No 11+ talk/presentation from primary school

[Guest55]

Rob's DD is not at GMS - there is more than one good Upper!

[Tolstoy]

Our primary has children who took all 3 level 6's going to upper in Sept

Kitty, just to give you a positive spin on this, it does mean that the Upper Schools have had to learn how to accommodate some 'bright' (for want of a better word) children. The one DD attends offers triple science, a choice of MFL, further maths, all the main humanities and so on. There is very little difference between the subjects which DD took at her Upper School and those DS took at a boys GS – and very little difference in the GCSE grades they achieved too

Agree totally our upper - GMS is superb academically and with sports but it's music provision is poor (and my dd is very musical). However with SWBGS being increasingly filled with kids from OOC then GMS only managed to accommodate its catchment children by adding an extra class (our villages were offered Burnham E-Act - 20 miles away up the M4). It's madness!

The Rugby at our Upper is a non starter and DS has been advised to take it up, so ideally a school that provides it would be good but these things can be tackled outside of school. Being offered a school 20 miles away because your local school is full is ridiculous and the M4 is busy enough without bussing DC up it on a regular basis.

[kittymum]

Rob's DD is not at GMS - there is more than one good Upper!

I know that!?! I didn't say that was the case. I was talking about my dd and my upper - my upper is GMS and its music provision is poor. My upper had trouble accommodating its catchment. That's all I was saying! I have long champion the case of the Bucks uppers I am confused why you seem to think I'm implying that GMS is the only good upper?

[Guest55]

Sorry I thought your post implied you thought Rob was talking about the same school.

[kittymum]

My "our" was referring to my family and community

[southbucks3]

The Rugby at our Upper is a non starter and DS has been advised to take it up, so ideally a school that provides it would be good but these things can be tackled outside of school. Being offered a school 20 miles away because your local school is full is ridiculous and the M4 is busy enough without bussing DC up it on a regular basis

Come to Wycombe rugby club. we are a much friendlier bunch than amersham!

[Lillie]

I know there is a headteachers' handbook and I have seen it online. However it's undeniable there is huge variation in attitude of some schools/ headteachers. I don't know how it can be better controlled so that all primary schools give the same level of information to parents. That clearly isn't happening.

[Tolstoy]

The Rugby at our Upper is a non starter and DS has been advised to take it up, so ideally a school that provides it would be good but these things can be tackled outside of school. Being offered a school 20 miles away because your local school is full is ridiculous and the M4 is busy enough without bussing DC up it on a regular basis

Come to Wycombe rugby club. we are a much friendlier bunch than amersham!

He had wanted to join Wycombe but training is Sunday morning, so is Chesham, Beaconsfield ..... He's hoping to be able to do it at school.

[southbucks3]

The Rugby at our Upper is a non starter and DS has been advised to take it up, so ideally a school that provides it would be good but these things can be tackled outside of school. Being offered a school 20 miles away because your local school is full is ridiculous and the M4 is busy enough without bussing DC up it on a regular basis

Come to Wycombe rugby club. we are a much friendlier bunch than amersham!

He had wanted to join Wycombe but training is Sunday morning, so is Chesham, Beaconsfield ..... He's hoping to be able to do it at school.

Training and matches are on Sunday, training 10-12 whatever the weather (UN l ess frozen pitch) at all clubs. Hot choccy, brekky baps, lunch and a bar for afterwards, make the the whole thing more pleasant and it's very popular.

[duffymoon]

So this difference between various school's teachers and head teacher's attitude to 11+ has been hanging around for thirty years?? We did not even know why we were sitting the test until after we had sat it, I think my dad said I was going to be taking a big test that week, my most vivid memory is the warm up exercise of drawing a business man and I got upset because I didn't have time to finish him.
Hyacinths experience of an interview with the head to prepare them for the test is exceptional for a state school I think, but who knows?
They should all encourage, no one is suggesting they should scare parents into tutoring, but they should make parents fully aware of what the competition is and whether their child has a good chance with or without a little push. Currently as lille says, parents are made to think they can look around the meeting room of the June 11+ presentation, mentally divide the children by three and assume that amount will pass, which is tosh! I thought exactly that five years ago, but have had my eyes opened now.
Our school has used cats results in the last two years to tell parents during March parents evenings if their child is in with a chance, but they still persist in referring to tutoring as if you were sending your child to the occult once a week.
I just think complete transparency is the order of the day, tell it like it is, not like it should be in an ideal world.

Totally agree.

So, are all Bucks state primary schools required to give a presentation or is it down to the Headteacher to decide ? Surely it should be a requirement and enforced by Bucks CC.