11 Plus Exams Forum

Hi,

I am back with a question. Hoping to get answers from our experts.....

What are the chances of an OOC student in the Bexley Test. The option of two different papers one for catchment and one for OOC itself indicates that the schools welcome OOC candidates.

But reading various post and website, I am not sure what are my DD's chances if we do give the paper. Please help.

Also can any OOC parents confirm if they have received their letters from the council. I am assuming the inside catchment parents have already received theirs....


Thanks
Jas

If you score in top 180 then you can apply to any of the Bexley grammars regardless of distance. If not a top 180 scorer you can still get in if not in Bexley if you qualify on distance or sibling criteria. The papers are all the same, just sat at slightly different times. Or that is my understanding. Yes received letter last week about test time
and venue.

Yes, they are the same papers. Realistically, if you don't get on the top 180, you can still apply and depending on where you live, you may be offered a place. Bexley Grammar and Chis & Sid have tighter catchment areas and Beths and Towley have broader ones. Then there are offers made on the waiting list. You can contact Bexley Admissions, give them your location and they can tell you. Now, if you are prepared to wait after allocation date in March, you can ask them the furthest place offered after allocation date. They may not tell you and ask you to call the schools directly. You can do that and if the schools don't tell you, you ask here!
I know that for last year entry both Beths and Towley offered to children living over 8 miles away from the school. These offers were done in August/September 2014. So, it was a long and nerve wrecking wait for those parents and one that many are not prepared to entertain.

Hi,

I am OOC too, we haven't received our letter about the test date yet, so I have both 15th/16th in the diary.

I have an email telling me I applied in July so hoping that the letter comes today or tomorrow.

Thanks for all the replies....

I am not sure about my DD getting a place in the first 180 Will give it a try.....

Waiting for the letter now

Thanks
Jas

Hi

If you google 'Admission to Secondary Schools in Bexley 2016-17' the council's annual information booklet is available to view online. On page 12 you will see the distance from school of offered places as at June 2015 and for the past 5 years. Townley was very popular this year and the distance was only 1.8 miles, but Beths offered to 8 miles away. Chis & Sid offered to 4.3 miles and Bexley Grammar to 3.4 miles away.

Indeed it does say 1.8 miles, however, there must be a mistake as I know of girls not top 180 going to Townley and they live over 8 miles away. When the leaflet says last year, do they mean the girls who started year 7 in 2014?

No the booklet is about this year's entry and clearly states 1.8 miles but that was as of June. I gather there was a lot of movement in second round and later offers. I think a lot who can travel to both NW or Townley were not impressed with NW head so put Townley ahead of NW, but now head has left NW it is anyone's guess. I heard rumours that more sat and passed too meaning fewer places for those more distant. I know from another forum someone who got Townley for this Sep who is in Beckenham but only in third round offers.

With regards to the 2014 CEM Bexley test, this year had the lowest pass mark for Bexley Borough children, having only 7% of in Borough passes, compared to the usual 25-28%. Bexley Council called a crisis meeting shortly after results were out to try to understand why this was the case. This year in particular was very English driven, so personally I believe that the Kent test was a more rounded test this year - theoretically a child could have got every maths question wrong in the CEM test and still passed, whereas with the Kent test every child to be at a certain level in each section in order to be deemed selective. I have a friend who is a HT in a Dartford school and her pupils had very few passes in Kent but over double in Bexley test.

All that being said, I believe one of the tests will suit your child better than the other. DS passed both but was definitely better suited to GL's style.

re distances, i think those figures quoted are for 2015 entry children. Far more girls passed the Bexley test this year which explains why Beths had to go out so far ... in fact the furthest it has in recent years. It could also explain why Townley's catchment shrunk. I know C&S have more girls than boys in their 2015 entry, not sure about BGS. from a personal point of view, I'm pleased that ds chose WGSB over Beths, it seems there will be more local children at this school than his local GS - 8 miles as crow flies is a long way!

Each year catchment changes, you've got nothing to lose by trying - good luck!!!

amfnc wrote:With regards to the 2014 CEM Bexley test, this year had the lowest pass mark for Bexley Borough children, having only 7% of in Borough passes, compared to the usual 25-28%. Bexley Council called a crisis meeting shortly after results were out to try to understand why this was the case. This year in particular was very English driven, so personally I believe that the Kent test was a more rounded test this year - theoretically a child could have got every maths question wrong in the CEM test and still passed, whereas with the Kent test every child to be at a certain level in each section in order to be deemed selective. I have a friend who is a HT in a Dartford school and her pupils had very few passes in Kent but over double in Bexley test.

All that being said, I believe one of the tests will suit your child better than the other. DS passed both but was definitely better suited to GL's style.

re distances, i think those figures quoted are for 2015 entry children. Far more girls passed the Bexley test this year which explains why Beths had to go out so far ... in fact the furthest it has in recent years. It could also explain why Townley's catchment shrunk. I know C&S have more girls than boys in their 2015 entry, not sure about BGS. from a personal point of view, I'm pleased that ds chose WGSB over Beths, it seems there will be more local children at this school than his local GS - 8 miles as crow flies is a long way!

Each year catchment changes, you've got nothing to lose by trying - good luck!!!

Are Durham suited to produce these tests? A bias towards English/verbal is bound to favour girls in general.
Are Bexley going with CEM in spite of these past problems?