11 Plus Exams Forum

Hi all,
I've been directed to this site somewhere along the line & upon reading some threads, it seems like a lot of people know a lot of things that I really don't (re. the 11+ etc). So I thought I'd pop on 'steal' some help for myself !!

DS has just finished his Bucks exams & we have filled in our on-line admission forms & requested RLS & SHF. We visited both & DS loves both for very different reasons. Now my dilemma is that we live in Milton Keynes so are ooc. We live 12.8-14.3 miles (difference of opinion between google & satnav ) from RLS & some 20 odd miles from SHF.

I've been researching their intakes of recent years & it seems that we stand absolutely NO chance whatsoever of a place at RLS, but it seems ironically that we have a small chance of SHF! Does anyone know more on this?
As I said we don't mind either, but I would much prefer that DS didn't have such a distance to travel to school, amongst other issues that come with the distance. He doesn't seem to mind a bit & we would be grateful to win any place, but oh the frustration of living in Buckinghamshire but coming under blinking MK Council & not having any GS of our own!!

If anyone wonders, we are taking this route as DS has always shown a higher ability, recognised from around age 3 (no genius, make no mistake ) & local comp not the worst but certain qualities we wholly disagree with.
Sorry to have rambled, it's just that with hardly any support from either council, it's hard to get advice!!
Thank you for your time

Hi - first of all try putting your postcode in on the Transport Direct website, http://www.transportdirect.info/Web2/Ho ... tingloop=Y - be sure to select SHORTEST route under the Advanced options (this is not necessarily the "fastest"!) to get a more accurate estimate of the distance to start with. Secondly, if you e-mail the Bucks Admissions department they will let you know the distance that they would use for your application. This should automatically select the shortest route but if you don't think it is correct it might be worth querying.

The distance within which OOC places were allocated for RLS last year was just under 10 miles. The number of applicants from our own primary school, which is OOC but well within previous years' distances, has shot up this year (not that they are all necessarily going to pass, but it does increase the potential pool of OOCs chasing places) so I would confidently expect the cut-off point this year to be quite low, however it all depends on how many pass in catchment and how many other successful OOCs there are.

I would suggest you keep RLS as the first choice anyway, as if it is full SHF will still allocate if they have places and your DS qualifies. I have heard that there are quite a few travelling from MK to SHF and that there is actually a bus service from there, you might want to check whether this is still the case or I am sure someone who knows more will be along soon to confirm or correct!

Best of luck!

Thanks Marylou,
I've looked at your link & that says 14.1miles. So that's pretty much what I expect them to go by, but I will e-mail & investigate further, if it might help.
On our visit to SHF we did speak to a couple of children who do use the current bus service from Milton Keynes, so I would expect that to still be in place by next year if all goes well.
Just wanted to prepare DS for which it's more likely to be, to make sure he's happy with that if such a result arrives.
Many Thanks

Hi. I'm an SHF parent. I thought you might be interested in additional information on the buses, in case you are allocated SHF rather than RLS.

We do know quite a lot of Milton Keynes children who travel to SHF. It is quite a long journey, as you might expect. Students from the north of MK typically catch buses at times shortly after 7.00, though one or two on our class "travel tree" appear to get on before 7.00. In the south of MK it is slightly more comfortable with times of about 7.30-7.45. Although it's a very early start, some children appear to enjoy the chance to socialise. You probably know already that there is a charge for the buses leaving from OOC to either of your Grammar preferences.

Hope this is useful.

Hi Frustrated Mum

Based on "past performance" you should secure a place for your son at SHF. Another option would be AYlesbury Grammar School, which would have delivered a place in the last couple years.

I am assuming that you have seen this, but if not, there's no harm in posting it again!

http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/11-plu ... rofile.php

You can always try an appeal for RLS, but you would need to demonstrate specific reasons why it is the most suitable school for your son.

Sally-Anne

I understand the MK parents get to express only 3 preferences, which will limit Frustratedmum's options.

Hi guys,
Many thanks for the replies. We have researched a fair bit, so have seen somewhere along the line, the kinds of prices for annual bus tickets.
We do only get 3 choices unfortunately & one life was used on our local comp (just in case), so then we're left with 2 & went with RLS & SHF due to the fact that they are the nearest & both mixed schools, only reason being that DS always has girls as many of his friends, including best friend at present & don't think he would be as happy with boys only.
We feel much happier knowing that generally a few children at least will be travelling from this area, hopefully this will make the journey & friend making, a little easier.
Thanks again for everyones help!