Weald of Kent Grammar School has recently offered a number of additional places to girls in the West Kent  selective area, as places have become available. In addition Tonbridge Grammar School has offered further places, seeing its cut off off score falling to 412 (from 414) for Inner girls. This underlines the conundrum about the proposed Sevenoaks annex. Currently, there are some 50 boys in the area, found to be of grammar school ability, who have no grammar school place and probably no girls. However, any annex has to offer the same number of places for boys and girls. I cannot see Weald  of Kent being supportive of a proposal that could take away many of its students, and in any case I am not convinced that parents living in Sevenoaks will choose an annex over the established and OFSTED Outstanding Weald of Kent Grammar, just a few miles away in Tonbridge.

Why the discrepancy?......

There is an excellent summary of the issues surrounding a potential grammar school annexe in Sevenoaks on the commercial 11 plus website, by'pandabear'.

I now have the data for  appeals for those primary and secondary schools in Kent, whose appeals were heard by an Independent Appeal Panel organised by KCC. In previous years I have had the data for all schools at this time, but figures for the 26 secondary schools who organise their own appeals will not be available until later in the year. I do not publish school by school data here, as it varies so much year on year, depending on the pressure on places, the decision of the admission authority (in most cases the school)  as to how hard to resist the appeal and the make up of the panels. However, I do identify below where there are particular trends. 

2011 Secondary Appeal Numbers
	Appeals Heard	Appeals Upheld	% Upheld
Foundation & Voluntary Aided Grammar Schools	542	186	34
Community Grammar Schools	237	101	42
Totla Grammar Schools	779	287	36
Non Selective Schools	186	129	69

Details follow.........

A year ago, there was much debate about the vacant site at the redundant Wildernesse School (boys) in Sevenoaks, after it merged with The Bradbourne School (girls) nearby, in the latter's premises, to serve as the basis for the new Knole Academy which has now been operating since September. The new academy will soon be accommodated in its adapted premises, costing £18 million to develop.

There are now two alternative but incompatible proposals for the vacant Wildernesse site: a Christian Free Comprehensive School; and an annexe to one or more existing grammar schools. Both projects have a proposed start date of September 2013. .....

KCC appears be moving towards a sensible compromise in its review of free school transport in the face of the financial pressures it is facing. Kent on Sunday reports that KCC is now revisiting its initial proposals to axe all discretionary free school transport to grammar schools and faith schools, apart from those already in receipt of the benefit, from September 2012. It is now looking to retain it for families with children on free school meals and other low income families........

Newspaper articles report that some two dozen girls living on the Isle of Sheppey, who passed the eleven plus, have no grammar school to go to. This is because their nearest grammar, Highsted Grammar School, is full as is Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in Faversham. Highsted became an Academy in October, and so is independent of Kent County Council. It is reported to be coming under pressure to make contingency arrangements for an extra form of entry if the Independent Appeal Panel holds up appeals from these girls. The Cabinet Member for Education stated on Radio Kent this morning that the school had been able and was still able to apply for additional places for this exceptional case. In fact, the same situation has arisen before three times in the last twelve years and on each occasion the school has negotiated the provision of extra places with KCC before the need for any appeals.

Radio Kent covered this story this morning (Monday) and it will be on BBC SE this evening, with comments from me...........

Kent County Council is consulting on plans to cut grants for children attending grammar schools and faith schools. These grants are discretionary and the grants could be cut by as much as half for new and possibly current pupils from September 2012......

	Number of Reviews	Number of successful reviews	% of cohort
Medway	249	56	2
Kent	21	6

The  Code of Practice for School Appeals came into operation for appeals in 2009, and can be found here (make sure you consult the 2009 version). Ther were minor changes for 2010, but it was decided not to issue a fresh booklet.

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I shall be arranging arranging secondary appeal consultations from mid February. See Can I help you for details.

I recommend that you first read the general information on school appeals here.  You will bea ble to download a Kent Appeal form here.

Kent and Medway grammar school testing takes place in September, but parents need to be aware that if their child is unsuccessful in the test, in a Kent Headteacher assessment or Medway Review, there is no right to appeal until after school allocation, 1st  March 2011. Your right to appeal is then to a particular school. You cannot appeal against a non selective decision in general. Whilst appeals usually begin in April/May, some may not be heard until July 2011.  

Medway parents are  offered a Review of any non selective decision in November, but are still allowed to appeal if they have not gone to Review.  Many Kent children are put forward for headteacher’s assessment in October (without parental knowledge), but parents are not bound by this. These stages take place before the selective decision is confirmed.

There are three main situations with regard to grammar school appeals:

1) The child has not passed the eleven plus and there are spaces available

2) The child has passed the eleven plus and the school is full;

3) The child has not passed the eleven plus and the school is full.

First piece of advice is – don’t panic. You will not get an earlier appeal or a better hearing by sending in your case early. If you are not ready, make sure you record your appeal by the closing date, using such words as “I am appealing for….... I will send in my detailed case when it is ready”. This enables you to take advice or plan your appeal without additional pressure (it is already stressful enough!). In any case, the rule is: "Parents should also be informed that there is no statutory time limit for submitting information about their appeal". However,if yours is one of the few Foundation schools that organises early appeals, such as Rochester Grammar School and Chatham Grammar School for Girls, it is important to get the appeal lodged in good time, as a late appeal may find the school full after others have been heard.

There is a basic division between grammar schools run by the county (community schools) and the foundation and voluntary aided schools that form the majority. Foundation grammar schools each have their own approach to appeals; some using an independent appeal panel set up by the county, others choosing their own panel members. Some wish to admit additional pupils, others resist strongly. These produce a wide range of success rates, both from county to county and for individual schools within counties. I advise you, in the case of Foundation or VA Schools who provide their own Independent Appeal Panel, to contact the headteacher who may be willing to offer the school perspective. Some grammar schools are regularly oversubscribed with successful candidates, particularly in West Kent. If you are deprived of a place on this basis, you still have the right to appeal.

