Pressure at being the less academic twin

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twinmum2
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Mar 09, 2010 11:48 pm

Pressure at being the less academic twin

Post by twinmum2 »

Does anyone have any evidence/experience of one of their twins failing the 11+ and the other being successful.

I am hoping to appeal this week for the unsuccessful twin and hope to use the pressure of an extremely academic twin as mitigating circumstances.

The unsuccessful twin only failed on the Maths paper but by 9 marks. this was totally unexpected, but she had showed signs of stress and pressure, brought to my attention by her teacher a week before the exam. She was never gong to be as good as her twin and whereas usually they excel in different subjects and areas of their life, this was the first time she would be in direct competition with her twin on the academic front. Since the exam she has regained confidence and her work has improved dramatically.

Does anyone know how I can present my case?
chad
Posts: 1647
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2005 1:49 pm
Location: berkshire

Post by chad »

There has been a case on here that involved twins.....as you say there is double the pressure, not only to do well but also the direct comparison with the other twin.
If you have one that has a less confident personality or feels slightly in the shadow of their twin then that has got to have an effect.
The main thrust of your case (as with all cases) has to be academic evidence that this was not indicative of their academic ability.
Have you read the Appeal Q & A's (see header banner) on the 'Appeals' section of the forum. This will hopefully give you some idea of how to approach the appeal.
Your mitigating factor will be the pressure you twin felt up to and on the day of the exam. Can the teacher supply a letter that says that she contacted you before the exam because she was worried and that he work has now reverted to the normally high standard?

Our 'appeal' specialists are quite busy at the moment but please come back with any more questions...... I am sure they will post on your thread if they have anything more to add.
chad
Posts: 1647
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2005 1:49 pm
Location: berkshire

Post by chad »

twinmum2
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Mar 09, 2010 11:48 pm

Post by twinmum2 »

Thanks for your thoughts, please keep them coming, as I am compiling the appeal as we speak! xx
chad
Posts: 1647
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2005 1:49 pm
Location: berkshire

Post by chad »

Can you show that the Maths results was below what your child could achieve. Have you got a high 5 in predicted Sats (noted by the teacher on school headed paper). Have you got reports that have high grades in Maths. The result was a 'blip' that cannot be explained apart from the pressure your daughter places on herself.
twinmum2
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Mar 09, 2010 11:48 pm

Post by twinmum2 »

It is difficult because Maths is her weakest subject. She was at SATS level 3 at the end of Year 2 and is now a 4a, predicted to be a 5 when she leaves this year. She excels in literacy, science and languages - is that enough?
chad
Posts: 1647
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2005 1:49 pm
Location: berkshire

Post by chad »

The Yr 2 sats of level 3 is a good marker as it shows that she has been consistently high ability in Maths (if you can't prove exceptional then consistantly high is good.)
Can you get a letter stating that she is expected to achieve Level 5 Maths in the EOY sats but that she excels in literacy, sciences & languages.
daughters2
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2010 4:06 pm

Post by daughters2 »

Just to say I was in your shoes this time last year and fully understand all the emotions entailed.
I truly hope you are successful in your appeal.

Unfortunately our appeal was unsuccessful-as far as we could tell all places on appeal were allocated strictly by waiting list ranking and our daughter just missed out.
If I'm honest I would have to accept that this is the fairest way-none of us would be happy for someone with a lower score to overtake our own child.

Those with more experience may have examples where this has happened-but it would seem to be as rare as hens teeth!

I just wanted to say whatever the outcome things will work out.

Our daughters are now having a fantastic time at different schools and LOVE the fact that they now have their own friends and identities.
They are no longer lumped together as a matching pair and are away from all the constant benchmarking.
They definitely seem to fight less as a result!

It really has been good for them.

One other thing-as far as I could gather being a twin or sibling holds no sway with an appeals panel so concentrate your appeal on the ability of the individual child.
It's worth mentioning the twin part but it's unlikely to change the outcome .
Have a look at the school you are appealing for and see if they have gone over pan in any current years so you can argue the case that accepting another child would not be detrimental.
twinmum2
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Mar 09, 2010 11:48 pm

Post by twinmum2 »

Do you submit your full presentation in writing with your evidence before your appeal?
Etienne
Posts: 8978
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:26 pm

Post by Etienne »

The appeal submission and the presentation are not necessarily the same thing.

There is a bit of advice about setting out an oversubscription appeal here:
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... 35&t=15025" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
scroll down to no.14

I usually suggest one of two things:
  • 1. Send in a detailed written statement with any supporting evidence, and then at the appeal just remind the panel briefly of the main points, or
    2. Send in a brief summary of the main points with any supporting evidence, and then go into more detail at the hearing.
You can, of course, send in a detailed written statement, and go through all of it word for word at the hearing. If it's very lengthy, though, it may make the panel feel rather weary, and may not be the best way of winning friends and influencing people!

Most cases are straightforward, but if it happened to be a very complicated one, then it's important to submit most of the details and evidence in advance, so that the panel have an opportunity to study them.
Etienne
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