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Does KE give priority to siblings?

Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 1:11 pm
by um
Hello everyone, I'm a brand new member and my eldest son will be taking the KE, Bishop Vesey, Handsworth and Queen Mary's exams this Autumn 09.

I wanted to ask if anyone could clarify the admission arrangements for KE?
I had understood that they admitted pupils on the basis of test scores, and if there was a tie, then on who lived closest.

However I was told by someone that they prioritise siblings first and that this year, 60 of the boys in KE Camp Hill were siblings! Is this an urban myth? Please can someone clarify for me?

Do the other grammars operate sibling policies at all?

Many thanks.

Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 4:49 pm
by mike1880
It's a myth, all the Birmingham grammars are specifically prohibited from giving priority to siblings by the Admissions Code:

http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/sacode/downloads ... 060309.pdf

Para 2.16: "In setting oversubscription criteria admission authorities must not:...m) in the case of designated grammar schools that rank all children according to a predetermined pass mark and allocate places to those who score highest, give priority to siblings of current or former pupils;"

And para 2.74: "Methods of allocating places for oversubscribed grammar schools vary. Some admission authorities allocate available places in rank order of performance in the entrance test; admission authorities for these schools must not give priority to siblings (see paragraph 2.16(m))."

And para 2.95: "Admission authorities must not adjust the score achieved by any child in a test in order to take account of oversubscription criteria, such as having a sibling at the school."

Mike

Thanks

Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 8:30 pm
by um
Thanks for the info, I was pretty sure this was wrong but the person who said it was themselves a teacher and seemed convinced!

Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 11:07 pm
by mike1880
You ain't heard nothin' yet. There are some very weird ideas floating around about the KE schools... :wink:

Mike