Parents can only appeal to a school they have named on the application form, so choice of schools remains critical. However, in Kent if you choose not to apply for a particular grammar school, you still have the right to apply using the In Year Admission Process after the end of March 2011 and if turned down because your child has not taken the test, or has not passed the test, or the school is full, you can appeal. However, this route carries additional risk if the school is likely to be full.  

I am often asked what scores are likely to be successful in a grammar school appeal. This is an impossible question to answer for Appeal Panels will wish to take other factors into account. These may include: what special circumstances do you have that will convince a panel there has been a miscarriage (there is no point in producing peripheral issues); what alternative evidence do you have to demonstrate that your child is of grammar school ability; is the school a Foundation School - is the school oversubscribed or does it need additional pupils; is the school 'superselective'; is it in East Kent or West Kent; what support is forthcoming from the primary school? Or even, what is the make up of the Panel members (not known until a week or so before the appeal)? You are most unlikely to achieve success at any Kent appeal if no score is above 120. You are most unlikely to achieve success in West Kent without scores close to the cut off point.

Possible relevant factors that parents may put forward include: (1) the selection panel was missing information which can lead to a different decision – e.g. medical condition or family circumstances not reported which affected the child's performance, but can be demonstrated; (2) independent proof that your child is of grammar school ability (3) information provided was incorrect – you have the right to see all relevant documentation. I am happy to advise clients of other possibilities when I have discussed individual cases. You may also succeed if marks are near the cut off and you find a sympathetic appeal panel. If none of the above applies, your chances are low; so plan an alternative route for your child’s secondary education – although each year I am delighted by successful appeals which originally looked unpromising.

Kent Grammar Schools

At all Kent grammar school appeals against a non-selective decision the Kent test scores and any headteacher assessment report will be distributed to the Panel and parents. This also has the effect of eliminating false parental claims about the results. Some parents have not seen the assessment document before, so make sure you ask to see it before writing your appeal, as this is likely to have an influence on your case.

My Services

My work draws on eight years of extensive work across Kent and Medway. Probably the most important lesson I  have learned is not only that admission patterns vary across both Authorities, but that appeal practice, best strategies and likely outcomes are equally variable.  My tracking of appeals over the years means I have a wide experience of different scenarios and panellists, although even I am sometimes surprised by decision making, hence my extensive experience of successful complaints through the Local Government Ombudsman.   

 As you might expect in Kent and Medway, the majority of my work is supporting parents with appeals for grammar schools, using my unrivalled knowledge of the local situation and my expertise and lengthy experience in Appeal work. I have now achieved success for places at every grammar school in the County, although the level of difficulty varies, and I am happy to advise parents of this before they engage me. Make no mistake, a school appeal is time consuming and stressful, but my expert service takes much of the strain off your shoulders and maximises your chances of success.

I am often asked why my service is so different to that of other consultants you will find advertising on the internet! This is one area where I don't profess to know the answer. What I do know is that I charge a fair price for a professional service built on expertise, local knowledge and experience. My many satisfied clients bear testimony to this.

As with all pages on this website, this page is packed with free information to support parents. However, getting on for 700 clients will testify that my professional service does make the difference!

If you wish to contact me regarding a Kent grammar school appeal, please first speak to your child's primary school to obtain their scores in the Kent test. Feel free to email me with a brief outline of your situation (including test marks) and a contact phone number, and I will get back to you as soon as possible. I will  confirm whether or not I feel it is worthwhile going ahead with an appeal, and my fee if you wish to engage my services.

If you decide to go ahead, then at our initial consultation I will advise on the expected appeal pattern for each school, and the best strategy to achieve success, together with exploring all suitable alternatives in the state system. I will ensure I have all relevant information and prepare a personalised appeal letter in  co-operation with yourself, that maximises your chances at appeal. Then a few days before the appeal, when you are in receipt of all relevant information from the school or Local Authority, I will go through with you all relevant factors on the telephone taking as much time as is necessary to ensure you are as well prepared as possible.

I do not normally attend appeal hearings, as Panels are more interested in talking directly with parents. However, I am happy to represent parents where appropriate. I ensure that the best case is put forward and have a very good record of success where I can establish supporting evidence.

There are number of websites and books offering advice on how to succeed at appeal. Most of these offer general advice, not tailored to specific schools or local authorities, and so are of limited value. There is no substitute for local knowledge, which is why I confine my operation to Kent & Medway.

A good website for general information on admissions and appeals is: eleven plus exams. However, you need to treat the contributions with caution. It is  Buckinghamshire based but whilst the school appeal advice varies considerably from the many varieties in Kent, it can be very helpful. There is also a lot of forum discussion about West Kent issues, often different from those in the rest of the county. You will find older contributions from me under the name of Peter, but I have removed recent contributions as I don't wish to be associated with some of the unedited comments on the forum which can be mischievous

Many  grammar schools admit all applicants who have achieved the selective standard, or those living nearest where there is oversubscription; but others select the highest scorers in the assessment tests. It is more difficult to win appeals to the latter, but I have also achieved success for parents at such schools over the past three years. 

I am sorry I am unable to comment on appeal letters as my first priority is to those clients who have already engaged my services. Reminder; I only take on clients resident in Kent and Medway for state schools in those local authorities, as my work is heavily centred on local knowledge of how our schools and appeal systems work. My furthest enquiry this year is from a family living in Malta, wishing to appeal to a school in Northamptonshire!