11 Plus Exams Forum

Hi All

My child failed his selective test (not 11+ as we are in Herts) he is a year ahead of himself in all the core subjects and has been since year 3 we sought the advise of his teacher and head teacher before putting him in for the test and they said he would do well and he was happy to do it but he came out with a poor score. We did have a shakey 4mths before the test when he lost his grandmother and can only think this is the reason why. He is expected to achieve level 5 in his sats and all his past reports are exemplary. Does anyone have any ideas on mitigation for the exam performance?

Just appeal for a place at the school you want. You never know.

Is there any evidence that school work was affected during the four month period? It might be rather difficult to argue that grandmother's death affected the outcome of the selective test but nothing else.

Etienne wrote:Is there any evidence that school work was affected during the four month period? It might be rather difficult to argue that grandmother's death affected the outcome of the selective test but nothing else.

Hi Etienne This is my problem as far as I know there was not a blip as I had no notification of any problems from his teacher. We thought it better he attended school and he has great peer support which helped him through it. I will check as with most schools parents eve coming up. I have a Doctors letter to say our family had a bereavement as I personally attending the Doctors at that time for advice but the content is a bit weak as she did not elaborate.

I don't think there needs to be a corresponding dramatic dip in his overall performance at school. Sometimes when children are sad or stressed they can find school a distraction and therefore any change in performance is hardly noticable. Especially as you say he was getting good peer support. Worth checking at partent's evening if his teacher thought he was quieter than usual as sometimes this is all a child will show on the outside. Exams are a whole different matter as they require intense concentration which is very difficult for anyone who is grieving, particularly a young boy who's recently lost his gran. I wish you every success with your appeal.

Thank you keane34 for your reply. I will check at parents eve.
Just received the appeal date this morning - only a few weeks away.