I am appealing for a place at a selective school sixth form and I have a few questions.
I didn't meet the requirements however they've let in students in the past who also didn't meet the requirements which feels unfair. How do I get this point across to the panel?
Is it wrong for me to question their entry requirements? For example, to study 1 science subject, you need a minimum grade 6 in maths, but to study 2 science subjects or more, you need a minimum of a grade 7.
Are they allowed to ask for information on the application that is in no way mentioned in the admissions policy? This concerns me because although it wasn't stated to have importance, they're still asking if you have any siblings.
Does the sixth form have to follow the admissions code 2021 entirely?
Do medical grounds require proof from a doctor, or is a diagnosis and recent tests enough?
I read that it's worth including many small reasons as well, I have a few, including that they specialise in my subjects, which were the ones I did best in. They also offer uni entrance exam prep, and I'm not sure why, but these points seem weak. Should I still include them?
Is it okay for me to contrast the appealed sixth form to the current one?
The year with their highest number of students is also the year they were inspected by Ofsted, and it didn't mention any issues with overcrowding. So is it right for me to assume there were no issues, and if there was, it wasn't that big a problem? And the same for this year as the number of students is lower?
Should I include the schools PAN data in the letter or use it in the hearing? Does this information about PAN and everything else need to be evidenced or at least given a source?
The school didn't inform me of my rejection, which meant I wasn't given a reason or information to appeal. From what I understand, this should have been given?
Instead, they included this information as a small section at the bottom of the admissions policy. It also implies that the appeal should be written as a letter. I feel that this is to prevent and discourage students and parents from appealing. How do I get this point across to the panel members?
Because of this, I'm considering including absolutely everything in this appeal letter, maybe they would rather give me a place than organise a hearing.
Thank you very much for reading this lengthy thread, and I appreciate any advice that you can give.