11 Plus Exams Forum

Hi all
Etienne, like your posts, was wondering if you can help with this in any way.
My youngest DS missed out on the QE exam, and is on the waiting list (but I dount he scored enough to get an offer via that route)
I'm going to appeal on the grounds that:
he is He is a grade 5 student across the board
his CATS are 123 average


Is there anything else I need to mention or provide for the appeal?

I've already requested for the appeal pack from the school, but do I also need to notify, our LEA and the School's LEA (its a different borough)?

Thanks in advance

s

Etienne, like your posts

Thanks!

Is there anything else I need to mention or provide for the appeal?

You seem to have covered the two main areas:
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appeal ... cation#b11" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appeal ... -school#c2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
and have extenuating circumstances:
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... 35&t=24978" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I've already requested for the appeal pack from the school, but do I also need to notify, our LEA and the School's LEA (its a different borough)?

No, I see no need to notify anyone else at this stage.

Good luck! The competitive nature of QE entry will inevitably have an impact on appeals, so the more compelling the evidence, the better!

Spatel2 - thanks for raising this topic and good luck with your appeal.

Etienne - we are unsure whether to appeal for our DS who also missed out on a place at QE. His standardised score was 336 but,ignorantly, DH and I hadn't realised that so much tutoring went on. He only started on practice papers a few weeks before the tests. He is level 5 across the board except for Maths where he's level 7. He was identified G&T early in primary school. He's just achieved a gold award in the Primary Maths Challenge bonus round (he also achieved a silver last year in yr 5). We have an EP report giving him an IQ of 144. His head teacher report would be extremely supportive (his primary have been excellent with him). He is very self-driven, has a desire for learning and we feel he needs to be with like-minded boys and working at a suitably fast pace and level. He was offered a place at a good selective indie but we would struggle to pay fees.

Do you think it's worth appealing?

PlutoMum wrote:Do you think it's worth appealing?

It's very difficult to anticipate appeal outcomes, but you appear to have some strong academic evidence there.

An appeal panel could be expected to weigh up:

• the score achieved
  alternative academic evidence
  reasons for wanting a place at this particular school
  any extenuating circumstances

Not sure if you're suggesting lack of tutoring as an extenuating circumstance, but proving a negative is very difficult!

Maths looks particularly good. Level 5 in other subjects covers quite a wide range of ability (from 5a to borderline 5c).

[moved from another thread]

Hi katel

I have been involved in a couple of Bucks appeals which have been successful on very, very low scores.

In both cases we provided an independent assessment because there were no CAT scores, but there was immensely strong school support, backed up by consistently excellent reports, test results and schoolbooks. In both cases the evidence was irrefutable proof of very high ability and the panels literally "threw out" the scores. Even though the schools' evidence was of such high quality, and supported the cases most effectively, I have no doubt that it was the results of the assessments which gave the panels complete confidence in upholding the appeals.

(For the record, one of the children involved is now right at the top of the year group at a Bucks GS, which is exactly what the assessment said would happen.)

Snowdrops asked whether you have considered an Ed Psych Assessment, but you haven't yet replied. Although I would never say to someone that it is necessary to have some form of independent evidence of high ability for an appeal, I would say that it can turn an appeal on very low scores right around in a remarkably simple and highly effective manner.

Hope that is of some help.

Sally-Anne

Sally Anne
We have submitted an appeal, however, apart from personal circumstances which affected his preparation before the exam etc (I wouldn’t like to discuss on here). We have submitted CAT scores, his average scores for last two years are:124, 121. His current school isn’t very, which doesn't help.

Would it be beneficial to have an independent assessment? If so, how can I go about this? Is it too late?

Cheers

Spatel2 wrote:Would it be beneficial to have an independent assessment? If so, how can I go about this? Is it too late?

Cheers

I can't say whether it would be beneficial, but if an EP report doesn't support your case you don't have to submit it.

You can find an EP near you here: http://www.bps.org.uk/bpslegacy/dcp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You may have to travel to find someone who is available at short notice.

Sally-Anne

I would recommend having as much evidence as possible to support your DS's academic ability. Remember you are not only trying to prove his ability, but also compete with all the other parents appealing. QE are not able to admit all those that appeal, maybe 1 or 2. So you need to be able to have a case that stands out against all others and evidence of academic ability has to be strong. As has been mentioned you don't have to use EP report, however it might prove useful in supporting your arguments if it looks positive.

Can you please advise (esp Etienne on the following?
Just received an independent psychologist report and its findings in general are that my DS IQ scores are high average but not as high as what QE would expect, however his reading, spelling and maths are excellent (all 16+ years). I am wondering if I should submit this report and if it would help the appeal or not?

Here's a summary:
CAT scores (done at school) Already submitted as part of the appeal
Y5 116, 126, 130 (verbal, Non Verbal, Maths) average 123
Y6 112, 129, 126 (verbal, Non Verbal, Maths) average 121+

Physcologists findings:
A) Mental ability tests using various (WISC-IV UK) tests:
108 Verbal Reasoning – 70th percentile
115 Perceptual Reasoning – 84th percentile
102 Working Memory – 55th percentile
121 Processing Speed – 92nd percentile
Average 115 – 84th percentile

B) Attainment (WIAT-II) tests:
118 Word Reading - 88th percentile - 16years plus reading age
128 Spelling - 97th percentile - 16 years plus spelling age
148 Numeric Operations - 99.9th percentile - 16 years plus numeric age - It's basically off the scale!

So his mental (IQ) scores aren't as high as you may require for entry into the top select schools (QE) however, his attainment scores are impressive – but on the flip side these could be seen as he tries very hard and has been taught well.

The psychologist said it's up to me to decide if the report should be submitted or not. Any thoughts, suggestions? Would you submit the reports findings as part of the appeal?

p.s. I must state that we have strong mitigating circumstances and reasons for why DS should attend this school, and that may be good enough with examples of his school work and CAT scores to succeed in the appeal.

The deadline for additional appeal information is the 8th May so quick responses appreciated.
Thanks

Although the WISC-IV results aren't bad, my own view would be that they're not exceptional enough to help your appeal.

There's a clear pattern emerging from both CATs and WISC-IV that he's stronger at NVR/perceptual reasoning, isn't there? (If the 11+ test format had been biased in favour of VR, you would have had a possible line of argument there!)

Thanks Etienne.
That's correct, he is stronger at NVR (and maths) than VR. I was thinking of not using the report, however, if we didnt present the mental arithmatic scores then the attainment (which shows reading, spelling and numeric operations to be all over all over 16+ years) scores cant be presented either.

So with the above in mind, do you still think it be best not to submit the report

Thanks a lot again.