Grammar School Appeal - Trafford Council

[SisterAnna]

Hi Everyone,

I was hoping for some direction prior to sending the appeal documentation and tackling the whole process.
We have applied to 4 schools with grammar school where my daughter passed being our 1st choice. Unfortunately were declined all 4 offers due to oversubscription criteria. We got a place in school in Manchester Council which was re-branded under new name following its closure in 2021 (school was inadequate in majority of categories). The situation is beyond desperate!!! 😩

I am preparing evidence to appeal to the grammar school based on the following and would appreciate MumsNet Panel members for any advice. It needs fine tuning and good presentation strategy but main points are below:

1. Daughter has passed the entrance exam with 370 marks, pass rate was 360 but due to such high amount of applications the cut off was actually 379 marks. However she demonstrated to be of grammar school standard as she passed above the required pass mark.

2. Mention the importance of religion to our family and moral and ethical alignment with the grammar school's ethos (school is of catholic faith).

3. From the young age DD had suspicion of development issues with possible mild form of autism and was under the Community Peadiatrician care between 2016-2017 when she was discharged. I am in possession of all medial letters stating this fact as well as supporting report from the childminder who looked after her for 2 years.
   The evidence is rather old and due to mild spectrum we found ways to manage her oversensitivity. She has not been tested since 2017. Is this still relevant as I don't have hard evidence she still suffers - which she does and will all her life.

4. Report from the school will be provided describing daughter's ability to learn and above the standard, her kind nature and attitude to work but also the issues she had to go through – even in year 5 she was still not coping with the noise and had to stay in Headteacher’s office to tackle the stress

5. Mention replacement school as inadequate in standard, same management board, all below the standard incl. SEND and not adequate for the child that is talented but also fragile – this will only be briefly described without trying to slam the school but more as a contra to what awaits DD if she goes to preferred school.

6. I wanted to submit a couple of pictures of art projects DD did at home – pastels and paints – she is making amazing progress and is very creative. The grammar school provides curriculum in arts and design and sports. Daughter excels in all those disciplines as well as learning.

7. Not sure if I should mention myself at all with FCCA and MBA degrees. The school ethos is to nurture young women to become strong and independent leaders. I would like to think that I can be a role model, that anything is possible if she works hard for it.

We are on waiting lists everywhere possible and rejected place in the replacement school (they still hold her place regardless).

Thank you all so much for taking time to read.

I am not in a grammar school area so have no recent experience, but my understanding is that any review or remarking of the 11+ test would have had to be done nearer the time of the test. If you want to argue that your child should have been above the cut-off, you will need to pursue that as a separate strand.

The appeal will (as previously explained) focus on the arguments around prejudice/detriment. The panel will accept that your child is qualified for grammar school (ie scored above the pass mark) and will be considering whether they should be offered a place despite not reaching the cut-off.

I didn’t suggest you omit all the points in your first post but I reiterate now: if you dwell on the allocated school and what you regard as its shortcomings you are first of all wasting time (because the appeal is for the school you prefer, not against the one you’ve been allocated, and you need to spend your time identifying positive reasons for child to attend it) and secondly you may be antagonising the panel, who might have children there. Your wanting your child to attend a Catholic school is not relevant to an appeal, so again you would be wasting time if you dwell on it.

Identify all the aspects of the school - curriculum, extra curricular activities, pastoral care, whatever - which would suit your child and focus on those.

I'm not in a grammar area but a complete waste of time, imo. It would be very unlikely to have missed 10 marks, I would imagine, and even if so, she's over the line for score, she just didn't get in.

Inadequate schools normally have huge resources poured in to them, so it may not be as bad as you fear. Have you actually viewed the school?

@SisterAnna Nope, you really don’t get it. The situation isn’t changing in front of our eyes. Since it abolished its own selective school system GMC has been systematically undermining the democratic choice of Trafford parents to keep theirs by imposing increasing out of areas quotas on our local schools. Call me cynical but what a clever way to punish Trafford parents and kids for not toeing the red line, eh?
Of course it wouldn’t occur to Burnham to do some proper levelling up inside Trafford, with an expanded schools provision to accommodate local need and absorb some of the long distance intake.
From my DC school cohort I know pupils who are travelling from as far away as Bolton, Bury, Wigan and Ashton ( u- Lyne not on-Mersey, for non locals)
Yet my neighbour’s child was told she had to go to Knutsford, despite an older sibling being at a local school 15 minutes walk from home - and no, it isn’t a grammar school.

@Lougle exactly this! You put all your eggs in the out of area basket and your DC didn’t make the grade. There’ll be plenty of kids in catchment who did make the grade who won’t get their first choice; at least 1:4 across the board, higher for schools like Alty & Sale Grammars.

I also doubt the value of getting the test remarked (even assuming that’s possible). The first hurdle of a grammar school appeal - showing that the child meets the standard for grammar school - is already passed and the appeal would be about whether the child should be admitted, even with that score.

