11+ 113-116 non-qulification appeal Bucks

[astro]

My dd did not pass her 11+ her SAT test results for year 5 are reading 5c, writing 4b, maths 4b, and science 4a Verbal reasoning score 133 and NFER reading age (May 2011) 11+. and is predicted high 5s for Y6 results.
her year 4 optional SATs results were reading 4b, writing 4c, maths 3b, science 3a reading age 11+
Her year 4 results were at a school that had very low ofsted report we sent her to kumon to improve here English as mother does not speak English. dd got advanced student roll September 2010 and 2011 (is it worth mentioning)
she was selected (for science) with a few other children in her class to go to a grammar school for a forensics work shop, for which she got a certificate ( is this worth mentioning).
In her spare time she is always reading books or making arts and craft things. She always wants to go to school even though she might feel a little ill her attendance for Y5 was 98.4% and she’s a prefect as well.

Now to the extenuating circumstances, my dd gets very bad eczema around her neck legs and arm joints,to the stage that she scratches so much that it starts to bleed. During the time of her tests she had bad eczema and lost sleep during the night. We did not pick up on this at the time. After the test she would come home and go to sleep for a while.
The thing is she keeps herself to herself.

I have spoken to the head and am waiting for the report. There are a few other points regarding her health but don’t know if they would affect her tests though.
Any advice would be much appreciated

[Etienne]

Welcome!

Verbal reasoning score 133

Very good!

predicted high 5s for Y6 results

Good!

We shall have to see what the rest of the evidence looks like (e.g. the exact words used by the head to support you, the headteacher recommendation, and how the panel view her overall recommendations).

we sent her to kumon to improve here English as mother does not speak English. dd got advanced student roll September 2010 and 2011 (is it worth mentioning)

Sorry - not sure what "advanced student roll" is.

she was selected (for science) with a few other children in her class to go to a grammar school for a forensics work shop, for which she got a certificate ( is this worth mentioning).

Just show the certificate.

In her spare time she is always reading books

Depends what the books are.

or making arts and craft things. She always wants to go to school even though she might feel a little ill her attendance for Y5 was 98.4% and she’s a prefect as well.

Not really relevant.

Now to the extenuating circumstances, my dd gets very bad eczema around her neck legs and arm joints,to the stage that she scratches so much that it starts to bleed. During the time of her tests she had bad eczema and lost sleep during the night. We did not pick up on this at the time. After the test she would come home and go to sleep for a while.
The thing is she keeps herself to herself.

It's a pity this didn't come to light until after the test. All you can do is provide a letter from the GP confirming that your daughter suffers from eczema - and hope for the best!

[Sally-Anne]

It is worth mentioning that if a child with bad eczema is affected during the test, they will be using one hand to scratch. If it was her right hand that was scratching, she will have not been writing during that time, and most questions require notes to be made on the question paper in order to solve them. The 11+ is very much a test where you need both hands working at all times.

[Etienne]

S-A makes a good point - and it begs the question 'Did her class teacher notice any significant scratching during that week?'
Evidence of that sort from the school would be very useful!

[Sally-Anne]

astro, don't forget that eczema flare-ups can also be stress-related, and I think that is a point worth making.

Did you by any chance go to your GP about it in September or early October? If so, a letter from your doctor would be helpful if he or she states that the condition had worsened.

If not, and the panel should happen to ask whether you took her to the doctor, you can simply state that it is a condition that you generally try to manage yourself after years of experience, using repeat prescriptions from the GP. That would be far from unusual.

[Sally-Anne]

Hi again, astro

Sorry to drip feed posts, but I was a bit rushed earlier.

Verbal reasoning score 133

Do you have any scores for NVR and Quantitative Reasoning?

Her year 4 results were at a school that had very low ofsted report

Please could you send me a Private Message with the name of the school?

