Invigilation breach, Lighthall School, room 110

Eleven Plus (11+) in Birmingham, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Wrekin

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scgsdad
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Apr 01, 2015 12:43 am

Invigilation breach, Lighthall School, room 110

Post by scgsdad »

Hi Parents,

Long shot! Can anyone please contact or PM me if their child sat in room 110 at Lighthall School Solihull and complained that the invigilator gave instructions NOT TO MARK THE QUESTION PAPER.

This is serious call due to an invigilation breach where apparently children were told NOT TO PUT PENCIL TO QUESTION PAPER and that they should complete the examination without marking the question paper. Tape said correct instruction and a kid pointed out and was told by the invigilator they cannot mark the question paper.

There were only 11 kids, but clearly if they all have clear QUESTION PAPERS with no working outs or pencil marks the kids are factually accurate and this will put them at a grave and serious disadvantage.

Kindly contact me if your child has stated this please as I do not think any of the boys in the room knew each other and so am trying a long shot here.

If you have a friend who has said the same but is not a member here kindly PM to provide contact details as this is an extremely serious breach of invigilation instructions that materially disadvantaged those 11 children.

Many Thanks in advance.
Daogroupie
Posts: 11099
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:01 pm
Location: Herts

Re: INVIGILATION BREACH AT LIGHTHALL SCHOOL SOLIHULL ROOM 11

Post by Daogroupie »

So if all eleven students have blank papers then they will all get 0%.

Did the invigilator think that the question paper was questions only and the answers needed to be marked in a separate booklet? Or are you saying there was a separate answer booklet and the students were just prevented from using the question paper for working out? DG
scgsdad
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Apr 01, 2015 12:43 am

Re: INVIGILATION BREACH AT LIGHTHALL SCHOOL SOLIHULL ROOM 11

Post by scgsdad »

They were PREVENTED from marking or annotating the QUESTION Booklet and therefore not able to do working out in maths or elimination of NVR or underlining words in comprehension.

They were told to put answers straight onto the answer sheet.

So they had to rely on innate mental skills to eliminate for NVR, mental calculations for maths including the harder maths and NOT BEING ABLE to mark the QUESTION BOOKLET.
Daogroupie
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Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:01 pm
Location: Herts

Re: INVIGILATION BREACH AT LIGHTHALL SCHOOL SOLIHULL ROOM 11

Post by Daogroupie »

This is fairly standard so the booklets can be used again. However they should have been provided with scrap paper to do working out on. Did your dc have friends in different room who were allowed to mark the question booklet? DG
Bob1892
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Joined: Sat Sep 14, 2013 10:14 am

Re: INVIGILATION BREACH AT LIGHTHALL SCHOOL SOLIHULL ROOM 11

Post by Bob1892 »

Instructions were fairly clear on the familiarisation paper- working out can be done in the question booklet.
Get in touch with the FO first thing Monday morning. Um- any suggestions?
scgsdad
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Apr 01, 2015 12:43 am

Re: INVIGILATION BREACH AT LIGHTHALL SOLIHULL ROOM 110

Post by scgsdad »

Scrap paper is never given in Birmingham. DS told me there were blank pages in the booklet which obviously were there to be able to use for working out. Other friends in other rooms obviously confirmed they were allowed to mark and do working out in the question booklet.

The question booklets have candidate names and he was required to write his name on it. I have on the advice of a friend emailed the FO yesterday.
Bob1892
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Joined: Sat Sep 14, 2013 10:14 am

Re: INVIGILATION BREACH AT LIGHTHALL SCHOOL SOLIHULL ROOM 11

Post by Bob1892 »

Let us know what the FO have to say about this if you don't mind- might help other dps.
scgsdad
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Apr 01, 2015 12:43 am

Re: INVIGILATION BREACH AT LIGHTHALL SCHOOL SOLIHULL ROOM 11

Post by scgsdad »

Actually Bob. I will help if I can but I am desperately trying to find the other 11 parents. It is a long shot but even one or two would help. Hopefully, they have done the same and informed the KO office by Monday.
KenR
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Joined: Fri Mar 17, 2006 6:12 pm
Location: Birmingham

Re: INVIGILATION BREACH AT LIGHTHALL SCHOOL SOLIHULL ROOM 11

Post by KenR »

scgsdad wrote:They were PREVENTED from marking or annotating the QUESTION Booklet and therefore not able to do working out in maths or elimination of NVR or underlining words in comprehension.

They were told to put answers straight onto the answer sheet.

So they had to rely on innate mental skills to eliminate for NVR, mental calculations for maths including the harder maths and NOT BEING ABLE to mark the QUESTION BOOKLET.
As discussed, suggest you contact the FO office and Monday and explain that there was Maladministration of the exam in room 110 at Lighthall - the FO will then contact Lighthall School and find out who the invigilator was and hopefully they will confirm that they did give that incorrect instruction. Suggest also that you follow up with a formal complaint (but nicely worded of course) and request an investigation and response in writing. You could also request that they contact the parents of other children in the same room.

To be honest I'm not sure what they will do in this situation - I suspect similar things have happened before but they aren't recorded by the FO office. I know Warwickshire would probably look at the VR scores and compare these to the Maths and NVR and see if there was a significant difference.

Maladministration of the 11+ exam process would give you valid grounds for an Appeal in future - but you must formally make the complaint before the results come out.

By all means read the section on APPEALS and raise a question on the forum - make sure you put "B/Ham Sept 2015 11+ Maladministration" in the title - there are experts there who will help

Hope this helps
um
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Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 1:06 pm
Location: Birmingham

Re: INVIGILATION BREACH AT LIGHTHALL SCHOOL SOLIHULL ROOM 11

Post by um »

I am really very sorry to hear this.

I'd already heard it earlier today.

:(

Not great at all.

As the poster has pointed out, if this is true then it was a real shame as it left pupils in an almost impossible position; unable to use their skills to make notes on the Maths questions, or to eliminate NVR and VR answers while working, or to annotate the comprehension if needed.

If this is true, then I cannot understand why the invigilator chose to enforce an instruction at odds with the recorded instructions.
As others have suggested, only the foundation office can really discuss what to do from here.
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