Showing school books at an appeal hearing

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Guest11
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2008 12:57 pm

Showing school books at an appeal hearing

Post by Guest11 »

Hi

My daughter has moderate dyslexia and so her school books are full of writing which is misspelled with words missing. I am therefore reluctant to show the books to the panel.

We have a lot of other evidence of her ability - Y5 report was excellent, achieved 3 level 5s in her optional SAT tests in Y5, tests by Dyslexia Action show her IQ is 137, score 125 in verbal reasoning, 133 in non-verbal reasoning, 135 spatial ability, 129 number skills. I am seeing her headteacher later today to get his recommendation.

The teachers comments are mostly positive in her school books, they just look so messy I wouldn't want to shock the panel! Would it be OK not to show them or would the panel think something wasn't right?

Thanks
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Post by Sally-Anne »

Hi Guest 11

There is no need to take them if they are going to undermine your case.

The panel will be quite happy to be spared the chore of looking through them.

You don't tell what her scores were, so how much ground you have to make up, but the SATs and CATs are excellent.

Sally-Anne
Guest11
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2008 12:57 pm

Post by Guest11 »

Thanks Sally-Anne, phew!

Her scores were 118 and 120, so I am cautiously optimistic!
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Post by Sally-Anne »

Guest11 wrote:Her scores were 118 and 120, so I am cautiously optimistic!
75% of appeals on 120 get through, so that is the optimistic part. The remaining 25% is the cautious bit. :D

All round, a good attitude to take.

Sally-Anne
Guest11
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2008 12:57 pm

Post by Guest11 »

Hi

I now have some additional info. Her headteacher recommended her as a 2:2. The school's overall recommendations were:
1:1 6(5)
1:2 3(3)
1:3 0(0)
2:1 6(3)
2:2 15(5)
2:3 0(0)
3:1 8(0)
3:2 4(0)
3:3 0(0)

I am worried that 2:2 doesn't look that good in the light of the above results, and from reading about unsuccessful appeals!

I would be grateful for some advice as to the amount of time/emphasis we should place on the mitigating circumstances (dyslexia) vs academic evidence.

Thanks
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Post by Guest55 »

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7530159.stm

Multiple choice e.g. format of 11+ does make it harder for dyslexics - it miight help to explain the shortfall.

The HT looks pretty accurate - no doubt others will comment too.
Etienne
Posts: 8978
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:26 pm

Post by Etienne »

The "1's" are very good. I can see why you would be concerned about the "2's", but the head could argue that these were strong recommendations even though the scores might have been borderline.

If the "1's" had also been inaccurate I would share your concern. As things are, I would hesitate to draw firm conclusions.

50/50 is the usual target for academic evidence/extenuating circumstances. Remember - most panels are familiar with cases involving dyslexia.
Etienne
Guest11
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2008 12:57 pm

Post by Guest11 »

We had our appeal this afternoon. The panel were very fair but I wouldn't say that they went out of their way to put us at our ease.

Questions we were asked:
Did she finish the paper?
Was she well on the day of the test?
How was she feeling on the morning of the test?
What questions did she find hardest in the familiarisation papers?
Did we do any practice papers with her at home, and how did she find them?
Why did we not apply for extra time? (We did, but the school said she was ineligible as she was working at a level appropriate to her age.)
Did she read at home?
How often did I listen to her read?

We were not asked about extra curricular activities or whether we had tutored her.

The panel were polite, the LA rep was pleasant, but I have absolutely no idea of what the decision will be, they gave nothing away!

Hope this is of some help to others with upcoming appeals
Guest11
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2008 12:57 pm

Post by Guest11 »

We heard yesterday that our appeal was successful.

A huge thank you to all the contributors to this brilliant site, particularly Etienne and Sally-Anne, who work tirelessly to help us at this horrible time, not minding at all if we ask silly questions!

I a now hugely relieved that this is all over. My best wishes to the other appellants out there.
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Post by Guest55 »

Great news - well done!
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