Tiffin papers

[ClappedOutMum]

So even if you have a very bright DC but not prepared well, his/her talent/gift will definitely be wasted in this competitive world.

But with respect I think you are confusing preparation for useless and artificial VR/NVR with preparation for an education!

As I said, my (not serious) strategy would involve preparation in English/Maths to get them used to working very hard indeed!

[tabasco]

So even if you have a very bright DC but not prepared well, his/her talent/gift will definitely be wasted in this competitive world.

But with respect I think you are confusing preparation for useless and artificial VR/NVR with preparation for an education!

As I said, my (not serious) strategy would involve preparation in English/Maths to get them used to working very hard indeed!

Whether the test is useless or artificial is for the school to decide and not the parents. If they are not happy with the selection procedure there are always other schools to go to.

Yes, I agree with you on the last point and that what we have done with our DD.

[London_Mum]

But even of those that can be bothered, why don't more get through. Surely all they need to show is that they are at least as bright as those that had the better test preparation?

...Because in addition to proving academic ability (which, as you say, many could easily prove), parents also have to demonstrate the detrimental consequences of being denied a place outstrips the detrimental consequences to the school of being forced to accept another pupil and go above admission numbers.
Here, parents may use arguments such as sports teams, debating clubs, triple science options, language curriculum or anything else that the grammar school can offer which their allocated school cannot. They can also use family circumstances, medical reasons (not necessarily severe enough for a statement but nevertheless something that might impact on daily life – eg asthma and the journey to school) and mitigating circumstances.
Parents are also allowed to challenge and seek to undermine the school’s case to refuse admission for example by proving classroom space is adequate, rooms in the school are underutilised, greater pupil numbers in other year groups have caused no negative impact....

So the parents build up a case. They start by proving their child is of exceptional academic ability and they need compelling evidence for this. Then they move on to proving this school is the only one suitable (in their opinion and sometimes in the opinion of outside experts) for their child. They then explain why any disadvantage the school will suffer from taking their child it outweighed by the much greater disadvantage their child will suffer if denied a place. Those points proved lead to a successful appeal but it is not hard to see why these points would be hard to prove convincingly enough and therefore why so many appeals fail.

There are probably 400 - 700 applicants who have the required academic ability to benefit from attending Tiffins - or any other Grammar. Everyone agrees however that Tiffins cannot possoibly take all of these. That is why admission numbers are set in advance. Appeals however serve to make decisions in the grey area that exists between the school ensuring education is not compromised by excess numbers in Year 7 and the panel ensuring no child with a convincing need for a place suffers due to the school rigidly sticking to admission figures when in truth 1 or 2 extra pupils will make no real difference.

[ClappedOutMum]

Thanks, LondonMum, back to the tutoring then.....

All makes sense.