Appeals in Essex
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Appeals in Essex
Does anyone know whether any of the boys' schools in Essex have every granted appeals? There is no process in Essex at all to pick up and look at children who perform exceptionally badly on the day as there is in some other areas. Given that life does happen and circumstances can occur that put children under exceptional stress such that they perform badly on the day one would expect there to be some sort of meaningful appeals system. All the feedback from the Essex threads does seem to be particularly negative however. I would be particularly interested to know whether any boy has succesfully appealed to either KEGS or GRGS in the last 5 years.
I don't know about Essex, I'm afraid, but it's certainly true that appeal panels in one area can be much 'tougher' than appeal panels in another.
No reason why you shouldn't ask for (and insist on) the exact figures:
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... ion#171888
No reason why you shouldn't ask for (and insist on) the exact figures:
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... ion#171888
Etienne
We didn't get round to asking question. Looking through threads we gathered that appeals to the Southend Grammars did sometimes succeed but we already have a place at one of these and are appealing to both KEGS in Chelmsford and CRGS in Colchester.
When we attended the first part of the KEGS appeal another parent had done a lot of work and asked how the school could explain that despite 2 appeals being granted in 2009, 2 in 2008, 1 in 2007 and 1 in 2006, in each of these years the numer of boys admitted had not exceded their published admission number of 112. The presenting officer said that this was accounted for by way of the waiting list.
Anyway, we have had our personal hearing. Our son's Head came along and put a strong case for us but whether our case is good enough I don't know. Just waiting now and we were warned that this could take 10 days because although only 15 appeals to KEGS (and the family due on before us didn't turn up to either part of the hearing) they are run off their feet with all the other appeals in Chelmsford
When we attended the first part of the KEGS appeal another parent had done a lot of work and asked how the school could explain that despite 2 appeals being granted in 2009, 2 in 2008, 1 in 2007 and 1 in 2006, in each of these years the numer of boys admitted had not exceded their published admission number of 112. The presenting officer said that this was accounted for by way of the waiting list.
Anyway, we have had our personal hearing. Our son's Head came along and put a strong case for us but whether our case is good enough I don't know. Just waiting now and we were warned that this could take 10 days because although only 15 appeals to KEGS (and the family due on before us didn't turn up to either part of the hearing) they are run off their feet with all the other appeals in Chelmsford
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distraught
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2011 9:35 am
Re: Appeals in Essex
What happened?
We are gosfield so put both KEGS and CRGS down and couldn't decide between the two.
Our DS was totally thrown by the English and has missed out on both and although high on the waiting list is just too far out to realistically get into either.
The head of his school is sympathetic and we did have a little bit of an upset just before exam but have been told that unless you have disasters of biblical proportions there is no point in appealing to super-selectives in Essex.
Did your DS get a place at KEGS? Did anyone get a place at KEGS.
Did anyone appeal to CRGS or should we just move on?
We are gosfield so put both KEGS and CRGS down and couldn't decide between the two.
Our DS was totally thrown by the English and has missed out on both and although high on the waiting list is just too far out to realistically get into either.
The head of his school is sympathetic and we did have a little bit of an upset just before exam but have been told that unless you have disasters of biblical proportions there is no point in appealing to super-selectives in Essex.
Did your DS get a place at KEGS? Did anyone get a place at KEGS.
Did anyone appeal to CRGS or should we just move on?
Re: Appeals in Essex
Hi Distraught, sorry for your situation. If you look at Dutchy's profile you can view her (his?) previous posts and the jouney they went throught last year, all the way to its successful conclusion 
mad?
Re: Appeals in Essex
This is a copy of a reply also posted on an Essex thread:
We lost our appeal to KEGS and my understanding that no-one was successful last year or the year before but that there have been successes in the past.
We won at CRGS but this was the first time an appeal had succeeded in the memory of all concerned and for at least 12 years.
So did we have a good case? Yes, but not one that was that exceptional: which is the unfainess of it all. There are so many variables and the biggest of these is the panel. We also believe the school's POs had an impact.
I will send you a PM.
The whole system is deeply flawed, our DS is coming in the middle at CRGS which is quite something since he was about 20 on the waiting list. Some may say that this also demonstrates that the appeals system works in that if an appeal is to succeed there should be no doubt that the DC should have gained an automatic place and therefore such DCs should go on to be well away from the bottom once they get there.
