Appeal update / banding and aptitude test results

[OutofIdeas86]

I know i've posted a few time on this topic, to people's annoyance, but we had an update from the school yesterday (their appeal response has been sent to us).

It includes result of our DS CAT4 assessment data and his aptitude test results.

In the appeal we are arguing that due to tonsilitis (as diagnosed by a doctor a day) he wasn't fairly/ correctly banded.
His primary school has been us a CAT4 scaled score of 108, his CAT4 assessment was 98. So there is a big variation. I guess our argument here is he was incorrectly banded, and in not being offered a place was disadvantage by this.

On the drama aptitude test, he scored 24/25 - but only 4 children got a drama place, they all got 25/25. But on the other offered aptitude test - dance, sport, music, children with as low as 88% scoring were successful. I guess my argument here is he was unfortunate to not be selected with a 96% score.

I don’t think there’s much point rehashing whether DS should or shouldn’t have sat the test. I think a lot of us would have gone for the “try your best on the day” even if we fully knew the procedures, just in case it wasn’t deemed serious enough for a move to the contingency day and we missed the chance altogether.

However, there’s normally a period in which you can submit evidence for mitigating circumstances and it’s not clear if op did this at the time or waited months until the allocations were out.

Regardless of the above - DS was not guaranteed a place whichever band he was placed in because of the random selection, which OP cannot seem to understand precludes a panel from doing anything to give her a place using the band allocation information!

Just to close the loop on this, we won our appeal for our 1st choice/ preference school! Delighted as they only upheld 3 appeals our of 39!!

Well done OP for being so incredibly tenacious and I hope your son has a great time at this school. 👏🏼

Just shows that Mumsnet posters are not to be relied on for any meaningful advice.

OP hasn't given the grounds on which the appeal was successful, so not sure what makes you so certain on this?

Just shows that Mumsnet posters are not to be relied on for any meaningful advice.

That's a bit harsh @XelaM ! I guess what it shows is that there’s always a chance. I’m glad for the Op and her ds that she has won if the school is the right place for him. The advice on this thread was in many cases from posters with a lot of experience.

Elsewhere OP says it was “compassionate grounds”.

It was a combination of compassionate grounds/ logistical pressures but also the fact our DS had passed aptitude tests, and we have references from various specialists to show he has strengths in the schools specialisms.

I also think that it being our 1st preference helped our argument! Plus the fact it is our closest secondary school in straight line distance.

My biggest learning is to understand what they are looking for, and have lots of potential points - not relying on one or two. And you need evidence, not your POV.
We kept relating everything to our DS - never saying 'we feel....' or 'we want...' but always 'DS needs.....'

I think that helped