grammar school appeal, not passed exam

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catmum
Posts: 74
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2010 11:12 am

grammar school appeal, not passed exam

Post by catmum »

we live in Trafford, my son just failed to pass the grammar school exam. We were devastated as he is a very able boy and this was unexpected. All of his friends have passed so he will be separated. I feel awful because he is so sad about this. I am appealing to the school directly but I understand they review cases of severe mitigating circumstances only in december, and the result of this is not known till march. If unsuccessful i could appeal to the LA after allocation day but appeals are not heard until June! I wonder if its woth the stress or uncertainty. But my son is sure he wants me to appeal all the way.
He was unwell the week of the exam and as the school did not proved any special cicumstances form or info re alternative exam dates, he sat the exam anyway, this may have affected his result but not sure if it counts as a mitigating circumstance.( I was also being made redundant which added to home stress)
My 2nd choice high school is a good one but I wonder, if I need to appeal in March to the LA for the grammar, does this mean I could lose the high school place which will be offered whilst I go through the process?
Any tips or information appreciated ?
hermanmunster
Posts: 12817
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Re: grammar school appeal, not passed exam

Post by hermanmunster »

Hi Catmum - welcome to the forum and I am sorry to hear about your problems.

Have you had a look at the Q&A ? very useful

http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/11plus ... nswers.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
U400JB9
Posts: 778
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 5:29 pm
Location: East Kent

Re: grammar school appeal, not passed exam

Post by U400JB9 »

catmum, My daughter failed the Kent test last year and we appealed in July this year for a place this Sept.
It is a long time to wait but we felt she deserved a chance. We were offered a poor high school option, accepted it, and didn`t lose the place until we accepted the GS place we were offered. We had to notify the school we no longer required the place. I assume its pretty much the same up there.
Good luck with your appeal, you will find this forum an enormous help.
mitasol
Posts: 2756
Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:59 am

Re: grammar school appeal, not passed exam

Post by mitasol »

Hi Catmum,

With mitigating circumstances it is useful if you have some evidence to back up how this would have affected your child. ie Your Primary School has noticed a dip in DC performance during the difficult redundancy period.

I would play down being ill on the day because the Trafford LEA admissions booklet gives instructions on what to do if your child is unwell.

You need to concentrate mainly on the academic evidence http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/11plus ... rs.php#b11" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and reasons you are appealing for a particular school http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/11plus ... ers.php#c2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Catmum wrote:My 2nd choice high school is a good one but I wonder, if I need to appeal in March to the LA for the grammar, does this mean I could lose the high school place which will be offered whilst I go through the process?
If your first choice (GS) cannot be offered you will have the right to appeal and it will not affect your offered school.
TIDDLYMUM
Posts: 881
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 10:19 pm

Re: grammar school appeal, not passed exam

Post by TIDDLYMUM »

Hi Catmum

Sorry to hear about your news. There have been a few unexpected non passes in Trafford this year , as reported in the Trafford forum.

On the bright side, you have a good school to fall back on.

I am from the Trafford area, well my son goes to school there. If you post in the Trafford forum and tell us which school you are appealing for, someone might be able to help with specfics. However the appeals Q and A and forum are both excellent sources of info too.

I myself dealt with an appeal two years ago in Trafford.There are others who have done similar. My appeal was not sucessful, though all turned out well in the end, however others have been more fortunate. I am sure others will help if they can.

TM
catmum
Posts: 74
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2010 11:12 am

Re: grammar school appeal, not passed exam

Post by catmum »

Thanks for feedback so far, Couldnt see anything general in trafford admissions booklet re illness on day of exam, although I know altrincham and sale GS did individually mention it in their exam packs and provide information about alternative exam dates if child unwell , but it was the st ambrose college exam he sat although he was still not 100% for as they didn't include any information about illness or alternative arrangements in the exam info.
I am going to see primary teacher this week to find out if they can support me with his academic level and if there was any dip in his performance around the exam time.
thanks
Etienne
Posts: 8978
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:26 pm

Re: grammar school appeal, not passed exam

Post by Etienne »

I agree with Mitasol that you're probably on weak ground with illness. There would need to be convincing answers to questions such as "Who did you speak to to clarify what to do? When exactly was the GP first involved?" The usual rule of thumb tends to be quite stern: 'If parents take a conscious decision to send their child in, the assumption is that the child is fit to take the test.'

The good news is that if your son was very close to qualifying (you don't say how close), you may not need much in the way of extenuating circumstances - what will really matter is the alternative academic evidence.
Etienne
catmum
Posts: 74
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2010 11:12 am

Re: grammar school appeal, not passed exam

Post by catmum »

thankyou,
he was 5 below the 315 pass mark scoring 310.
Would requesting the schools internal review affect our chance to appeal to the LEA in March if unsuccessful?
Also I presume the evidence to the school is similar as that needed foir an LEA independant review
Etienne
Posts: 8978
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:26 pm

Re: grammar school appeal, not passed exam

Post by Etienne »

Would requesting the schools internal review affect our chance to appeal to the LEA in March if unsuccessful?
Also I presume the evidence to the school is similar as that needed foir an LEA independant review
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/11plus ... rs.php#b18" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The point about a review is that it is different from an independent appeal. A review is an internal arrangement, and the admission authority can decide (a) what it will and what it won't consider, and (b) whether it will subsequently seek to limit your rights at an independent appeal by arguing that your case has already been properly reviewed.

I see you've posted on your local forum, and hope someone with knowledge of the school in question can help. If not, be sure to contact the admission authority as soon as possible, and ask them to put in writing for you what their policy is with regard to (b) above.
Etienne
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