Missed the mark by 1 point .... Appeal seems difficult SWGS

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Angelar592
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2017 10:00 pm

Missed the mark by 1 point .... Appeal seems difficult SWGS

Post by Angelar592 »

Hi my daughter recently took her exam scoring 294.... the pass mark was 295. After much thought we have decided to appeal. We have the backing of the headteacher so hopefully that will cover the academic side, but to appeal you also have to have an extenuating circumstance. We do have a couple of things- our cat of 14 years was put to sleep in the week of the test which was very upsetting for my daughter. Also I’m not sure how much this hold but my daughter became poorly (sick bug) a couple of days after the test (wondered if she didn’t realise she was under the weather). Now 1) I’m not sure what evidence I could use? And 2) the grammar school make it difficult to appeal without think about things before the results. If you are poorly you can take it another day, if you feel poorly during the test you can go home and come back and finish it another day. I’ve also just read that if you have an extenuating circumstance you should let the school know before results day, which I did not realise but ticked a box to say I’d read the parents information when I signed her up for the test. I had glanced over it but never thought I’d have to appeal so didn’t read that section. So my question is... is there any point in appealing as they seem like they have tried to cover all areas so you can not win an appeal without thought prior to the results. Has anyone tried to appeal to this school? Thanks
Etienne
Posts: 8978
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:26 pm

Re: Missed the mark by 1 point .... Appeal seems difficult S

Post by Etienne »

Welcome to Appeals! :)

Have you seen the Q&As?
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... 35&t=35032" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Once you've finished reading, if you still have unanswered questions, do please let us know.

Which area are you in? This part of the forum deals with appeals all over the country, and "SWGS" won't be meaningful for most of us! :?
Etienne
Angelar592
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2017 10:00 pm

Re: Missed the mark by 1 point .... Appeal seems difficult S

Post by Angelar592 »

Hi many thanks for the reply. I have read the question and answers but couldn’t find anything on my particular question.
Swgs is in Wiltshire :)
Etienne
Posts: 8978
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:26 pm

Re: Missed the mark by 1 point .... Appeal seems difficult S

Post by Etienne »

...... but to appeal you also have to have an extenuating circumstance.
I wonder where "you have to have" comes from?
    • Note that the new Code of Practice which came into force on 1st February 2012 makes no mention at all of extenuating circumstances. This is not necessarily to say that extenuating circumstances might not be discussed at a hearing, but they shouldn’t be the basis of an appeal. The main focus should always be on academic evidence.
      https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appea ... cation#b10" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
We do have a couple of things- our cat of 14 years was put to sleep in the week of the test which was very upsetting for my daughter.
Could you provide a bill from the vet as evidence? Did the school notice that she was upset?
Also I’m not sure how much this hold but my daughter became poorly (sick bug) a couple of days after the test (wondered if she didn’t realise she was under the weather). Now 1) I’m not sure what evidence I could use?
Could the GP confirm that there was a consultation a couple of days after the test?
And 2) the grammar school make it difficult to appeal without think about things before the results. If you are poorly you can take it another day, if you feel poorly during the test you can go home and come back and finish it another day. I’ve also just read that if you have an extenuating circumstance you should let the school know before results day, which I did not realise but ticked a box to say I’d read the parents information when I signed her up for the test. I had glanced over it but never thought I’d have to appeal so didn’t read that section.
I don't think there'll be much sympathy if you didn't read the guidance. :?
So my question is... is there any point in appealing as they seem like they have tried to cover all areas so you can not win an appeal without thought prior to the results.
If they want to turn down the appeal, they'll find a reason somewhere! It's worth appealing, I think, when you're only one mark short. If you've read the Q&As, you'll know that academic evidence
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appeal ... cation#b11" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
plus reasons for wanting a place at the school being appealed for
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appeal ... -school#c2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
are the most important things.
Has anyone tried to appeal to this school?
Might be worth finding out the exact success rate - then you'll know what you might be up against:
https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appeals/general#a39" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Etienne
Angelar592
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2017 10:00 pm

Re: Missed the mark by 1 point .... Appeal seems difficult S

Post by Angelar592 »

