11 Plus Exams Forum

Some questions for anyone that has a DS go through CRGS and on to their sixth form:
Internal interviews regarding places/ subjects are not until the new year, but other local sixth form open days are soon, so do most parents apply for other schools "just in case"? Do the school approach the parents of any boys they feel may be at risk of not making the minimum number of A grades?
I know they need A grades in the subjects they are taking at A level, but is there any stipulation regarding the other subjects and can any taken in year 10 count towards the total or are they considered "soft"?

Hi

If you are worried that your DS won't get the minimum requirement then I would be proactive and contact the school now. Not just because of 6th form entry but to get support to help DS do the best he can in his GCSEs.

Are you concerned about A grades in AS choices or meeting the minimum requirement? There are very few boys who don't meet it.
Without knowing the circumstances, I would say that the school would be concerned about general level of performance not just about making the 6th form entry if the later is the case.
Did DS's end of year report give any indication of how the teachers think he is doing?

My experience is that staff would rather deal with any concerns sooner rather than later so maybe an email to Head of Year or Deputy Head would be a good idea so you can discuss if a programme of support is needed?

Sorry if this is not what you meant and you just want to cover your bases in case of unexpected disaster!


The interviews are more about checking that boys understand what is required of them in the 6th form and discussing option choices/combinations. They are not a selection process in the same way as for external candidates. I am sure you would be aware before this stage if there were any problems.

You will get a full report after January mocks and there is also the 6th form open evening coming up soon where there is a talk by the headmaster specifically for current pupils. While staff can't get involved in detailed conversations about individual pupils during the evening it is usually possible to grab a quick word with your son's current teachers for an indication of whether they think A level study in that subject would be appropriate.

Hope some of that is relevant to your question! Do PM me if it helps but I would email a senior member of staff with your questions so you get the best advice in your DS particular circumstances.

No I do not have any specific concerns, the subject of sixth form entry came up at work between a couple of parents with DS at CRGS, and no one seemed sure of whether to pursue sixth form college applications as back up. Being the first year of linear exams in 11 subjects, there is concern that there could be a drop in grades, due to the quantity of exams being taken at once.
There was also a lively debate around whether their a grades in igcse ict are worth anything when it comes to sixth form applications as it does not seem to be a qualification people think much of!

Ah I see!

Would seem pretty contradictory if they make them take the ICT exam and then don't count it but the ICT set up changes each year! so not sure what happened in a previous year would help much.

They look at GCSE grades already achieved by new applicants so they must also count GCSEs taken early by their own pupils.

The minimum entry requirement is AAAAB so even with the linear exams there shouldn't be an issue for most CRGS students and the school should have been able to alert parent of danger pupils after the year 10 exams. The linear exams are not expected to be to the significant detriment of CRGS pupils, who tend to do better at first attempt and are more able to cope with learning for several units at once than the average. There is an expectation in some quarters that it may be to their benefit.

Statistically the vast majority of pupils do stay on and anecdotally I don't know of any who have visited the Sixth Form College in the last few years except for a handful who were not happy with keeping to the discipline levels at CRGS.

Glad you don't have any problems on this front.