11 Plus Exams Forum

Hello, this is my first message on the board. My son is at no. 3 in Aston waiting list & got a place in BV. We live in Harborne. What do members think about KE Aston results & reputation versus BVGS. KE Aston is a bit nearer to us also. Also congrats to all those who got into their first preference. My son is Sept born so it seems age weighting has affected his end result.

KE is a far better school than BVGS. KE made a far better impression than BV, and I think that it's demonstrated by the results, which are in a different league.

Your son was not impacted by being September born; his raw scores were compared against other September born children. Age standardisation is a completey fair system, people should not imply that they have been unfairly assessed as a result of standardisation

I'd go for Aston purely based on distance alone. With Aston your son can get one of the Green Buses - getting to BV would be (in my opinion!) a logistical nightmare.

Secondary school is very full on - so I'd consider very carefully adding to the school day with an onerous journey.

Hi,

Not a hundred percent sure but pretty confident BV achieved better GCSE & A-level results than KEA last year

From what i have read and heard BV is a fast improving school with a committed head.

Discount it on logistic purposes is understandable.

Green buses are being introduced to BVGS from this September, so won't be a problem except 40 minutes one way travelling time. Have to pick our DS if staying back after school hours for any activities.

Hi Redbull

Both BVGS and KEA are excellent schools, although KEA is statistically harder to get into.

I would have thought the tie breaker in your case may be the travel logistics. I would look at taking the train from University Station for BV - would have thought this would be easier and enable you son to stay at school for addition activities.

I wouldn't say getting to BV from Harborne is that much of a logistical nightmare. Assuming you can get him to a station on the university line, e.g Bournville, Kings Norton, all he has to do then is stay on it until Sutton Coldfield and then the school is literally just across the road. I know quite a few BV kids will be on that same train line and your son can travel with them.

As to which is better, its difficult to say as BV is definitely on the up and Aston appears to be on a slight decline. One could well have overtaken the other by the time your ds finishes. BV also seems to have more space and facilities.
But traditionally Aston has been seen as better and is usually a higher choice for parents than BV.

How children do at school has more to do with the child and his home setup than the school itself. On any one year a school may have a better cohort so do much better.

Last year the results for Camp Hill Girls were significantly worse than the year before but nothing has changed at the school--same teachers, same head, same setup. Just a poorer year.

I think the tie-breaker would be which one your son favours because there is not much to pick between the green bus to Aston and the train from the University, except he would have to be at the swimming pool earlier and he couldn't do his homework on the bus whereas, in theory, he could on a train.

Sorry where is the university station & how long does it take. I am thinking of getting first hand experience myself & then decide. I have never used public transport, I am sorry.

Try looking on http://www.networkwestmidlands.com/trai ... rkMap.aspx