Dual Format

Eleven Plus (11+) in Bexley and Bromley

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sony
Posts: 14
Joined: Wed May 20, 2015 6:29 pm

Dual Format

Post by sony »

Hello Every one.
I live in Guildford. We are happy to be relocated if my son get through. He will be sitting for this Grammer schools next September. How many regions or locations can he apply at a time. We are thinking for him to apply at kingston and all the grammer schools at sutton. Different areas are doing different pattern like Reading does cem and surrey does Gl. Can I teach my son both the format and sit for the exams. Will it be confusing for him. We want to apply as many. If he gets thru then we will move. Has any one tried dual format , How many school or regions they applied. I haven't taken any decision yet so just doing a little bit of research.please do share your thoughts.

Thanks
ToadMum
Posts: 11946
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:41 pm
Location: Essex

Re: Dual Format

Post by ToadMum »

You can apply for your child to take as many 11+ exams as there are grammar schools that will allow out of area candidates to do so - only you know him well enough to decide how many is too many. You could start with the Secondary Admissions booklets (available online) for all the local authorities you think you would like to live in should your DS obtain a place at a grammar school there - they will either set out the details of each school's admissions criteria (including the date on which you address for applications purposes is 'set in stone', if relevant), or will direct you to the relevant schools' websites'.

Also, you yourself (and your DS , of course :) ) will be best placed to know whether he is likely to be confused to the point of distraction by having his abilities tested by means of different exam formats, once he has had a look at the CEM (available on the websites of most of the schools whose exams are set by that provider) and other format familiarisation papers.

Are the secondary schools in Guildford really all so bad that you feel it necessary to move to a completely new area to avoid them? Have you considered how you will state your preferences on your CAF? If your DS does well enough in the exam for a school which accepts applicants from any area to be sure of a place, you can start planning your move well in advance. If you don't get what you want to start with, though, you need to decide whether to appeal or to hang on for a place via the waiting list, in which case you may find yourself needing to move house at very short notice, possibly facing the prospect of getting the poor lad to school many miles away for as long as it takes to find a new home.

How does your DS feel about moving away from your current area, his friends etc? Granted, the transition from primary to secondary school generally involves a certain amount of 'moving on' in terms of friendships, but does he want to do this, or is the impetus coming entirely from you? I'm sorry, I'm just curious :)
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Tinkers
Posts: 7240
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 2:05 pm
Location: Reading

Re: Dual Format

Post by Tinkers »

Since you mention Reading school, I thought I'd best check that you have looked at the catchment for Reading to see if you are currently in it.

Reading take the address you are at when you apply for the test, so if you are not in catchment when you apply, you don't have the option of moving into catchment later to get a place.

No one outside catchment has got a place for many years as far as I remember. (Unless you are applying for a boarding place of course)
PettswoodFiona
Posts: 2134
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 11:24 pm
Location: Petts Wood, Bromley, Kent

Re: Dual Format

Post by PettswoodFiona »

Just pointing out the obvious but you have posted in the Bexley and Bromley thread did you mean to ask a question about this region? If you have a DS then yes you can sit either Bexley or St Olaves without residing in the area. Bexley (GL) if you don't qualify on distance you need to score in the top 180. To give you an idea of how tough that is, last September 5,499 sat in the main sitting, plus several hundred at late sittings. St Olaves (their own very very tough two stage exam) is a marmite school - search this thread and you will see more, many sit it and then move to the area if they find they have a place.

I agree with others that all the pressure of tests plus then a possible move is a lot all in a short space of time. We mainly looked at the grammars as one happened to be our nearest school, a smidge over a mile as the crow flies, and the other nearest school was a comprehensive with such a small catchment we didn't qualify.
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