11 PLUS APPEALS • Re: Unsuccessful Selection Review Bucks - advice grateful received

Welcome to the forum, we are sorry to hear your news. I will move your thread to the Appeals section.
As you will know, the chances of success at review & appeal are very low, but not impossible, on a score of 113. You can see some figures here

You should note that unfortunately the chances of an appeal succeeding following an unsuccessful review are very low, & we suggest you prepare your son for this outcome. Some parents choose not to tell their child that they are going to appeal & instead concentrate on the positives of the school allocated (which you will know on March 1st). According to the Bucks council website

If you choose to appeal, as your child's case went to review, the Independent Appeal Panel (IAP) will first need to decide whether the Selection Review Process was 'fair, consistent and objective'.
It is only if the IAP agrees that it was not, that they will then be able to consider the rest of the case you make for admission to the particular grammar school.
Last year they decided that of the 106 grammar appeals heard where they had been to selection review, only 2 appeals were successful.

and

14% of appeals were successful last year. 86% were unsuccessful.
Most appeals fail because the schools are already full. They do not have the resources to admit extra children, without harming the existing pupils' education.
Or, in grammar school appeals for unqualified children, there is not sufficient evidence that the child is of the required academic standards.
Think carefully about making an appeal. Appeals are time-consuming, stressful for parents and expensive for schools.

We are aware we need to deal with FCO first. Initial thoughts on the reasons provided:

This is very tricky as it is very subjective. according to the Bucks council website:

At your appeal, the Appeal Panel must decide if the Selection Review was carried out in a fair, consistent and objective way.
“Fair, consistent and objective” are not defined. Their ordinary meaning applies.

• In 2013 Sally-Anne ( a much-missed forum Moderator and appeals expert) summed up the situation very well:
"It's also worth saying that panel members are very independent-minded - so much so that different panels could come to completely different conclusions about 'fair, consistent and objective'. That has happened in other areas of the country in the past.
The wording in the Appeals Code about "fair, consistent & objective" is pretty minimal and open to interpretation by individual Independent Appeal Panels."
Have you read this section? This will be updated for 2024 shortly, but the information will not change (other than the dates). The relevant section is Section D. Please note the following advice:

(ii) It is important to distinguish between 'judgement' and 'process'. You cannot challenge the review panel's judgement - but you can question whether the process was flawed. If an appeal panel decides that your review was not 'fair, consistent & objective', it is then free to take a completely fresh look at your case for academic suitability.

(iii) When raising concerns, ultimately what matters is how the review process was applied in your particular case.

(iv) We suspect many parents will be arguing that without clear, objective criteria, no one can actually tell whether their particular review was 'fair, consistent & objective'.
In addition, if there are any omissions, inaccuracies or contradictions in the clerk's notes, such errors could cast doubt on the process.[/list][/list]

You should also study this section on the Buckinghamshire Council website. Again, this will be updated for this year around March 1st.
Also have a look at our FAQs regarding appeals, in particular B53.

Good luck & please let us know how you get on.

Statistics: Posted by Moderators — Wed Feb 21, 2024 9:57 am

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