I don't know. I do know how you are feeling. All I can say is that it is a long and lonely road, from allocation day to success took longer than the period from exam to allocation day. Also, I do think that in Essex there is an element of competition in it all. The panels may be willing to grant 1 or maybe 2 appeals but they want to be fairly sure that the schools will mop this up via the waiting list. Therefore it could come down to who has the best case on the day.
Is it worth it? Yes, but I would say that because we won. We lost at KEGS though and went to CRGS knowing no-one had ever won but decided to do it because our DS was worth the fight.
On the way we upset other people, we live south of Colchester and made a late application to WHSB, our son went straight to the top of their waiting list (he would have very very comfortably got a place had it been on our CAF) and had a place by late March. Other people also did this and some on the WHSB waiting list went down not up. Also someone on the CRGS waiting list just missed out because of our appeal although two more boys that I know of were subsequently admitted at the last minute.
Very very very good wishes. If there is anything at all I can do to help I will. My heart goes out to you.
We lost our appeal to KEGS and my understanding that no-one was successful last year or the year before but that there have been successes in the past.
We won at CRGS but this was the first time an appeal had succeeded in the memory of all concerned and for at least 12 years.
So did we have a good case? Yes, but not one that was that exceptional: which is the unfainess of it all. There are so many variables and the biggest of these is the panel. We also believe the school's POs had an impact.
I will send you a PM.
The whole system is deeply flawed, our DS is coming in the middle at CRGS which is quite something since he was about 20 on the waiting list. Some may say that this also demonstrates that the appeals system works in that if an appeal is to succeed there should be no doubt that the DC should have gained an automatic place and therefore such DCs should go on to be well away from the bottom once they get there.
I don't know. I do know how you are feeling. All I can say is that it is a long and lonely road, from allocation day to success took longer than the period from exam to allocation day. Also, I do think that in Essex there is an element of competition in it all. The panels may be willing to grant 1 or maybe 2 appeals but they want to be fairly sure that the schools will mop this up via the waiting list. Therefore it could come down to who has the best case on the day.
Is it worth it? Yes, but I would say that because we won. We lost at KEGS though and went to CRGS knowing no-one had ever won but decided to do it because our DS was worth the fight.
On the way we upset other people, we live south of Colchester and made a late application to WHSB, our son went straight to the top of their waiting list (he would have very very comfortably got a place had it been on our CAF) and had a place by late March. Other people also did this and some on the WHSB waiting list went down not up. Also someone on the CRGS waiting list just missed out because of our appeal although two more boys that I know of were subsequently admitted at the last minute.
Very very very good wishes. If there is anything at all I can do to help I will. My heart goes out to you.
Re: Appeals in Essex
We lost our appeal to CRGS some years back even though all parties were in agreement that our son was a suitable applicant and his older brother was already there. Until I heard the above I had never heard of any successful appeal to CRGS. He missed out on the waiting list by 3 places.
Our son finally got in in yr 9 when 4 more places are allocated, again on a highly competitive basis, and he started at the same time as his youngest brother started in yr 7 and big brother was in yr 11.
It is well worth applying every year, if boys leave during yr 7 exams are held for yr 8 entry and then there are the new places in yr 9.
Our son finally got in in yr 9 when 4 more places are allocated, again on a highly competitive basis, and he started at the same time as his youngest brother started in yr 7 and big brother was in yr 11.
It is well worth applying every year, if boys leave during yr 7 exams are held for yr 8 entry and then there are the new places in yr 9.
Re: Appeals in Essex
A boy will be leaving CRGS at the end of year 7 this year. So if anyone out there just missed out last year it is definitely worth calling up and asking what the process will be.
It is a really friendly, supportive school so do not have any worried about your DC transferring into year 8, while there must be some bad eggs, I've yet to hear of any and it just has an incredibly good feel to it. I'm sure that any boy going into year 8 would be welcomed and supported not just by the school but by the other boys.
It is a really friendly, supportive school so do not have any worried about your DC transferring into year 8, while there must be some bad eggs, I've yet to hear of any and it just has an incredibly good feel to it. I'm sure that any boy going into year 8 would be welcomed and supported not just by the school but by the other boys.