The appeals process for summer 2021 allows students to appeal their grade where they believe there has been a genuine error. We have published a range of information on our website:

• Centre Policy.
• The Evidence Base used to arrive at Teacher Assessed Grades (TAGs) for each subject.
• The JCQ appeals process.

We have formally requested from students details of any special circumstances including access arrangements, the provision of reasonable adjustments and mitigating circumstances. These have then been considered in the awarding of TAGs.

If a TAG has been changed because of our own QA processes or in the application of mitigations, we will share this information with candidates on results days.

Individual raw marks available for the evidence pieces used to derive TAGs will be available on results day to those students who request this Requests are made to appeals_2021@farmors.gloucs.sch.uk

An Autumn Exam Series is available for those students who wish to take formal examinations to try to improve their TAG. Information regarding the Autumn Series will be published on our website once received.

A formal request for a grade review

Students can request that their TAG is reviewed.

Students must be aware that this process can result in three possible outcomes:

1. Original grade is lowered.
2. Original grade is confirmed.
3. Original grade is raised.

A grade review (appeal) happens in 2 stages.

There is no grade protection this year.

This means that a grade that is changed due to a candidate appeal will become the final awarded grade, even if it is lower the original TAG.

Stage one is called a Centre Review and stage two is called an Awarding Organisation Review.

A Centre Review must have been completed before requesting an Awarding Organisation Review.

Deadlines The Centre Review deadlines:

• 16th August midday for priority appeals.
• A priority appeal is where a student has not attained their first choice Higher Education place.
• Priority appeals are for post-16 grades only.
• 3rd September midday for non-priority appeals.

The Awarding organisation Review deadlines:

• 23rd August for priority appeals.
• If this deadline is missed, an appeal will still be considered as priority, but may take longer to process.
• Higher Education Institutions are not required to hold places pending appeals.
• 17th September for non-priority appeals.

The Centre Review process at Farmor’s School

Requests are made using the Stage One Centre Review Form.

Completed forms are returned by the deadlines above to: appeals_2021@farmors.gloucs.sch.uk

Appeals MUST be instigated by candidates and the forms must be signed by the candidate.

This review will check:

• Perceived procedural errors in the school not following the published Centre Policy.
• Perceived administration errors in the school recording a grade incorrectly.
• Perceived administration errors in the school submitting an incorrect grade to the awarding organisation.
• A review panel comprised of 3 school staff will convene on the 16th August and again on the 4th September to conduct any requested Centre Reviews.
• A Centre Review can be withdrawn by a student before a finding has been made, but not after.
• The review panel will return their decision via the Centre Review Outcome form within 3 working days.
• A record will be kept by the school that a finding has been reached and communicated to a student.

The Awarding Organisation Review process at Farmor’s School

Requests are made using the Stage Two Centre Review Form.

Completed forms are returned to: appeals_2021@farmors.gloucs.sch.uk

Appeals MUST be instigated by candidates and the forms must be signed by the candidate.

Candidates must submit a Stage Two Centre Review Form to the centre 24 hours before the awarding body deadlines to allow for checking and processing.

The school will forward Stage Two Centre Review Forms to the relevant awarding organisation by the deadlines given above. For each Stage Two Centre Review Form submitted to an awarding organisation, the school will confirm to each student that this has been done.

This review will check:

• Perceived Procedural errors in the school not following the published Centre Policy.
• Perceived Administration errors by the awarding organisation in recording a grade incorrectly.
• Perceived issues with Access Arrangements, Reasonable Adjustments and/or Mitigating Circumstances.
• That the exercise of Academic Judgement was unreasonable in the selection of evidence.
• That the exercise of Academic Judgement was unreasonable in determining a grade.