12 plus

[kittykat92]

Hi there saddad.

I've just been reading your past posts and I really felt for you with the whole appeals process! Good luck for the 12+!!

Do you mind me asking your opinion as to why you think your son didn't pass the 11+?
Could he have revised more? Lack of vocab? Did he have a tutor?

I only ask as my DD is sitting exam in September and she currently scores pretty high like your son did on her practice papers so I'm a little worried now! Eeeek!!

I'm just interested to know if you think there was anymore you could have done. I feel if my daughter does not pass then I probably wouldn't appeal as I feel the whole family is doing everything we can to help so if she doesn't pass then I know there was nothing more she or I could have done.

Thank you!

[SadDad]

Hi,

Main issue I think is that DS was not like DDs! Well, we looked back and his new school did not suit him and we kept being told by the staff, and believing them, that next year would pick up. Year 6 was great though, he has been a high flyer, nearly 100% in maths SAT and OK in the English.

It was the high vocab in both papers that let him down in the tests. He had only just started reading for pleasure and really was just not strong enough. Both DDs read lots and lots. Scores of 131 and 141.....

So, if anyone asked for top tips I would say :

1. The school - if success is poor in the 11 plus their English department is likely to be weak, change if you can.
2. Vocab vocab vocab!
3. 'Times Tables' - need to be strong and instant
4. look on the forums and practise

Hope that helps -

And as PS - DS has really learnt from this, as have we, and hopefully it will have been a positive, if distressing, experience. And from DDs, those that continue to work succeed, it is perfectly possible to fail at GS. DDs are girly swots of course...

[slough mum]

As I live in Slough and I will need to submit my preferences to Slough, how many schools can I choose?

Do I need to include the schools who have their own testing on the same for I send to the council?

[SadDad]

It looks like you apply to schools, to register for testing, and via County

http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/schools/a ... _2013.page

In addition to the requirement to register for testing, if you are a Buckinghamshire resident YOU MUST express your grammar school preference(s) online before the 31st October 2012, irrelevant of which grammar school(s) you are being tested for.

The buttons at the bottom of the page take you to a familiar looking link as for schools and order of preference etc

It is not clear whether the schools see the order of preference or not.

Looks like we have until 31st October to complete the application process. Happy Days!

[khanj010]

hi saddad i have been reading your thread and like you we also were shocked when ds did not pass. Any how just spoke to one of the grammer schools in bucks and i was told they may be 2 vr tests as they are discussing this and that they will let me know in a few days. Can i ask if your ds has gained level 5 in the 2 subjects (english and maths) as my ds has got level 5 in maths which we were positive he would get and high level 4 in english, i need to provide extinuating circumstances of why he did not achieve this, so another battle to fight. He is doing very well so far in his present school, so i dont know if i should go ahead with this all. Any advice warmly welcomed.

[anotherdad]

Hi khanj010. I've followed your previous threads and your admirable persistence in trying to obtain a GS place for your son. This sentence in your post jumped out at me:

He is doing very well so far in his present school, so i dont know if i should go ahead with this all. Any advice warmly welcomed.

Firstly, I'm so pleased that despite your earlier concerns, your son is doing very well at his upper school. You used the word "battle" elsewhere in your post, and from what I know of your efforts over the last year, you have worked extremely hard on your son's behalf which is to your great credit. If you'll forgive what might come across as being blunt, my advice would be to seriously consider whether putting your son through another appeal to be permitted to take the test, then perhaps another battery of tests, just as he is settling nicely into his new school, is the best course of action?

Your son is clearly a bright and able child, having come quite close to automatic qualification. A panel then determined he wasn't ready for GS and his year six SATs results appear to have backed that judgement. It's very disappointing when things are so marginal but there has to be a margin.

My final advice would be to appeal to sit the 12+ but don't unsettle your son by letting him know. If he is permitted to take the test, you have the luxury of the experience of almost a term and a half at upper school. You and he may decide he is very happy and doing well and not bother with the test. Or he could sit the test and not have to make the decision to move until as late as May if he achieves the score and if offered a place. Whatever you do, please be careful not to unsettle his good start at his new school. If he's happy there, don't create the impression that it is a second-rate school and that somewhere else would be better.

[khanj010]

Thank you so much anotherdad
Your words have put tears to my eyes, I am a very pushy mum and will travel to the ends of the world to get them the best start in life! Yes i have decided to go for the 12+ but without my ds knowing.He needs to concentrate on his new school and not to have that pressure on him . I will try to do what i can on the hide but will appreciate you or others help who are in the same boat. Im just finding it hard to find evidence for this appeal (as i know it will get to that stage). Will this present school do any assesments in the next month or so , because i dont know what evidence apart from all that i had in the 11+ to send them.
Should i send the past appeal evidence to them or shall i get a note from one of the present school head of year.
I dont know how helpful this will be as they themselves dont know him to well. Any Advice

[Guest55]

khanj010 you need to go back to his Primary school and get his books to show he was working at level 5 with, hopefully, the TA level 5 to back that up. The test was only reading this year which pupils tend to do better at - did he get level 5 writing?

[instantsunshine]

I read these posts with a lot of empathy. My DD failed 11plus & appeal several years ago. She sat 4 private school assessments & was offered places at each & we accepted one of them - not being allocated the upper school we had put on the form but just the one closest to our home address which we did not rate at the time. As she was settling in we didn't then sit her for 12plus even though she got 5s in all her sats. Big regret. Wish we'd at least applied & got her to sit it. Maybe if we had & had told her the results didn't matter she may have passed & we would have saved several years of private fees we couldn't really afford at a school we ended up moving her from for GCSE as she was so unhappy. We have a happy ending as she is now in local GS for 6th form (you apply direct to school, no catchment issues, just need good predicted & then actual grades). I would take every opportunity that arises - you can tell DC whatever makes them feel least stressed about the process. If offered a place you can always turn it down!

[khanj010]

Guest55 the primary school he was at has a new head this september and it was his year 5 teacher it was her who encouraged me to go to appeal for the 11+. My ds got T/A level 5 for maths and he achieved this in the sats, T/A for reading was 5 but achieved a 4 in the sats, and for his writing he go T/A 4 and sats level 4.
Now apart from the books from the secondary school what other evidence should i gather, what is disapointing is that he did not achieve level 5 in his reading , (extenuating circumstances were present) HOW AM I GOING TO EXPLAIN THIS!
PLEASE HELP
Also instantsunshine it is great to here your dd has a happy ending