Another 114 in Bucks - thinking about appeal

[Weakandwobbly]

Good evening we hope to get some support for a solid appeal even though we are a long way off 121 and there are no real extenuating circumstances ( so I'm not optimistic about a SR). My DS is devastated as he is bright, consistently greater depth in school, and we think he would thrive in the grammar environment. This is a real shock result, as he felt all had gone well on the day of the test.
When I have had a chance to talk with the HT and gained his thoughts, I would appreciate some support in drafting and collating all of my information. Just to say the local comp is good but his brother is there and for social reasons we would rather they be in separate schools. Any help or comments gratefully received, thanks.
Just to also say that I have read all the appeals info on here several times, so I know it won't be easy.

[Etienne]

Just to also say that I have read all the appeals info on here several times

I know it won't be easy

I'm sure you've seen that with 114 the average success rate at review last year was around 20%.

When I have had a chance to talk with the HT and gained his thoughts, I would appreciate some support in drafting and collating all of my information

Gathering and presenting evidence is covered in some detail in the Q&As.

Nothing you write is likely to make much difference. What matters is the evidence.
And if you do opt for a review, what really matters is the headteacher's summary sheet.

[Weakandwobbly]

Thanks Etienne for answering so quickly. I will get the HT review report, but realistically I thought SRs were for people who were only a couple of marks off. Due to the distance on score I was thinking of going direct to appeal in March. Do you have any stats on success at appeal on 114? I can only see selection review numbers. It would be helpful to know. Thank you and have a good day.

[Etienne]

I will get the HT review report

Good. Although you might not wish to go to review, it could still be useful for appeal purposes.

I thought SRs were for people who were only a couple of marks off.

That was indeed the original idea behind reviews, and at one time a minimum score (116?) was required in order to ask for a review.
The idea was to get the borderline cases dealt with before appeals, because appeals are expensive to run.

Nowadays anyone can ask for a review in Bucks, but the stats show that borderline cases are much more likely to succeed.

Due to the distance on score I was thinking of going direct to appeal in March.

Worth considering, but in addition to academic evidence you will need good reasons for wanting a place.

Do you have any stats on success at appeal on 114?

I'm afraid there aren't any, and it wouldn't be easy to provide them. For each score it would require looking at why all those particular appeals were refused. Was the 'fair, consistent and objective' rule a factor? Or academic evidence? Or were the reasons for wanting a place insufficient to outweigh the prejudice to the school? Or was it that the admission arrangements had not been correctly applied, and the child should have been offered a place?

[Weakandwobbly]

Thanks for your points. I saw the HT today and he was positive and made it clear that the score was completely unexpected. He had given a 1:2 recommendation and said that DS was on track for greater depth across the curriculum by the end of year 6. He encouraged me to go for the review, which despite the low score puts me in a better position for a gs place early on.
I hasten to add that we do have weak extenuating circumstances which the HT actually thought were important and worth a mention.
Also I wondered if when I send in the SR forms I should add music grade 3/4 on an orchestral instrument and or a letter from the music teacher (i thought I read somewhere that this adds to the weight of academic ability?)
Lastly I have a good back up option in the next county in which DS got a good music score, if the SR doesn't work out.
Please let me know what you think when you can. I can see the forum is getting busy

[Etienne]

He encouraged me to go for the review

As we predicted ....

• • • We suspect most primary headteachers will be advising parents to go to review simply because as far as they are concerned “that’s the system”!
      https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appea ... aneous#e33" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

..... which despite the low score puts me in a better position for a gs place early on

As we've said ....

• • As we have always pointed out, a successful review result has the benefit of inclusion in the first round of allocations.
    https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appea ... aneous#e33" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I hasten to add that we do have weak extenuating circumstances which the HT actually thought were important and worth a mention

Not sure if this means they are "weak" or "important"?
They do need to be significant enough to account for the shortfall in marks, and the impact on the child should be confirmed by the headteacher (or an independent professional).

• • The SRP will normally expect there to be strong evidence of both high academic ability AND exceptional reasons for underperformance in the tests
    https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appea ... aneous#e33" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sorry - not trying to make you weak and wobbly! I wish we could clearly advise you what to do, but .....

We are reluctant to advise one route rather than another on the forum, because there are no easy answers. We can only say “Whatever you do will be a bit of a gamble – just be aware of all the issues which no one else (your current head included) is likely to have thought about”.

Unfortunately, if you go straight to appeal, and it doesn’t work out, you’ll be saying “If only we had gone to review.”
And if you go to review and it doesn’t work out, you’ll be saying “If only we had gone straight to appeal”!

https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appea ... aneous#e33" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

when I send in the SR forms I should add music grade 3/4 on an orchestral instrument and or a letter from the music teacher

I suspect the headteacher summary sheet contains all the academic evidence the SRP will be really interested in.

If you do finish up in front of an appeal panel one day, it's a more open-ended process and we do suggest that a higher music grade (4/5 ?) is worth a mention because the theory is thought to be an indicator of academic ability. In this situation a letter from the music teacher could be useful so long as the focus is not on performance but on theory.

[Weakandwobbly]

Thanks for your advice, Etienne. Just a quick question : now that the HT report is online there is a) a fair chance I won't see it before it is sent and b) if I change my mind and opt for a review, I will have the pdf copy of the HT report but someone at County might see it (too early?)
I hope this makes sense. Just concerned. What do you think?

[kronenborg]

Thanks for your advice, Etienne. Just a quick question : now that the HT report is online there is a) a fair chance I won't see it before it is sent and b) if I change my mind and opt for a review, I will have the pdf copy of the HT report but someone at County might see it (too early?)
I hope this makes sense. Just concerned. What do you think?

hi weak - my advice would be to see if the HT would be happy to share the content of the form with you prior to him submitting it online. Our HT actually offered to do so, we had no issues or challenge with what he had proposed, so he submitted online, then we got an email from BCC notifying us that the HT had submitted the form, with an attached pdf of the completed form itself for us.

there is no routine step where parents get the chance to see the HT form prior to submission, unless the HT offers to go through it with you prior to submission, or unless you request this and the HT accepts.

[Weakandwobbly]

Thanks for your advice, Etienne. Just a quick question : now that the HT report is online there is a) a fair chance I won't see it before it is sent and b) if I change my mind and opt for a review, I will have the pdf copy of the HT report but someone at County might see it (too early?)
I hope this makes sense. Just concerned. What do you think?

hi weak - my advice would be to see if the HT would be happy to share the content of the form with you prior to him submitting it online. Our HT actually offered to do so, we had no issues or challenge with what he had proposed, so he submitted online, then we got an email from BCC notifying us that the HT had submitted the form, with an attached pdf of the completed form itself for us.

there is no routine step where parents get the chance to see the HT form prior to submission, unless the HT offers to go through it with you prior to submission, or unless you request this and the HT accepts.

Thank you for replying, that's good. I meant appeal of course, not review.
Best wishes. Everybody here is so helpful!

[Weakandwobbly]

Just had a WISC-V test which puts FSIQ at over 130 so feeling more hopeful now.....