Appeal Hearing - ESSEX - Colchester Royal Grammar School

[Janita]

"apply to the Admission Authority for an appeals form."

Good morning.

I've been reading through the Q&A and are a bit unsure what the first and next steps needs to be. (Other than obtaining supporting information from his school regarding his academic performances)

1. If we want a possible re-mark or review of the maths paper - do we contact the school our son sat the test? I think the answer is yes - but regardless of that outcome we would still like to appeal
2. Where do we obtain the form from from or contact for this?

Thank you so much for your help.

[Janita]

https://forms.essex.gov.uk/default.aspx ... &HideAll=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

All done. Completed this form online.

[Janita]

Appealing (by 2.241) non-qualification (CRGS 1st choice) with extenuating circumstances (on the day of the test) before the maths test.

Question about Academic records.

I've read through some of the successful/unsuccessful appeals. And read that most people have a substantial amount of physical evidence in the form of papers/reports/certificates.

Do I need any more proof than the actual letter from the school? (which is other than stating all the relevant scores - which we feel is most important- like the head, plain and straightforward).

Would our presentation and his letter (here) be strong enough academic ability? Or do we need more?

To Whom It May Concern

I am writing in support of the appeal for --------- DOB ----------

-------is currently predicted to achieve Greater Depth in all subjects in the Year 6 SATs.
He is working at a high level in all subject and is on the schools Gifted&Talented List (More able) for Mathematics. He scored 140 in the standardised Maths test at the beginning of Year 6 (5/9/2018), which was top mark. His current Reading Age is 15 years 10 months and his spelling age is 17 years 0 months.

I have no hesitation in thinking he would thrive in a grammar school environment.

Any suggestions would be highly recommended.
Thanks in advance

[Etienne]

Thanks for posting this question, Janita. I'm busy at the moment but will try and offer an opinion in a day or two.

[Janita]

Thank you - appreciate your response immensely.

[Etienne]

most people have a substantial amount of physical evidence in the form of papers/reports/certificates.

Don't worry too much about certificates - most of them tend to be for effort, behaviour, or swimming 100m., and therefore not relevant.

Of course, if your school happened to be one of those participating in the Primary Maths Challenge, then the panel might easily have been impressed by something like a gold certificate.

Do I need any more proof than the actual letter from the school? (which is other than stating all the relevant scores - which we feel is most important- like the head, plain and straightforward).

My view would be that what he has written is very good because the focus is kept on academic evidence.

It is remarkably concise. I would just make three points.

1. Perhaps there could have been something about attainment at the end of Y5 to show that progress has been consistent and that the predictions are all realistic.
Or, if there has been some inconsistency, perhaps the predictions could have been justified in terms of "greater maturity" and "recent rapid progress".
However, if progress has been consistent, you might be able to demonstrate this yourself by producing the Y5 report. It depends what the Y5 report says.

2. It's good to see "Gifted and Talented" in an academic subject like Maths, but note that

• • Note 2: If the school has a ‘Gifted & Talented’ register (it’s optional nowadays), then being on the ‘Gifted & Talented’ register for an academic subject would be worth a mention. However, it’s difficult to say exactly what this means because the standard has always varied from school to school – but ‘Gifted & Talented’ in a high performing school ought to be quite a strong recommendation, especially if it fits with the rest of the academic evidence (well-above average attainment).
    https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appea ... cation#b11" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

• If this is a high performing school, then ideally the head would have mentioned it to provide a context for "Gifted and Talented".
• It's possible the panel will know anyway, because panel members are usually familiar with local schools.
• Alternatively, you might be able to cover the point yourself - for example, if the school is high up in the league tables, you could draw the panel's attention to this fact.

3. Good to see the words "would thrive in a grammar school environment", but the head doesn't say why this particular grammar school would be a good match for your child (e.g. "It has a very strong maths department").
To be fair, most heads probably don't go into that sort of detail.
Reasons for wanting a place at a specific school tend to be left to the parent.
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appeal ... -school#c2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Would our presentation and his letter (here) be strong enough academic ability? Or do we need more?

Difficult to say because it's entirely up to your individual panel to decide what they consider strong enough.

To be on the safe side, the more evidence you have - the better.
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appeal ... school#b11" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[DadEleven]

A friend of ours was able to obtain a copy of their childs recent SATs mock test

[Janita]

Thank you so much for your reply Etienne.

I have his year 5 report I will include this.

If I search online for the schools league table/achievements it says

"83 % pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics" - National Average 64% 2018

at the moment he scores 100% for all his SATs mock tests at school and he has been extended to KS3 maths since October last year "as his maths is off the scale" (teacher comments). Should I include a copy of his most recent SATs mocks from school?

He did represent the school in the Primary Maths Challenge (year 5)
Received a Platinum Certificate (school) for maths Genius in Year 5 (all areas of the maths curriculum including times tables master)

He is still unbeatable in Year 6 (Mental Maths challenges)

Head not saying WHY our first choice would be the best for our son - is solely due to the fact that he is not a man of many words and we are his first ever parents to ask for a letter to submit for an appeal. He personally is not a great fan of the 11+ and am sure therefor the limited wording - with no extravagant positive support like some heads might write.

[Etienne]

Should I include a copy of his most recent SATs mocks from school?

SATs papers are sometimes submitted as evidence, as DadEleven mentions - but make sure that the school has put something more meaningful than a raw score on the paper.
(An appeal panel would probably like to see scaled scores in the range 111-120, or "GDS".)

...... he is not a man of many words and we are his first ever parents to ask for a letter to submit for an appeal. He personally is not a great fan of the 11+ and am sure therefor the limited wording - with no extravagant positive support like some heads might write.

Extravagant words wouldn't impress an appeal panel if they're not justified. The evidence wouldn't be there to back them up.
Might be worth mentioning at the hearing that the head is a man of few words!
- which is why you've included the Y5 report.
As I've said, it's a very good letter (especially if it's the first time he's done this).

[Janita]

Perfect - thank you