Has anyone successfully appealed a grammar school admission after failing the entrance exam?

[HoundOfTheBasketballs]

DS failed the admissions test for our local grammar school by less than one mark.
His dad is keen for us to appeal. The appeals process states that appeals will be heard if we can prove he is "of grammar school ability." His primary school are happy to provide a letter and evidence to support this.
I am not convinced it's worth it. The appeals process is lengthy and means he won't know which school he will be going to until late in the summer holidays.
Does anyone else have experience of this they can share?

Our local grammar schools hear dozens and dozens of appeals each year, but I have never heard of a single one being successful, because the cut-off is the cut-off.
There are usually hundreds of children on the cut-off score...

Have you spoken to the school, there is at least one of the grammars near here that runs an evening for parents who are appealing! They present the school's case (for not admitting any further pupils) so you know what you are up against.

Your Primary school probably also have experience in appealing and may be able to give you an unofficial idea. CAT test scores can be used, along with any evidence of issues on the day of the 11+ test.

I would be thinking why would you want to. It is not fun being the least bright in a class, and that is the likelihood if he was at the cut off.

I also think your point about him not knowing where he is going until late on is quite important.

Thank you for these replies. They are helpful in reinforcing my thoughts that it's not worth it.
Part of me wishes he had done worse in the test! Then I wouldn't be feeling so much pressure from my ex partner and extended family to appeal.
I'm going to have a bit of a chat with DS about it when he gets home today. The local comprehensive is very nice and all his friends will be going there as none of them passed the entrance exam either.

Do it! Give it a try. What will you lose? I have 3 at grammar school and many of their friends got in on appeal for one reason or other and there's no difference in ability.
The 11+ is a v blunt instrument for assessing ability. It depends on tutoring, parental motivation, nerves etc etc. There is no reason to think you DS wouldn't do well there.
If the alternative school is just as good, then no worries. But if it's not, why wouldn't you do what you could to get the education you want for him? He could be there 5-7 years. It's worth a bit of effort. And not finding out til summer really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, he won't be the only one.
Try and get some advice on appealing. Quite abit online I think.
Good Luck

People do appeal and are occasionally successful. However, you are unlikely to succeed unless you can show some reason why he underperformed on the day of the test. Having said that, you have nothing to lose by trying. The worst that can happen is they say no and you are in exactly the same position as you are now.

A colleague did, and her daughter was more than a mark off. She appealed with a letter from her child's teacher.

A major factor in her success was than neither parent had English as a first language, so it was viewed as overcoming a barrier, rather than simply being close to the mark

Most definitely appeal. I used to work in a Grammar School until last year and many children got in on appeal. Some with much weaker scores. You need to evidence why you believe your child would thrive in the grammar environment. Hth. x

Depends on your area. I'm in Essex and our local grammar very very rarely holds up an appeal. The elevenplus forum has an appeals section where experts can advise

Hi, we was in the same position last year, DS missed by 1 point. We received a local review application for pupils who came within 10 marks of the required result. Head teacher did a great letter, supported by school work books and year 5 report, unfortunately it came back unsuccessful. The school released the scores earlier this year, 272 pupils missed it by 1 point. I kept thinking if he just another 30 seconds. DS primary head appealed for pupil the year before who scored 9 points less and got in so not sure what they look for in appeals as they did have any particular reason. Go for it as you have nothing to loose and always wonder if you don't. Good luck😎

If you have sat in an 11+ area I think a fair few appeals are upheld, but if you sat for a super selective or similar then it's much less likely. The eleven plus forum is your best place to ask for advice as they have people on there from all the different areas.

DC1 missed by one mark. Had messed up the filling in of a whole section (bit like putting two lottery numbers in one row - realised at the end of the section but not enough time to go back, rub out and redo). Head wrote letter of support but no can do.

Just to say it’s not only kids that aren’t grammar-capable that aren’t deemed selective. Shit happens and it’s one test on one day. DC got level 6 in all sats. On track for 7/8/9 in all GCSEs. Luckily we live in a comp area (was an out of area grammar) and local school outstanding ( and walkable). All local schools set for all subjects and there’s challenge and plenty of high achievers so alls well that ends well for us.

