Time scale for appeals
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Time scale for appeals
Well, son dropped a bombshell this morning with call to say they have decided to appeal! He had sent for the forms etc anyway, posted March 13th, but they still do not have anything back. He has emailed, but no response. I told him to call them.
Can anyone advise on the usual time frame for an appeal, or is it diffrrent for varying areas? They are in Sutton.
Also, he does not want a solicitor as he thinks having someone to act for them might prejudice the appeals people & they would be more impressed by parents alone. I strongly feel that having an expert on their side would really help, and have offered to pay for this. Does anyone have any view on this, or experiences therefrom (not paying for it, I mean, just the difference between using someone else & not?)
Can anyone advise on the usual time frame for an appeal, or is it diffrrent for varying areas? They are in Sutton.
Also, he does not want a solicitor as he thinks having someone to act for them might prejudice the appeals people & they would be more impressed by parents alone. I strongly feel that having an expert on their side would really help, and have offered to pay for this. Does anyone have any view on this, or experiences therefrom (not paying for it, I mean, just the difference between using someone else & not?)
Dear huntlie
The rules are that appeals for on-time applications for secondary school (i.e. those relating to decisions sent on national offer day) must be heard by 6 July or the next working day, if 6 July falls on a weekend.
I agree with your son about not using a solicitor. It really won't help unless there is some obscure legal argument to be debated. My experience was that the presence of a solicitor or barrister altered the atmosphere of the hearing. It became more formal, more businesslike. I don't believe a panel would be prejudiced against the appellant who is legally represented, but there will be a subtle effect on the interaction between appellant and panel, and I suspect it might be harder for the appellant to gain the sympathy of the panel.
See also the Q&As, A11.
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/11plus ... nswers.php
The rules are that appeals for on-time applications for secondary school (i.e. those relating to decisions sent on national offer day) must be heard by 6 July or the next working day, if 6 July falls on a weekend.
I agree with your son about not using a solicitor. It really won't help unless there is some obscure legal argument to be debated. My experience was that the presence of a solicitor or barrister altered the atmosphere of the hearing. It became more formal, more businesslike. I don't believe a panel would be prejudiced against the appellant who is legally represented, but there will be a subtle effect on the interaction between appellant and panel, and I suspect it might be harder for the appellant to gain the sympathy of the panel.
See also the Q&As, A11.
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/11plus ... nswers.php
Etienne
I agree with Etienne.
So far I've not heard an appeal with legal representation. The whole thing is meant to be as informal as possible without taking away from the seriousness of what's happening. Yes, I'm sure a solicitor could argue some obscure point, but it's very unusual for something like that to arise (normally if there is, it's likely to be that the admission authority made a mistake, and as soon as that's pointed out to them they offer a place before the appeal happens). We can also spot 'professionally prepared' appeals.
Appeals are not black and white things. Even if a solicitor came up with a spiffing wheeze, come the balancing stage they appeal might well still be lost. A home made appeal is just as good as a professional one, and a lot cheaper. Especially when you have all this advice here for free!
We do, however, often have appeals with a parent and grandparent or friend there either for moral support or if the parents feel they might be too emotional to get their case across. I've even known grandparents and friends turn up on their own to do the appeal if the parents found sudden work commitments or were out of the country. All of these cases are treated the same as any other case - we're not there to judge public speaking or if parents are 'made of the right stuff' - it's all about the child and the school.
What's not a good idea is to send no-one and rely on the paper appeal, although we do even then treat it the same as others - although there may be questions we would like to have asked that have to go unanswered, and that could have swung the appeal.
So far I've not heard an appeal with legal representation. The whole thing is meant to be as informal as possible without taking away from the seriousness of what's happening. Yes, I'm sure a solicitor could argue some obscure point, but it's very unusual for something like that to arise (normally if there is, it's likely to be that the admission authority made a mistake, and as soon as that's pointed out to them they offer a place before the appeal happens). We can also spot 'professionally prepared' appeals.
Appeals are not black and white things. Even if a solicitor came up with a spiffing wheeze, come the balancing stage they appeal might well still be lost. A home made appeal is just as good as a professional one, and a lot cheaper. Especially when you have all this advice here for free!
We do, however, often have appeals with a parent and grandparent or friend there either for moral support or if the parents feel they might be too emotional to get their case across. I've even known grandparents and friends turn up on their own to do the appeal if the parents found sudden work commitments or were out of the country. All of these cases are treated the same as any other case - we're not there to judge public speaking or if parents are 'made of the right stuff' - it's all about the child and the school.
What's not a good idea is to send no-one and rely on the paper appeal, although we do even then treat it the same as others - although there may be questions we would like to have asked that have to go unanswered, and that could have swung the appeal.
Capers
