Anyone have experience of 11+ appeals citing extenuating circumstances?

[gg40]

Our HT thinks we have grounds to appeal on the basis that there were extenuating circumstances for my ds during the week of the 11+.

How serious to the circumstances have to be? How near to the pass mark should you be? Is there a point where the score is just too low to ever be considered suitable for Grammar school?

I think it depends on the school and yes, how close to the pass mark you are.

DD passed her 11+ but places are then allocated on distance and she just missed out on a place. We appealed, didn't win. This school has lots of people who have passed appealing and people appealing who haven't passed have never got in.

A friend with a ds appealing for a different school got in on appeal when her son missed the pass mark by 2 points. His dad had just gone to Afghanistan that week. She was able to show from mock SAT scores, practice 11plus, teachers letters, predicted SATs, etc that he would normally have been expected to pass.

Common sense would suggest that it would need to be in the order of the death of a parent or sibling.

You need really strong evidence that the 11+ mark was an anomaly.CATs, SATs, EP reports, very strong HT recommendation. And preferably some sort of record that the extenuating circumstances were noted at the time..

There was a whole school here that put in extenuating circumstances last year as a child collapsed in the middle of the 11plus.

Thank you for the advice so far. He didn't actually manage to pass any of the 3 tests and failed by more than a few points. I'm now wondering if there is any point in going through with the appeal, although the HT has said that she will support us.

I'd like to give more information about the circumstances but I don't want to risk identifying us.

Ask on the 11plus forums, they'd be very good and have knowledge of the particular school. What does your gut instinct tell you? If his appeal was succesful do you think it would be the right school for him? If he's normally academic and achieves well then go for it.

But I always think its better to be at the top of a class than the bottom of a class even if that class is in a grammar school. Though that depends on your child, some might rise to the occassion and be pushed on, others might feel a failure and lose confidence.

You also need to bear in mind, GG40, that you can only appeal against a decision not to admit a child to a particular school if you have actually applied for a place at that school. At this stage, all the results you have received are pre- CAF deadline (31 October). So the Grammar Schools at which your son has sat a test has simply advised you that he does not meet their admissions criteria. Assuming you have not submitted your CAF, you have not actually applied for a place at any of them yet.

In your position, I would think carefully about naming any or all of these schools on your CAF simply for the right to be able to appeal after March 1st. The strong likelihood is that you will be knowingly wasting up to three slots on the CAF.

As things stand at the moment, there are only 3 schools that I would name on our CAF, which in theory gives us the option to use the other space for naming our chosen grammar school. I suppose i can then use the time up until March to see if I can build a strong enough case to go forward for appeal.

We are in a position where I am unlikely to be offered any of the schools on my CAF, so whatever happens this is likely to be a long drawn out process.

I am willing to give more info in a pm if anyone would be interested in listening.

My two nephews, the eldest miss the pass mark by 10 pts. His parents appeal on grounds that his grandfather passed away few weeks before his exam, also his HT gave him a glowing report. They won the appeal.
His younger brother took the exam for the same GS and miss the pass mark by 2, his parents appeal this time on the basis that his great grandmother die few weeks before his exam, again they won the appeal.
My eldest nephews is now 17, earlier in the year he took his A/S and did so badly that he had to retake again in the summer. His projected grades for his A levels are C, D & D. His parents always glow about how well he was doing at school and how he wants to get into Oxbridge and study medicine. They so over estimated his ability and now feel very let down.
I'm not sure how well his younger brother is doing but it can't be easy for the boys to know that 99.9% of their peers did better in the tests and they only got in through appeal. It's a difficult choice but maybe being at the top of a good comprehensive is better than being at the bottom of a GS. Good luck gg40 if you do decide to appeal.

Whatever you do, put at least one school on your CAF that you are prepared to send him to and which you have a reasonable chance of getting in to.

I do admission appeals in one area that has grammar schools. Please feel free to PM me if it helps. BUT you only have a few days to make decisions on your CAF for it to be in on time.

I went to grammer school after just scraping in, i ended up leaving in what is now year 9 to go the local comp. as people have said being bottom of class in grammer school was soul destroying for me and i did so much better elsewhere.
So please think about whether you DS really has what it takes to excel there

thanks again, I am taking it all in and trying to make a decision.

I can't send you a pm admission, must be your settings.

I don't think it is Admission's settings. I can PM her. Just click on "Message poster". DON'T try right clicking and asking it to open in a new tab or new window - that won't work.