I appealed for my DS who was off by 2 marks. I had a letter from social services outlining a severe family crisis that impacted him a lot had happened a couple of months before the test and had a supportive letter from the head etc..
Didn't get in .
One family I do know did get their child in-they moved into a grammar area and hired a lawyer. Their case was he could only continue to study a certain subject by going to the Grammar.She also came from a very exclusive private school.She got in.

Very good appeals section as others have said on www.elevenplusexams

My daughter missed out by a mark. We appealed on the basis she was suffering a medical condition at the time of the test that caused her extreme discomfort and had photographic evidence of this. Head teacher backed up with a letter and evidence of her academic performance but the appeal failed.

On the bright side, instead of starting secondary school as the lowest performer in her grammar class, she was in the top set in her comp class and so was put in their 'gifted and talented' stream or whatever they called it.

I successfully appealed for my ds who passed the test but missed the cut off for a super-selective so it’s not entirely true that “the cut off is the cut off”. He’s now doing very well and making the most of it. He takes part in many sporting events and school activities, and he’s currently in the top set for Maths.

The journey to appeal is indeed a long one but you can start your groundwork and research now if you put your mind to it. Between October and March my ds put in the extra effort in class (Y6) for the weakest subject component of the test so that by April when I started gathering evidence, his teacher wrote a strong letter of support including special mention of his rapid progress in that subject, in case the appeal panel question me about the (weak) subject.

The "cut off" criteria is already applied as part of the admissions process so that part is done at that stage - the appeal panel will not use the hearing to just scrutinise exactly how many points he missed. The appeal hearing is a chance for you to present alternative academic evidence along with any evidence of issues on the day of the 11+ test, depending on your grounds of appeal and these will be the main focus.

1 point is a near miss and borderline. Just one more question answered correctly and he’d instantly become gs material, right? I know of children who missed by a much wider margin; 8 points and 12 points (for super-selectives) and they’re now thriving at gs. The stronger and more overwhelming evidence you can provide the more you can justify the shortfall in marks. Check if his school did the CAT test. If the school you’re appealing for has a specialism say in Music or Science then provide evidence to show he’s interested and active in these areas, e.g. plays the clarinet etc or an active member of the junior Science Club, if possible, and it is the nearest gs providing that specialised and inspiring environment to help him realise his full (musical…) potential. It also works both ways so think about how your ds will contribute positively to the school in return.

Please don’t hire a lawyer as it’s really off putting. You’re not going into a hearing to fight a battle. Many parents get over emotional during the hearing. Some try too hard, and are overzealous and over-rehearsed e.g. “Oh my son is totally gs material, he’s amazing and therefore he deserves a place here…”. Keep it simple and positive. The appeals panel in general are nice and understanding.

Whatever the outcome, it’s still worth trying and I wish you all the very best.

Hi there ,
We had the same disappointment last year . My child missed my two marks . We appealed and won . We enclosed letters from the head , football coach , priest , make sure you enclose any achievement awards and groups or teams they are a part of .They like to see recent school reports to prove they are of academic nature . We also attached a supporting letters which stated what he is like as a person and that he had lost his grandparent a week previous . So put in anything you may think may have hindered the result on that day .
I very nearly didn’t appeal but so glad I did .
Very best of luck

The elevenplusexams forum has a whole section on appeals. They have some very knowledgeable volunteers on there about what it takes to succeed at an appeal www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/11plus/viewforum.php?f=35

Thanks everyone. I have spent some time looking at the 11+ forum. It certainly looks like the best place for us to get our questions answered and some moral support.
I think we will put the grammar down on our form and then we have the option to appeal in March.
Thank you all for sharing your stories, it's really helped.

my view would be you have nothing to lose HOWEVER speaking as a parent with children who opted not to take the 11+ because they didn't want to but ought to have been capable of passing I would say to think very long and hard whether being near the bottom and potentially struggling is the better place to be rather than being one of the top lot in another school. I struggled at a grammar and it did really knock my confidence.

My DD was 6 marks under. We decided to go to the selective review (we are in Bucks) after her headteacher gave her a 1:1 as their recommendation. We wrote a supporting statement & included her reports for yrs 4&5. She was successful & thriving at her Grammar.
All very stressful but we had a fairly laid back approach to the test which obviously didn’t pay off!! I am supremely thankful the review & appeal process exists.
Good luck