So as you may have guessed my prediction was accurate. Been a week now, still sad, still angry about how stupid it all is. The panel noted his exceptional academic achievement over the years and agreed with his school that he was on track for top marks at the end of Y6... but that, hey, he didn't score very highly in the STS, and that's what matters. So all a complete waste of time, really. His teacher and head are both utterly baffled by it, they genuinely can't understand how this situation has developed when various subjectively less able kids who have struggled throughout primary have made it through. We'll do an appeal post offer day just to go through the motions but that's pretty much that.
DS is pretty chilled about it, keeping positive, looking on the bright side, actually keen to prove everyone wrong. But I just see a boy who for years has been genuinely excited by maths and science now being destined for a school where literally one pupil got a top grade in GCSE physics last year, and where the whole culture from the head down seems to be about making sure kids reach the minimum standard required rather than reaching their full potential.
My tip for any Bucks parents who find this thread would be to ignore everything the council and TBGS says about kids not needing to be tutored and to teach to the test for as many years as you can afford. The system is completely stacked against you if you don't, which is presumably why the poorer areas of Bucks continue to have pass rates well below the more affluent ones.