Training and guidance for panels for "non-qual appeals"

[mystery]

Yes, to say that one has "considered" the evidence does not really seem sufficient. Why does it have to be such a strange system of mysteriously selected volunteers?

Some volunteers are sifted quite carefully. e.g. I have reasonable faith in the appointment of lay magistrates as my mother-in-law was not accepted.

Do panel members on here find that all their panel colleagues are as well-informed and as thoughtful as them in how they reach their personal judgements?

[T12ACY]

In my experience, no. The other panel members, at times, came across as having tunnel vision and pre conceived ideas and not open to reasonable 'argument'. It is an enormous frustration to me which is why I applied to be a panel member, not that a single person can do much in reality!!!! The LA do hold training days where alternative evidence for selective places is covered but I felt some opted to insert ear plugs during this section because they felt they knew better. Most disappointing

[Etienne]

Panel members do need training - but in other respects they are like ordinary members of a jury. They're not meant to be experts. They listen to the evidence from both sides, and make a judgement.

If you really want experts, you'd need a large panel consisting of a teacher, a GP, an educational psychologist, perhaps a social worker, etc. (It simply couldn't be organised or afforded - the system would immediately grind to a halt!)

I think Tracy hits the nail on the head - what is really needed are people with an open mind, independence, and some common sense!

Perhaps more people could follow Tracy's example and volunteer?

(You need to be dedicated, though - the pay is zero!)

Why does it have to be such a strange system of mysteriously selected volunteers?

Why 'mysteriously selected'? There might be a few exceptions (anyone who can't read?), but as far as I know, just about anyone who volunteers is going to be welcomed with open arms.

The previous Code stated: "Admission authorities (or a body acting on their behalf e.g. if the local authority manages the area’s appeals process) must advertise for lay members every three years. Admission authorities must place an advertisement in at least one local newspaper and allow a minimum of twenty-one days for reply. Admission authorities may also use other ways of attracting potential members, for example by issuing flyers in local newspapers or to local companies and community centres, and advertising on the internet, making clear that training will be provided."

Unfortunately the above paragraph is no longer to be found in the current simplified Code. One hopes that admission authorities will still advertise from time to time.

The head of our local grammar school says that they use 'their own' independent appeals panel exactly because the appeals panels run by county do not understand selective schools. The trouble is this panel is reconvened year after year and seems to get too close a relationship with the school

This of course is the potential problem with schools running their own appeals. Just how independent is the panel going to be?

If a parent had their appeal heard by a panel that clearly did not understand the evidence / had not been appropriately trained, is there something they could do about it afterwards?

If there is evidence (in the clerk's notes, for example) that the panel had not understood something, and if that could have affected the outcome, it is very likely that a complaint to the ombudsman/EFA would succeed.

It's not just the panel who can make a serious mistake. There was a case that went to the ombudsman because the Presenting Officer (an 'expert') misunderstood the academic evidence and misled the panel! The ombudsman upheld the complaint.

[capers123]

The head of our local grammar school says that they use 'their own' independent appeals panel exactly because the appeals panels run by county do not understand selective schools. The trouble is this panel is reconvened year after year and seems to get too close a relationship with the school

The Academies in my area tend to run their own appeals. They tend to advertise in the local press every now and again for panel members so might say that these are 'their panel', maybe to distinguish them from the previous County panels. However, in practice, once a panel member has done one appeal, their names will be taken by one of the independent clerks and used for lots of different schools. You could end up hearing for the same school 3 years running, but the other panel members are likely to be different and our clerks (who book us) do seem to swap us round.

In our county we have no connection to the schools, and don't feel loyalty to them.

All the panel members I've met (primary, comp & selective school panels) seem to be reasonably intelligent (ie - probably would have passed the 11+ had they sat it) and are independent thinkers, often having strong opinions and capable of understanding reports & evidence outside their own areas of knowledge. The opinions often differing, so we do get a lot of healthy debates when it comes to decision time with appeals being decided on a split vote. New panel members are trained either by the county or by a legal company on behalf of the academies, then put put 2 experienced panel members who will guide them through the process. I remember being scared stiff during the first set of appeals I heard!

[mystery]

I am pretty sure panels round here are not trained - not by my definition anyhow - and I have never seen an advert. One day I will volunteer as I would like to do it; I will have to eat my words then if I am wrong. Tracy is describing a kent experience though. But every academy may do it differently.

[twellsmum]

This is interesting to me. We recently had a successful appeal for my son. He is predicted level 5s for reading and maths but because of his dyspraxia/dyslexia, his primary school said that they thought he would only achieve a level 4a (but possibly a 5c) for his writing. In our submissions we pointed out to the panel that when he went to secondary, wherever he went, he would use a laptop and the difference in quality of work between handwritten and typewritten was staggering. We also pointed out that because of the huge amount of coaching in West Kent concentrating on 11+ only (ie no literacy skills coaching) there were many boys who would not achieve a level 5 (and some not even a level 4!) who would be at his school. They did not seem to compute this and kept insisting that a grammar school boy should have level 5s across the board. They didn't seem to understand the Ed Psych report either ...

[mystery]

Interesting. So how did you persuade them and have a successful appeal?

I do hope I never end up at appeal. It would seem safe to assume no knowledge on the part of the panel, but somehow explain things in a way that does not, for those panel members who do have the knowledge of the various ways academic ability could be demonstrated, sound as though one is teaching granny how to suck eggs.

Does your granny know how to suck eggs?

[twellsmum]

I'm not sure how we persuaded them in the end, I am just glad that we did! By the way, when do the SATS results come out? ISTR with my older two that we got them the first week of July but we haven't received them yet.

[Guest55]

KS2 test results were out a week ago.

[twellsmum]

Wonder where our school's results are then?