To appeal or not to appeal??

[suzieQ]

Hi all,

I'm after some advice as to whether to appeal or not. My ds was 3 marks short of the passmark, no mitigating circumstances other than spending too much time on a question in paper 1 & running out of time! There were 11 marks difference in the papers (paper 1 being the lowest). I know he was incredibly nervous & didn't sleep much the night before paper 1, was much calmer during paper 2.

Is there any point in appealing?

Many thanks

SuzieQ

[Newbie But Stressed]

Was it referred to the IAB by the head. It may have this in your letter ?

Otherwise check with the head if they referred it.

For only 3 marks short there is definitely a case for appeal.

I would 100% appeal, you have nothing to lose.

Good luck
Newbie

[Tudorblue]

Hi all,

I'm after some advice as to whether to appeal or not. My ds was 3 marks short of the passmark, no mitigating circumstances other than spending too much time on a question in paper 1 & running out of time! There were 11 marks difference in the papers (paper 1 being the lowest). I know he was incredibly nervous & didn't sleep much the night before paper 1, was much calmer during paper 2.

Is there any point in appealing?

Many thanks

SuzieQ

Hi suzie

My ds was two marks short and our headteacher appealed for him and they turned the fail into a pass, so have a word with your headteacher and see if she has allready done this for you but I would definetly appeal

[suzieQ]

Thanks Guys,
I spoke to the school yesterday, & because there were no mitigating circumstances! they didn't refer to the IAB - don't know if that's a good thing or not. If I'd written a letter to say he wasn't well or whatever the school would have referred him!! They've told me to come in next March when the allocation of school comes through, long time to wait

SuzieQ

[debs2028]

can you not appeal before the allocation of schools?
do you have to wait till after march?

[Etienne]

http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appeal ... cation#b51" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[KatieC]

Thanks Guys,
I spoke to the school yesterday, & because there were no mitigating circumstances! they didn't refer to the IAB - don't know if that's a good thing or not. If I'd written a letter to say he wasn't well or whatever the school would have referred him!! They've told me to come in next March when the allocation of school comes through, long time to wait

SuzieQ

A head will only send a border line fail for review if there is evidence of consistent high academic achievement and progress since KS1-SATs at L3 and Y5 Optional SATs at L5 in Maths, English and Science. Also needed is a high IQ and high Reading Age (both usually tested in Y5). Anything lower than this a child will not be suitable for GS. Sadly some of the children who have been hothoused by over coaching will struggle once at GS, it is a fact.

[sata]

KatieC, it is a painful thing to go through especially with the expectation that whatever the situation our children should be grammar school product. I think the best thing to do is to provide substantive evidence like Yr5 SAT test result which will confirm that the child is suitable for a grammar school. Waiting till after March 2013 might just be too late as there are other people who would have put forward some form of mitigating evidence to confirm that their dd/ds is suitable for a grammar school environment.

In coming back to your point about the fact that children who have been 'coached will struggle' is not necessarily true. In our case, we did not make use of tutor other than monitoring our dd's progress as she was working through practice papers. Luckily for us, she is just a natural when it comes to Non-verbal reasoning and hence worked through all papers on her own except on more challenging situation whereby she will consult us for help. She was also in a good situation in her Maths with Yr5 SAT result of level 5b.

Those that have received coaching can still do well in a grammar school provided the parents continue to monitor progress rather than leaving things too late. Consistency is the only thing that has helped our dd to be successful in all three 11+ exams she tool in September 2012 [Bexley, Kent and Newstead Wood in Bromley]. This has worked similarly in other public exams she's done over the years like ABRSM [currently Grade 6 in both Theory of Music and Practical Piano].

[Newbie But Stressed]

I agree with Sata on this.

my DD took elevenplus 5 years ago and passed (see was tutored) we always thought she may struggle at WGSG and from some of the scarey stories we received about amount of work and Homework felt she would simply sit at the back of the class daydreaming and her life would be miserable with all the bright kids around her racing away.

How further from the truth was this..!

She is now at sixth form having gained Mostly A*,A, and one B in GCSE. I still don't consider her a particulary bright child. but just a normal young (lazy at home) Girl who gets her finger out when required.

She wasn't in the top classes either for most subjects. But didn't struggle with her targets.

The Classwork at WGSG was not as hard as expected and certainly the so called daily homework was not as much as expected.

Basically if your child is willing to put in the effort they will love it, and keep up with the kids and do very well.

[KatieC]

KatieC, it is a painful thing to go through especially with the expectation that whatever the situation our children should be grammar school product. I think the best thing to do is to provide substantive evidence like Yr5 SAT test result which will confirm that the child is suitable for a grammar school. Waiting till after March 2013 might just be too late as there are other people who would have put forward some form of mitigating evidence to confirm that their dd/ds is suitable for a grammar school environment.

In coming back to your point about the fact that children who have been 'coached will struggle' is not necessarily true. In our case, we did not make use of tutor other than monitoring our dd's progress as she was working through practice papers. Luckily for us, she is just a natural when it comes to Non-verbal reasoning and hence worked through all papers on her own except on more challenging situation whereby she will consult us for help. She was also in a good situation in her Maths with Yr5 SAT result of level 5b.

Those that have received coaching can still do well in a grammar school provided the parents continue to monitor progress rather than leaving things too late. Consistency is the only thing that has helped our dd to be successful in all three 11+ exams she tool in September 2012 [Bexley, Kent and Newstead Wood in Bromley]. This has worked similarly in other public exams she's done over the years like ABRSM [currently Grade 6 in both Theory of Music and Practical Piano].

Sata, you have just confirmed what I have just explained! Level 5 is the expected level in reviews. The Head in question may not have sent the child's details because that child did not reach Level 5 at Y5, did not have a high IQ ( above at least 130 ) and did not have a high Reading Age (13+). Only the parent in question will know. If the child fits that criteria or is v.close to it, as a KS2 assistant head, I would strongly suggest the parent contacts the Head for an immediate review and not wait until March.
I reiterate that the danger of overuse of 'Practice Papers', which bear no relation to academic subjects studied in the Primary school, is that they do not give a true picture of the ability of the child. I know of children who have passed the 11-plus this time after doing Practice Papers at home, with a tutor or both, yet their Y5 Optional Sats results were at Level 4. A child who has been a borderline fail by a few marks, due to not doing excessive Practice Papers, yet is of high academic achievement, is more likely to be comfortable at GS and even a high flyer. However, I recognise there are always the exceptions. I am pleased to say that children in local comps may do equally well, where the bright kids who go to pieces in VR tests and fail, or the late developers, have the opportunity to flourish academically.