11 Plus Exams Forum

I was talking to someone who deals with appeals a few weeks ago and I was told that Bexley would only accept children out of the borough if they came within the top 180. ( I assumed it was top 180 and then distance )

Also what happens if a child lives in Bexley but goes to a private school outside of Bexley. They might have to sit the 11+ with out of the borough children but surely they would be treated as Bexley kids.

Thanks.

Dani - my understanding is that it is irrelevant whether a candidate lives within the borough of Bexley or not. Of all those sitting the test, the top 180 scorers, whether or not they are Bexley residents, are guaranteed a place at a Bexley school of their choice. The next significant criterion to be applied (leaving aside looked after children and siblings) is proximity to the school. Successful distances in previous years are published by Bexley to give parents an idea of where they need to live in order to gain a place at a particular school.

I suspect the person you spoke to in appeals made a generalisation in saying that you need to be a top 180 scorer to get a place at a Bexley grammar school as most out-of-borough applicants will live too far away to qualify on distance. But there may well be out-of-borough applicants who live very close to the borough boundary who are not top 180 scorers, but who live close enough to a Bexley grammar to be offered a place.

Children at private schools in Bexley will be treated the same as other Bexley residents and their applications judged on home-school distance.

Thanks Bexley Mum 2

I was trying out a bit more about what happens to those children who have just failed. If children outside of Bexley would only be allocated a place if they are within the first 180 places then more places would be available to those who are appealing on the basis that they have just failed.

I'm thinking about entering my daughter in the Dartford test however it seems a very tall order to aim for a top 180 place. I know a child attending a school in Sidcup (and lives in Sidcup ) who failed Bexley and managed to bag a place at Wilmington grammer. ( i can't immagine that someone who fails Bexley would get in to the top 180 in Kent ) I read here somewhere that the system in Dartford is a bit up in the air at the moment however I'm kind of hoping that Dartford will follow Bexley's lead.

Maybe I should post this on the Kent page, I would like to know where we stand. No point in investing loads of time in NVR if we are not going to sit Dartford.

Dani - the top 180 just applies to Bexley not Kent. (I believe it was originally introduced as a gesture towards giving children in the north of the borough a chance at getting a grammar school place. Bexley's grammar schools are located towards the south of the borough so children in the north who pass the Bexley 11+ tend to be disqualified on distance.)

Kent grammar schools have their own selection criteria. For some distance is the primary criterion and, because Kent has more grammar schools, this can mean children may not need to live as close to a Kent grammar to be offered a place as they do in Bexley. Some North Kent grammars are moving towards super-selective status so you will need to look at the selection criteria for each school you are interested in.

I'm not sure I understand your first question, but successful appeals in Bexley are few and far between. Failing by only a couple of points is not usually enough in itself to win an appeal in Bexley (unlike some other areas) - there would usually need to be some other very good reason for a child underperforming.

Those who have failed by a mark or two are allowed to go on the waiting list for a grammar place but are only offered places after all the 'passes' have had an offer of a place.

To fail by a mark or two is gutting but there are a lot of kids in that category every year. I know that in my elder daughter's year there were about 25-30 on one's grammar's waiting list alone - and that's after the 'selective' kids. That's why, unless you have truly exceptional circumstances, you won't win on appeal even failing by one mark.