is it easier to get into KES/KEHS than GS?

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muminbrum
Posts: 362
Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2012 12:14 pm

is it easier to get into KES/KEHS than GS?

Post by muminbrum »

I hope this won't offend anyone.....

I have a friend whose DC is in year 5 at a prep school. They'll sit the exams for both GS and indies but they are under the impression that KES/KEHS are harder to get into. My own experience is that if you can afford a FP place then it's much easier. I know many (into double figures) children who were offered FP places who failed to get into any of the GS by a significant margin including HGS when that was a separate test. In fact I don't know anyone who didn't get an offer!
moseleymum
Posts: 659
Joined: Sat Oct 18, 2008 8:59 pm

Re: is it easier to get into KES/KEHS than GS?

Post by moseleymum »

And I know someone who got CHB but not KES!

Both tests are different, it depends where the child's strengths lie.
muminbrum
Posts: 362
Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2012 12:14 pm

Re: is it easier to get into KES/KEHS than GS?

Post by muminbrum »

I must now a strange group of kids then :lol:

Or our primary school's teaching fits well with the KES exam content!
JaneEyre
Posts: 4843
Joined: Sun May 09, 2010 1:04 pm

Re: is it easier to get into KES/KEHS than GS?

Post by JaneEyre »

Hi muminbrum

Where is the typo?
is it easier to get into KES/KEHS than GS?
they are under the impression that KES/KEHS are harder to get into (which is contradicted by the end of paragraph)
muminbrum wrote: Or our primary school's teaching fits well with the KES exam content!
you are lucky then!!! :wink: KES or no KES, the pupils are well prepared for their entry into secondary school!
muminbrum
Posts: 362
Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2012 12:14 pm

Re: is it easier to get into KES/KEHS than GS?

Post by muminbrum »

Apologies if I'm being dim. My own experience has led me to believe that it's harder to get a GS place but my friend, who is doing this for the first time, has the impression that getting a place at KES/KEHS is harder than getting a GS place. I was just wondering what the wider experience was.
Happy dad
Posts: 482
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 10:10 am

Re: is it easier to get into KES/KEHS than GS?

Post by Happy dad »

KES etc is largely determined by the ability to pay which limits the size of the pool somewhat. However this changes if you are looking to get a subsidised place as the competition is very intense. Overall I would say that it is harder to get a GS than indie.

Of course also at GS it is very simple - a good score gets you in. This cannot be said of the indies, who often don't even tell you the score and weigh up other factors - ability to pay being one - a bit of smoke and mirrors.
Last edited by Happy dad on Mon Mar 09, 2015 2:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Gladitsallover
Posts: 39
Joined: Mon Sep 15, 2014 1:05 pm

Re: is it easier to get into KES/KEHS than GS?

Post by Gladitsallover »

I agree with HappyDad and in my own friends experience I know a good number of boys (at least 9 over the last 3 years) who have failed to get a place at CHB but been successful for either a full fee place or assisted place at KES. Not so sure about how it is for girls given the comparatively lower scores required for CHG etc..
mike1880
Posts: 2563
Joined: Sat Sep 27, 2008 10:51 pm

Re: is it easier to get into KES/KEHS than GS?

Post by mike1880 »

I think it's possibly harder to get into CHB than KES but probably somewhat easier to get into the other GSs - but we only ever hear about CHB vs. KES, never KES vs. Five Ways or Aston. If you're looking for an AP it's certainly easier to get into GS. But the different exam styles don't suit everyone equally so there isn't really a definitive answer. (I've never heard of anyone getting a place at KEHS who didn't get a place at GS but I hardly know a representative sample of instances so that doesn't signify).
crazycrofter
Posts: 440
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2014 10:10 am

Re: is it easier to get into KES/KEHS than GS?

Post by crazycrofter »

I know a girl who just got an AP at KEHS but wasn't allocated a grammar school! However, she would have got QMHS if she'd put it on her form and her score would have got her into SCGS last year. I guess that just shows that it was harder to get into a Birmingham grammar school this year than in previous years!
atmyage
Posts: 60
Joined: Thu May 15, 2014 10:25 pm

Re: is it easier to get into KES/KEHS than GS?

Post by atmyage »

I know of several girls who have been offered FP place at KEHS but did not get into CHG (hence their reason for doing the test), however these girls did get a grammar place (Stratford, KEFW etc).

I also know of at least one girl who got into CHG but did not get into KEHS, but by their own admission, they were half-hearted about the KEHS exam, knowing their grammar scores.
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