11 Plus Exams Forum

hi

is it true that if your child passes the 11+ in buckinhamshire they will be given the option to attend a grammer school. we live in reading (berks) and i know reading grammer school does not have the same guarantee due to over subscription

thanks

heres the article

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6665115.stm

As I understood it, if you live in Bucks, your child passes 11+ and you apply to a grammar school, Bucks will find a grammar place for that child. That said, some grammars don't have spaces for all in-catchment children that pass, but nevertheless, I think they do more or less promise a grammar place.

If you apply at a different time or from outside Bucks I don't think there are any guarantees at all.

As for the BBC article, interesting, but just the views of one person and not entirely accurate in places (e.g. there are no comprehensives in Bucks, only grammars and community (aka secondary modern)). There's also a whole essay in a discussion of the section that said "The 11-plus is meant to be a test of a child's ability, rather like an IQ test, and you can't prepare for it. But that's where the argument falls down, because everybody who can afford it, pays for extra coaching"

thanks hugh for the info

based on what you say, would it be a significant advantage for your childs education to live in bucks rather than berks - if you / they wanted a grammer school education and that they passed the 11+

there has to be a catch somewehere .......

Yes, if you think a grammar education would suit your child AND you're confident they'll pass 11+. If they don't pass, but are fairly bright, the problem is that some of the upper schools (secondary moderns) are far less academic than many comprehensives.

I agree with Hugh. It's very difficult to predict whether a particular child will or won't pass the 11+ unless they're really high flyers. Which means the catch is making sure your back-up plan is watertight. We were lucky with our second daughter as she got a place in a good comp outside Bucks when she didn't quite make the pass mark in the 11+. She is now top of the class in many subjects, and very happy. But we went through a time of uncertainty after the results as we didn't really want to send her to the Bucks Upper school, where we feel she might have been bored and underchallenged.

Others are not so lucky and struggle to find a good alternative if the result is not the expected pass. Actually, that's why I logged on after a long absence - to find out how Sally-Anne's son got on with the 12+.

Sally-Anne? Do you still visit this section? The website has grown enormous since I last visited!

Jed

Jed,

Nice to hear from you! Sally-Anne is around and waiting for 12+ results any day now ... glad to hear your child is doing well ...

Hi Jed!

Nice to hear from you,and very glad to hear that your daughter is still happy and doing well.

If you take a peep at the Forum front page you will find out that not only do I still visit, but I've been promoted to Moderator! An arduous task, but it helps to pass the time in what is now known as the "Hotel California":

"You can check out any time you want, but you can never leave"! (You're a hotel guest too Jed! )

I reckon we will get the 12+ result next Thursday or Friday, so stick around for a few days more. Believe me, whichever way it goes, I shall be posting. Either to share the good news with the incredible number of people who have posted their good wishes, or to find some solace on the long journey ahead. (But IT WON'T HAPPEN, Sally-Anne)

All the kids at his school who took it came out saying it was "easy". Now, how reassuring is that?

Best wishes
Sally-Anne

Thanks for the update Guest55. I've just found Sally-Anne in 'rehab' at the end of the 233-page post 'March 2' (it's now May 18th folks!).

I'll pop back in a week or so to see how she got on.

In the meantime, good luck to all those preparing for next year's 11plus. Don't forget, it's just a phase - most families recover quickly and get on with life (rehab inhabitants excepted!)

Jed

Jed wrote:Thanks for the update Guest55. I've just found Sally-Anne in 'rehab' at the end of the 233-page post 'March 2' (it's now May 18th folks!).

Don't forget, it's just a phase - most families recover quickly and get on with life (rehab inhabitants excepted!)

Jed