Should we appeal (Bucks)?

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mumski3
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2012 10:10 pm

Should we appeal (Bucks)?

Post by mumski3 »

1st experience of this and feeling very emotional as well as overwhelmed by the info. Son scored 116 and 111. No idea why he's not made the 121 as he was 'expected' to other than that he felt incredibly nervous on both days and a little under the weather for test 2. He felt especially positive after paper 1 as well!

He is predicted secure level 5s for SATs and level 6 for reading. Reading age is 3 years years above his chronological age and spelling age 3.5 years above. Class teacher said he felt he was a grammar school student and that he would do well in a grammar school. Didn't give me the grading when I spoke to him prior to choosing school places but seemed to suggest that school would fully support an appeal if it should come to that.

Any advice gratefully received.
Etienne
Posts: 8978
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:26 pm

Re: Should we appeal (Bucks)?

Post by Etienne »

All the advice you need is here:
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... 35&t=29733" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
and in the Q&As:
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appeal ... lification" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For academic evidence see:
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appeal ... cation#b11" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Etienne
mumski3
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2012 10:10 pm

Re: Should we appeal (Bucks)?

Post by mumski3 »

Thank you - have spent a lot of time reading through the links. The example letter has been particularly helpful.

Am somewhat confused though after meeting with the head this afternoon. Head is fully supporting review and will write a letter highlighting all of the strong academic evidence. Said that DS would be a good GS candidate but has only ranked 2:2! Head seemed to think this was a good strong ranking but I've read so much about successful appeals if the ranking is 1:1. Surely that will go against us?

Head said our letter to the panel shouldn't focus on the academic side of things as that will be in the head's letter but as we have no extenuating circumstances it feels that our letter may than be a little sparse. Do you agree?

One other puzzling thing is that we've been told for pretty much all of KS2 that the class overall is an above-average high-achieving group yet only 4 out of 32 got 121 or above!

Now to start our case for DS! :)
Etienne
Posts: 8978
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:26 pm

Re: Should we appeal (Bucks)?

Post by Etienne »

mumski3 wrote:Said that DS would be a good GS candidate but has only ranked 2:2! Head seemed to think this was a good strong ranking but I've read so much about successful appeals if the ranking is 1:1. Surely that will go against us?
I've never heard about any correlation between successful appeals and a 1:1. What one head might classify as a '1', another might view as a '2' You could even have a situation where a pupil in one school with a '2' is academically stronger than a pupil in another school with a '1'. Appeal panels have usually understood this. Review panels will be new to all this, and it's too soon to say how well they will deal with such inconsistencies.
Head said our letter to the panel shouldn't focus on the academic side of things as that will be in the head's letter but as we have no extenuating circumstances it feels that our letter may than be a little sparse. Do you agree?
I don't see why a brief letter shouldn't suffice. It's the evidence that matters, so all you need do is refer to the attached evidence - more or less as in the "letter of appeal for Mary" (where I urge even greater brevity!).
One other puzzling thing is that we've been told for pretty much all of KS2 that the class overall is an above-average high-achieving group yet only 4 out of 32 got 121 or above!
SATs are a different measurement - to some extent they reflect other factors such as the motivation of the pupil and the quality of teaching.
Etienne
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