11 Plus Exams Forum

Hi

Can I just clear up an admissions question regarding marks vs priority area. Lets say the AQS for this year is 300 for AGS. We live in priority area, or catchment. I know that gives us priority over another child from outside area if both qualify, but does it work even against a child with a much higher mark? So

AQS 300
Johnny from inside catchment gets 310
Diana from outside catchment gets 330

I know it's not very realistic but just for the basic rule, would that mean that Johnny would gain a place BEFORE Diana, as would ALL the children reaching 300 or above, within catchment, numbers allowing, BEFORE Diana gets a look in, no matter how much higher her score. So in other words, we only need to be concerned with the rank within our catchment area, not within the whole area?

But presumably the presence of 300 children sitting the exam from outside the area still contributes to the overall AQS so their results can drive up the AQS? Do you see what I mean? It's not a competition between the catchment area pupils, followed by a second wave of competition between non catchment? It's a competition between them all for the score, but the actual allocation of places is in the two wave system.

Not sure if that makes sense!

Can you link to the current admissions policy. I can only find ags bucks.

I often find that admissions policies are ambiguously worded. It's not just you!

http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/school ... re-11-plus" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.alcestergs.co.uk/page/?pid=329" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Not sure whether either is exactly what you need, it's all a bit confusing.

Thanks mystery

Hi Yamin151.

Been through it last year and I don't understand. I'm in East Warks. Pass mark 310. 120 places. But 125 girls going, including one girl in inner area who only got 299, and another who got 309 - and there may be more who got in without reaching the pass mark. How did that happen? What's the point of having a pass mark?

I expect Okanagan will have an answer.

There's hope for everyone. Dd got 315 so got a place. Not brilliant but enough.

mm

Yamin151,

Sorry, the word "failed" is unkind. It is just not passed. One of my dd's friends had a terrible wobble on the day. It's just not worth it. If it's not meant to be ... yet my dd, who is amazingly lazy, got a place.

Good luck to your boys anyway. I have a ds2 who will sit the exam in 2016, so a few years' respite for me. But we are lucky enough to have a good comprehensive where his siblings currently are (they will have left by the time he starts) so if he doesn't make the gs, it certainly isn't the end of the world.

You're right about the pressure and competition and understanding admissions about areas and passing/qualifying/getting a place.

Ok - my dd is (ahem) out of catchment for the Warks Grammars by a few hundred metres. My letter arrived this morning, saying OUT OUT OUT at the bottom, which presumably confirmed this

However, Stratford Girls remains a backup for dd as it is a straight train ride and actually an easier journey by far than going to Sutton Coldfield Girls.

My dd has no chance of gaining a place at Stratford Girls on admissions day on 4 March.

Even if (and this is not a situation that is based on any grasp of reality here ) she came top in the entire exam, she still wouldn't be given a place on 4 March.

However, she would then go on the waiting list, and this is compiled without regard for catchment so she could 'jump over' a catchment child on the waiting list.

In previous years quite a few places (I think about 25 for Stratford Girls?) were offered from the waiting list so a non catchment child could get a place that way.
They would have to have done quite well though, to be high up on the list.

Hope that helps

Thanks um, I think that does help actually. And good luck to your daughter!

ginx wrote:Hi Yamin151.

Been through it last year and I don't understand. I'm in East Warks. Pass mark 310. 120 places. But 125 girls going, including one girl in inner area who only got 299, and another who got 309 - and there may be more who got in without reaching the pass mark. How did that happen? What's the point of having a pass mark?

I expect Okanagan will have an answer.

There's hope for everyone. Dd got 315 so got a place. Not brilliant but enough.

I suspect they would have been through the appeal process and been awarded a place that way - they would have had to prove other academic evidence to show they were suitable for grammar school.

Yasmin, I read that a g s admissions policy you linked to and it didn't look like one!