Appealing a residual place for an oversubscribed grammar
Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 7:13 pm
Hi,
I have just discovered my son has failed to secure a place at Lancaster Grammar school after having been placed on the waiting list back in October 2009. We live just outside the boundary and so our application was for a residual place.
The letter points out that although he has been passed as suitable for grammar it is basically oversubscribed from pupils within the catchment area. Along with the letter advising us of the schools decision came his results of the entrance exam he had taken last year.
These were as follows: VR (standardised target mark 62%)...68%
Maths (" " " " " 60%).....66%
English(" " " " " 63%).....51%
As you can see he has done very well in verbal reasoning and maths but has not done nearly so well in the English paper.
Personally, my wife and I feel hes just had a bit of a nightmare in his English paper on the day. Although he is strong in maths/ science and we are aware that English/ literacy is not his favourite area - we know him to be competent in the subject and as far as we are aware he is predicted level 5 in KS2 English.
Therefore do you think it is worth appealing on the basis of an 'off day' or is that simply a none starter? Interestingly, the English paper was the last one of the day and I wonder whether this would have different if it had been at the beginning.
The school has been awarded specialist technology status and I wondered whether this coupled with my sons strength in maths/ science could be put forward as an argument for him being accepted?
I hope you dont mind me contacting you in this way as I just wondered what the procedure to appeal would be and more importantly how to structure the argument if appropriate.
Thanks in advance and kind regards.
Dave
I have just discovered my son has failed to secure a place at Lancaster Grammar school after having been placed on the waiting list back in October 2009. We live just outside the boundary and so our application was for a residual place.
The letter points out that although he has been passed as suitable for grammar it is basically oversubscribed from pupils within the catchment area. Along with the letter advising us of the schools decision came his results of the entrance exam he had taken last year.
These were as follows: VR (standardised target mark 62%)...68%
Maths (" " " " " 60%).....66%
English(" " " " " 63%).....51%
As you can see he has done very well in verbal reasoning and maths but has not done nearly so well in the English paper.
Personally, my wife and I feel hes just had a bit of a nightmare in his English paper on the day. Although he is strong in maths/ science and we are aware that English/ literacy is not his favourite area - we know him to be competent in the subject and as far as we are aware he is predicted level 5 in KS2 English.
Therefore do you think it is worth appealing on the basis of an 'off day' or is that simply a none starter? Interestingly, the English paper was the last one of the day and I wonder whether this would have different if it had been at the beginning.
The school has been awarded specialist technology status and I wondered whether this coupled with my sons strength in maths/ science could be put forward as an argument for him being accepted?
I hope you dont mind me contacting you in this way as I just wondered what the procedure to appeal would be and more importantly how to structure the argument if appropriate.
Thanks in advance and kind regards.
Dave