11 Plus Exams Forum

And how far would you expect children to travel for this education? The system cannot work as it is. Either we need more grammar schools, to make them accessible to all (regardless of location), or to commit to a comprehensive education and strive to improve all schools.

I think your questioning of motives is unhelpful and unfair.

Without catchment areas, what criteria should oversubscribed schools use?

For grammar schools that's simple - score in the exam and only use straight line distance from school as a tie breaker for the last candidates to get in.

That's how it works for B/Ham KE and LEA grammars - you can travel to Sutton Coldfield from Worcester and warwickshire if you want - just so long as you pass the exam! Some do - maybe 30 miles I guess!

Catchment schools should only be used for comprehensive and community schools.

Intelligence?!

I thought he meant ALL schools not just grammar schools

I'm sorry but I have to say that i am pleased that the ruling has been made because I am cross that my children may be denied a place at a Grammar school that is well within our catchment area, because currently people outside are taking the places!

My son is at lawrence Sheriff, but that was through appeal as his score was not quite high enough. He is now in the top end of his year group. Proof that he rightly was given a place. Over the years I have seen the number of pupils passing the exam at our local school dwindle as obviously children out of area are taking the places. It's not just me who thinks this, the majority of parents are pleased with the ruling.

The situation in Rugby was getting to the point that it was becoming easier for a child to gain a scholarship to Rugby school than to get in to the grammar because for the foundationship scholarship available to day pupis the area in which potential students must live is very small. For those who live outside the area these scholarships aren't available.

Rugby fought hard to keep its grammar schools while other areas moved to the comprehensive system.

Many people move within the Rugby boundary puely because there aren't any particularly bad secondaries in Rugby compared to others in Nuneaton and Coventry, and Avon Valley is always over subscribed. Rugby schoold should be for Rugby kids. How would others feel if their child couldn't go to a local school because it was full of children from outside the town?

I do however have sympathy for those just outside the border in neighbouring villages like Barby but at the end of the day the border has to be drawn somewhere

Hi Mojo

Over the years I have seen the number of pupils passing the exam at our local school dwindle as obviously children out of area are taking the places. It's not just me who thinks this, the majority of parents are pleased with the ruling.

But why is this occuring?

A statistician might argue that the root cause might be any one of:-

(a) that your local school primary school wasn't performing which disadvantaged the pupils including your son or

(b) that the 11+ test at that time was flawed and so didn't correctly identify true potential in pupils.

(c) or that the rumours circulating around Warwickshire at the time were correct and that there were elements of cheating occuring going on.(if this was 2 or more years ago)

The problem you have with an argument based predominately on catchment schools is that it plays into the hands of the "lets scrap grammar brigades" and doesn't tackle the root cause. The whole philosophy of the grammar system is based on academic selection and I think that still has to be the main criteria not local catchments.

If you look at the 6th form sector throughout the country there are no restrictions at all on who can attend a particular 6th form college and that works very well. I happen to know that large number of students from Warwick and Leamington attend Solihull 6th form college because of the easy access by rail - I think that generates competition and is excellent. Students do not want to attend poorly performing local colleges.

The same principle should apply to secondary and grammar schools - open access for all and in the case of grammars with selection based purely on academic ability.

No doubt we aren't going to agree on this but I'm not sure that the majority of parents do agree with you on this? I would be interested to see a survey on this. Has this been done by the LEA?

Regards

Ken