My Appeal letter - Help??
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My Appeal letter - Help??
Hi,
I have just finished writing my 'letter of support" to go with my DS's appeal to our local Grammar School. I showed this to a colleague & friend of mine (at the school where I work) as he has kindly offered to give me his comments/thoughts on anything I should change. (He is the Deputy Headteacher at our school, in charge of the appeals process. He attends all appeals hearings for my school.)
Basically, he has had a look at the letter this morning and said that my letter is very well written - putting forward my arguments well and that he would not recommend any changes to the letter. This is good news! However, he has said to me that it would be better if I could link my Academic Evidence in some way to my Extenuating Circumstances evidence?
So...I'm wondering if anyone can help me to work out how to do this? He said that I need to show that they are linked together - and that I am not just creating a list of reasons why DS would like to go to this school! I do understand this - and he is right. How then, do I link the evidence from Primary headteacher and great academic evidence of level 5 work - to the problem that DS had a 'distracting ailment' on the day of the exam? (Not sick enouh to postpone the exam date though!) What do you think?
I have just finished writing my 'letter of support" to go with my DS's appeal to our local Grammar School. I showed this to a colleague & friend of mine (at the school where I work) as he has kindly offered to give me his comments/thoughts on anything I should change. (He is the Deputy Headteacher at our school, in charge of the appeals process. He attends all appeals hearings for my school.)
Basically, he has had a look at the letter this morning and said that my letter is very well written - putting forward my arguments well and that he would not recommend any changes to the letter. This is good news! However, he has said to me that it would be better if I could link my Academic Evidence in some way to my Extenuating Circumstances evidence?
So...I'm wondering if anyone can help me to work out how to do this? He said that I need to show that they are linked together - and that I am not just creating a list of reasons why DS would like to go to this school! I do understand this - and he is right. How then, do I link the evidence from Primary headteacher and great academic evidence of level 5 work - to the problem that DS had a 'distracting ailment' on the day of the exam? (Not sick enouh to postpone the exam date though!) What do you think?
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Sally-Anne
- Posts: 9235
- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
- Location: Buckinghamshire
Re: My Appeal letter - Help??
It's not always possible to link the academic case directly to the extenuating circumstances.
Example 1: A child had a flare-up of eczema on the day of the test due to anxiety, and was constantly scratching. A distraction that wouldn't normally affect routine school work because the anxiety wouldn't be present and extra time would be given to complete the work.
Example 2: A child was very constipated and in discomfort during the test. Not sufficient to prevent them attending, but enough to present a distraction, and once again, it wouldn't be a problem at school.
(I hope I haven't inadvertently hit upon the actual "distracting ailment", but you get the idea.)
All you can do is demonstrate from the child's academic record that the performance on the day of the test was poor, given all the other evidence.
If there is a specific issue that you want to disclose privately, you can use the AppealsBox facility, described at the end of this post: http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... 35&t=35032" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
We can then advise you if it could be relevant to your case.
Example 1: A child had a flare-up of eczema on the day of the test due to anxiety, and was constantly scratching. A distraction that wouldn't normally affect routine school work because the anxiety wouldn't be present and extra time would be given to complete the work.
Example 2: A child was very constipated and in discomfort during the test. Not sufficient to prevent them attending, but enough to present a distraction, and once again, it wouldn't be a problem at school.
(I hope I haven't inadvertently hit upon the actual "distracting ailment", but you get the idea.)
All you can do is demonstrate from the child's academic record that the performance on the day of the test was poor, given all the other evidence.
If there is a specific issue that you want to disclose privately, you can use the AppealsBox facility, described at the end of this post: http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... 35&t=35032" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
We can then advise you if it could be relevant to your case.
Re: My Appeal letter - Help??
Hi - thanks Sally-Anne! Yes - my DS's 'distracting element' was very similar to example child 1 that you mention here! So would not be something which affects DS day to day at primary school. I will mention this in my letter!
Re: My Appeal letter - Help??
You do have academic evidence from your child's school on headed paper? Evidence is stronger if it is backed up by an 'official' source.
Re: My Appeal letter - Help??
Yes - we have letters on headed paper from the Headteacher and the year 6 class teacher. The letters say they offer "very strong support" and that DS is working at a secure level 5.