[astro]

thank you for your replies Sally-Anne and Etienne they are much appreciated just to clarifies some questions

The books that she has read recently include Shark Island, toms midnight garden ,harry potter and the philosophers stone, HP and the chambers of secret, HP and the prisoner of Az kaban, HP and the goblet of fire, Boy: Tales of Childhood Roald Dahl, Going Solo RD, Matilda RD, the dairy of a young girl, the life of anne franke, goodnight mister tom, the adventures of tom sawyer, twist of gold Michael Morpurgo, kensukes kingdom, all creatures great and small, The hobbit, so much to tell you, rice without rain, , cookie by jacqueline Wilson, Treasure Island Robert Louis Stevenson

I also went through the test papers (Letts and GL) at home with her as I did with her older sister who got 137 last year and is on the gifted and talented list at school. I read the Advice to head teachers from Bucks county council that they should not do extra 11+ test papers apart from the familiarization test as it undermines the 11+ tests now the question is if am asked about 11+ tutoring should i say that i have done some at home or not
She got some medication for her eczema in on 29th July one of which contains steroid which should not be used for more than 5 days
I am still waiting for the head teachers report should get it by today or tomorrow I’ll speak to her class teacher and see if she can write a letter regarding scratching (eczema ) if its not included in the HT report

[Sally-Anne]

The books that she has read recently include Shark Island, toms midnight garden ,harry potter and the philosophers stone, HP and the chambers of secret, HP and the prisoner of Az kaban, HP and the goblet of fire, Boy: Tales of Childhood Roald Dahl, Going Solo RD, Matilda RD, the dairy of a young girl, the life of anne franke, goodnight mister tom, the adventures of tom sawyer, twist of gold Michael Morpurgo, kensukes kingdom, all creatures great and small, The hobbit, so much to tell you, rice without rain, , cookie by jacqueline Wilson, Treasure Island Robert Louis Stevenson

You won't be short of an answer when the panel asks what she has read recently! Please leave out Jacqueline Wilson though ... Seriously though, your reply can be along the lines of "these are a few of the more challenging books she has read lately", and mention The Hobbit and All Creatures Great and Small (I assume that is James Herriot? - more of an adult book, I tend to feel.)

I also went through the test papers (Letts and GL) at home with her. I read the Advice to head teachers from Bucks county council that they should not do extra 11+ test papers apart from the familiarization test as it undermines the 11+ tests now the question is if am asked about 11+ tutoring should i say that i have done some at home or not

"I read the Advice to head teachers from Bucks county council that they should not do extra 11+ test papers apart from the familiarization test as it undermines the 11+ tests, but I did want her to have a little more preparation than that so I took her through two packs of published papers at home.

as I did with her older sister who got 137 last year and is on the gifted and talented list at school.

If the panel ask about siblings you can say that her older sister attends X grammar school, but I would steer away from mentioning the rest. There can often be little or no correlation between siblings, and the panel may feel that you asking them to assume a little too much.

She got some medication for her eczema in on 29th July one of which contains steroid which should not be used for more than 5 days

I would have preferred it to be 29th September, but you can obviously say that you have to be incredibly sparing with steroid cream because of the risk of thinning of the skin. As she had a course of the cream in August you felt it was probably too soon to repeat it, so you were relying on the usual emollients.

I am still waiting for the head teachers report should get it by today or tomorrow I’ll speak to her class teacher and see if she can write a letter regarding scratching (eczema ) if its not included in the HT report

Good!

[astro]

Just received my dd HT report, academically its excellent but for extenuating circumstances all it says is we are aware that X has long term health issues that may have affected her performance in the tests. Her parents will give further details of these and her recent school move. No mention of scratching etc during test

x has our very highest level of support. She is exceptionally highly recommended for grammar school.
She displays a splendid attitude to academic study and a high level of support from home. We are very surprised and disappointed that she did not achieve a higher grade.

x would be stimulated in the environment of a grammar school. She is highly motivated when challenged, and always willing to work hard. I am sure she will become a valued member of her next school, both achieving academically and through the range of new opportunities she would be offered.

Now the question is if dd teacher cannot confirm scratching before, during or after the test what do I do? As there will not be any proof regarding extenuating circumstances from the school, how much affect will that have with the panel?

[Etienne]

how much affect will that have with the panel?

Only your particular panel can answer that question!

what do I do?

I'm afraid there's nothing you can do. Without any proof, it's up to the panel whether they accept that eczema was an issue at the critical time. Whereas if there were some sort of proof of scratching - they would have no choice!

I think it depends too on what view they take of the case as a whole. Academic evidence (as we are constantly reminding everyone) is usually the key!