Thank you. I’m always worried about saying something that’s not #kind but if you live in Trafford, you feel the pain. It’s become increasingly farcical over the years with parents sending kids in from out of area to do the Trafford entrance tests as a mock ( I know that Wirral applicants have done this, as well schools from as far away as London) because they’re considered hardcore and if you pass Trafford you’re a shoo-in elsewhere. Result: the grade boundaries go up and more Trafford kids are pushed out. More Trafford kids pushed out of the grammars means more pressure on all the other local schools.

That’s was to @Lougle btw

I'm not sure why the one school you applied for in Manchester was one that you knew was failing?

You might find your dd is better placed at a school that is undersubscribed and better able to accommodate her sensitive nature.

An oversubscribed grammar packed to the rafters with heavily prepped, over achieving kids and their successfully expectant parents is a tough environment.

I live in Trafford and my kids have gone to two different grammars. I've never known anyone to get in on appeal in these circumstances. The schools are all massively oversubscribed. Loads of Trafford kids who have passed don't get a place. It's really tough. Most Trafford non selective schools are oversubscribed as well. I'm guessing if you are just over the border that maybe you've been allocated Dixons? I have friends with kids there who have done well and gone on to good unis.

And I say this as the mother of a sensitive boy with ASD who is intelligent who goes to an undersubscribed, underachieving secondary.

My experience is that the school are delighted to have him, value his work ethic, let him flex his timetable in a way that suits him and generally offer any adaptation he wants or needs.

He is top set and getting great grades. And the best thing is that he has grown into an independent learner because no one is aggressively pushing him.

All taken on board @PanelChair , I appreciate your involvement and thank you for sharing years of expertise. I shall pursue the route you suggest.

You are right, 9 marks may be small in the 370 scale as a % but overall it would be a large mistake to make. So close yet so far.
I have spoken to couple of people who attend the other school and online reviews mention environment I would dread to have my daughter to end up in :(

How does the school she was allocated still hold her place if you rejected it?

@Minimalme I can only hope that wherever we end up it will be one big happy ending. Glad your son is finding his way and came across wonderful teachers who can appreciate him.
@RainBow725 thank you for sharing. I imagine it is getting harder and harder every year, a lot of this due to the flaws in the system rules @WittynotPretty is so passionately talking about. The ration of students is insane. Sale Grammar school itself had 3300 children sit their entrance exams this year.

I don't see what re-marking would achieve.

There will be lots and lots of kids in GM who would pass the 11 plus, and pass it very well, but if they don't live in Trafford then they won't get the opportunity - and this is fair enough.

If the score is standardized it's not 9 marks, you will have no idea how many marks it is.
Most papers are computer marked so unlikely to be wrong. Some areas allow a remark for a few but I don't think it changes very often.
How does the other school hold the place if you turn it down?

You say the pass mark was raised to 379 and your dd got 370.
That is a fail. I wouldn't have thought you've got a hope in hell's chance of a successful appeal if she hasn't reached the required standard.

It's not a fail. There is a score that 'passes' as being of 'grammar calibre'. That score is 360 this year. The OP's DD got 370, so passed. However, there were lots of applicants that scored above 360, so the last admitted child in the category her DD sits in scored 379, so she missed out by 9 marks.

Thank you @Lougle for clarifying this first. Ouch! I already feel as being in front of the panel ;)

You need to get on the waiting lists of the Manchester schools - CHS, Didsbury High? Its not clear where exactly you live.

I don’t think you’ve got much chance at all at this appeal from the experience of friends in Trafford, so if you’ve rejected your offered school you need to line up something for your DC…

Ah okay, I see.
It's all seems rather complicated.
Mine got an OOC place some years back where the 20 highest marks of OOC children, above the pass mark were offered a place.
Trafford seems a lot more complicated.

Were you offered Dixons Newall Green? It's under a totally new Academy Trust, different leadership and trustees. Rebuild planned.
There are no places at Didsbury or CHS South but you can go on the waiting list but realistically you won't get a waiting list place at Didsbury if you are m22/m23 way. If not on waiting lists for St Paul's MEA then email and ask to be added plus Parrs Wood, Chorlton, Loreto and The Barlow if you are RC. (Assuming so as you must be talking about Loreto grammar in terms of faith grammar). None are guaranteed. The Year 6 intake is huge and still growing, the DFE doesn't care. This same situation with out of authority places happened last year only Newall Green wasn't reopening so kids were offered Manchester Academy or Cedar Mount in Gorton.

The LA won't remove the place unless you win an appeal or home educate. If your daughter doesn't go on roll they will start down the school attendance order route.

None of your points will make any difference whatsoever because you live too far away. Simples (& fair!).

Get her on waiting list at CHS South and MEA South/central. Parrswood too. You could also contact Barlow RC in Didsbury - a small school with a resource provision for autism, I wouldn't be surprised if you got a wait list place there. No point in Didsbury high, hugely hugely oversubscribed.

Friend's child went to the school I suspect you have been allocated and did very well - went on to sixth form and uni. You should at least go visit.

You need to find out how many were ahead of you at loreto & if you can be on wait list. Dito all highs you would prefer over Dixon's. Manchester distance data is available on line.
Not clear where you live.