So we have decided to appeal. The cat passing away the week of the test is a resin that we think she did not reach the pass mark. We have a letter from the head supporting the academic side. We also have her predicted end of year results- showing that she is expected to exceed expectations in every area. Her head has written a lot about how high she is scoring in maths. The Grammar school have picked up on this and one of the reason to decline her appeal is that she only scored 3 out of the last 17 questions in Maths. But for me this just proves that things that week affected her. She wouldn’t ever normally score so low. I’m just wondering if I can turn this negative into a positive?
Thanks
Etienne
Posts: 8978
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:26 pm

Re: Missed the mark by 1 point .... Appeal seems difficult S

Post by Etienne »

I’m just wondering if I can turn this negative into a positive?
It's worth a try - but what might have clinched it for you is if the primary school noticed how upset she was during the week in question.
Etienne
anotherdad
Posts: 1763
Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2011 5:33 pm

Re: Missed the mark by 1 point .... Appeal seems difficult S

Post by anotherdad »

Angelar592 wrote:So we have decided to appeal. The cat passing away the week of the test is a resin that we think she did not reach the pass mark. We have a letter from the head supporting the academic side. We also have her predicted end of year results- showing that she is expected to exceed expectations in every area. Her head has written a lot about how high she is scoring in maths. The Grammar school have picked up on this and one of the reason to decline her appeal is that she only scored 3 out of the last 17 questions in Maths. But for me this just proves that things that week affected her. She wouldn’t ever normally score so low. I’m just wondering if I can turn this negative into a positive?
Thanks
If I understand you correctly you've had an unsuccessful appeal? As for next steps, what is the school or local authority's (if relevant) policy with regard to appealing the appeal decision? It may be final.

If I've misunderstood and you are yet to appeal, Etienne asked the following questions:
Could you provide a bill from the vet as evidence? Did the school notice that she was upset?
What are the answers to those? As I see it, if you are suggesting that your daughter's problems with the last 17 questions are a consequence of upset about the cat, the obvious question would be: Why did she score so well on the previous maths questions and on the other elements of the test? Unexpected underperformance across the whole test would be more consistent with general upset.
Etienne
Posts: 8978
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:26 pm

Re: Missed the mark by 1 point .... Appeal seems difficult S

Post by Etienne »

The Grammar school have picked up on this and one of the reason to decline her appeal
It sounds to me as if the school have studied the appellant's case and are seeking to rebut it in advance of the hearing.

Not a very nice thing to do, because the appellant has had no opportunity to rebut the school's case in the same way (not having seen it at the time the appeal was submitted).

Most admission authorities would simply (a) state that the child hadn't qualified, and (b) explain how the admission of an extra pupil would cause prejudice.

On the plus side, Angelar is forewarned as to what their line of attack is likely to be!
Did the school notice that she was upset?
Sometimes, in this sort of situation, I used to hear a panel member ask "Did you tell your primary school at the time what had happened, so that they would understand if there were any signs of distress?"
The answer more often than not was "No."

Sometimes, in answer to "Did the school notice that she was upset?", parents would say "Ah, but she's the sort of child who tends to keep her feelings to herself."
This might have been true, but did nothing to strengthen the case.

It's usually not too difficult to establish whether a particular event occurred.
Assessing the impact on the child is much harder, not least because different children react in different ways.
Etienne
anotherdad
Posts: 1763
Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2011 5:33 pm

Re: Missed the mark by 1 point .... Appeal seems difficult S

Post by anotherdad »

Etienne - off topic, but is there something odd going on with the forum? I'm seeing posts appear out of real-time sequence. They're in chronological order according to the date and time on them but as an example, when I posted my reply at 2.21pm, your 2.13pm post wasn't visible.
Etienne
Posts: 8978
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:26 pm

Re: Missed the mark by 1 point .... Appeal seems difficult S

Post by Etienne »

anotherdad wrote:Etienne - off topic, but is there something odd going on with the forum? I'm seeing posts appear out of real-time sequence. They're in chronological order according to the date and time on them but as an example, when I posted my reply at 2.21pm, your 2.13pm post wasn't visible.
I wasn't aware of a problem.

Out of interest, did it happen again with our 15.02/15.06 posts?
Etienne
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