Can a grammer school place be withdrawn after a 6 weeks

[Sylow]

My son got a place into a grammer school on the first of March, which we were all excited as he was going through emotional trauma after bullying during the preparation period for the 11 plus exam. Things begun to turn around when he got this offer as he got more than the total score, but missed few Mark's on English for the Kent test. He has even begun his preparations on how he is going to travel to the school as well as his shopping list. The schools admission pack came through last week so he has started writing down the time table in his diary. I have seen so many changes in him after the offer to a grammer school. He told me a couple of weeks ago that, he had his confidence back. Yesterday I received a letter from the LA that the school was offered in error. I dont know how I am going to break the News to him. The LA asked me not to tell him until they offer him a new place. I am shattered at the moment. I cant even look at my Son. How am I going to deal with this.

If his current school supported you in appeal to the first school hopefully they will help again.

But what actually is the error? If they offered the place in overall score but didn’t notice that he hadn’t passed VR / English? In that case the school’s support could help if they deem him to be if grammar standard under normal circumstances.

It won’t be a good experience for his self esteem if he goes from being bullied to struggling to keep pace academically though.

Good luck OP, this is a horrible thing to happen.

Ok so you get the scores back in october and it says he hasn't got the correct grade?
You put grammars down first expecting not to get them but that you will appeal for them?
KCC offer a place at one grammar?
You appeal for the other one?
KCC withdraw the original place?

Do you think the officer at the appeal realises then that a mistake had been made? And went back and corrected it? Did you say at the appeal about not having the grades but having a different place offered?

So your son got a place at a grammar school that he hadn't passed for, and which I assume was second on your list. However you still appeal for your first place grammar school.
So you didn't really want the second place grammar? I'd imagine it will be harder to prove this is the school you have set your sights on if you have already tried to move school.
Our local grammar will look at the May SAT results, is that a possibility?

It is quite normal to apply and appeal to more than one grammar school so I don't think that the fact it is a second choice should impact on the appeal.

99 is fairly low - slightly below national average, but there are usually only 25/26 questions generally only half correct represents a pass and one wrong question can have a substantial impact on marks. If you have good evidence from school that his English score was an anomaly then that might be enough. Most children who get to a grammar school on appeal do very well. I would though with that mark be pushing the unreasonableness of withdrawing the place rather than hoping to overcome the oversubscription criteria.

For appeal it doesn't matter whether or not this was the OP's first choice. And it doesn't really matter why the place was withdrawn. What matters is that it was withdrawn 6 weeks after being offered. That means the OP has a good case. An appeal should not be withdrawn after this long a delay unless the parents have failed to accept the offer or the original application was fraudulent or deliberately misleading.

Although as they can only appeal once per year group it is probably prudent to also have evidence that he will be fine in a grammar school environment in case the appeal panel for some reason do not accept that six weeks is unreasonable. Hopefully it won't need to go to appeal though and they will reinstate his place without an appeal.

If he got 99 in English he didn't pass. Therefore he cannot be offered a Grammar place in Kent.

It's very clear on all the KCC etc websites to pass and be offered a place at a grammar you need to:

• achieve a minimum overall score - usually around 320
• achieve a minimum score in each of the papers - Maths, Reasoning and English. So all three papers minimum score achieved usually around 106-107. So he was way out on English.

Appeals aren't heard until May so you haven't been through that yet. You absolutely can't be offered a place at this stage at a grammar if you haven't passed, which he didn't.

The only way you can legitimately be offered a place is through an individual appeal where you present a detailed case in front of a panel.

There was an error.

...the only other exception to this in Kent is the head teacher appeal but that happens before offers are made - in September - so you would be told he had been assessed as suitable for grammar in October.

Some grammars can admit those who do not pass but their admissions criteria will explain how they give priority- many give priority to those out of area who passed over those in area who didn’t - Weald is such an example that admit children from a distance who passed over closer children who didn’t. Whilst it is rare to prioritise a child who did not pass it isn’t beyond the realms of possibility.

Thank you all for your messages, they have been very helpful. As a mum it is my duty to fight for my children. So that is exactly what I'm going to do. Will keep you all posted. God bless

Pupils have secondary places removed after council 'human error'
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/pupils-sutton-coldfield-secondary-places-16153578#ICID=iosBMNewsApppAppShareClickkOther

Apparently this has happened in Birmingham too!

Kent grammars only admit children that haven't passed through either head teacher appeal or individual appeal.

If a child has been informed in October they didn't pass/selected for high school, they cannot be offered a place unless they are successful at an individual appeal.

Even if the grammar school is undersubscribed.

What you are talking about Pettswood is how individual appeal outcomes are prioritised.

The OP hasn't had an individual appeal yet. No Kent grammar school is allowed to offer a grammar school place to a child not deemed selective, apart from through the individual appeal process, which hasn't started yet. Usually May.

I have seen on the elevenplusforum some grammars in the past (not in busy areas like NW Kent) that admit those who have not passed, their admission criteria usually says they will do it in order of score order and it isn’t necessary to appeal. It is rare but does happen. Many grammars have aIssoms that prefer to give places to those out of priority areas who have passed, it not all. Bexley have done this too, Chis n Sid a few years ago and Townley about four plus years ago but this was usually a mark or two below cut off and not what the OP is taking about but does lend to the slim hope that it might happen.

There are two types of grammar schools. One type uses the test score to prioritise so those with the highest scores get places. They will always fill all places. Others only award places to those who achieve a pass mark so may refuse to admit a child who did not pass even though they have places available.

However, as far as the OP is concerned, this is academic. A place was offered. It took 6 weeks to withdraw the offer. That is far too long.

I agree: the point to pursue is that the place was offered and they have taken too long to withdraw it.

The point that the family will have been disadvantaged by not going on waiting lists for places at other schools is surely a big factor. ad is the purchase of school uniform.