OCC Allocation Chances

[logic32]

Apologies if this is a topic already covered. We live out of Bucks County by approx 1.8 miles and are preparing our son for this years 11+. Assuming ( and hoping ) that he's lucky enough to pass, I was wondering if anyone had any idea what his chances of Allocation are, either at SHF or AGS.

I'm new to this site and have had a quick look through but haven't managed to find if there any figures posted on this subject. I also realise that numbers will change from year to year.

We had initially been quite hopeful that OCC children still had a reasonable chance but enough people have now cautioned us and I wonder if we will be putting our son through unecessary pressure and heartache if his chances as an OCC are as slim as we've been told.


I would really appreciate any experiences / advice anyone can offer.

[mitasol]

Hello Logic32 you can find the figures from previous years in the Allocation Profile

Welcome to the forum.

[Sally-Anne]

Welcome from me too, and well done to mitasol for that neat little bit of posting (I can hardly ever manage that clever bit whereby you just click on the words instead of a boring old link!)

Just to add that the figures for 2010 were very similar indeed, and provided you calculate the actual distance from your house to the school gates using the link provided, you should have no difficulty in gaining a place for your son.

The allocation profile will be updated for 2010 in the next couple of days.

Sally-Anne

[logic32]

Thank you very much for your replies. I think a lot of the ( unintentional ) misinformation was from parents who were basing their experiences on the old system, When OCC places were allocated on scores rather than distance. We live 7.3 miles from school gates so hopefully will have a fighting chance.

I was wondering if anyone knows how many OCC boys gain a place at AGS each year. Is there a set number of places or is it just dependant on spaces left that year ?

I would also like to say this is a very interesting and informative forum and undoubtedly will be visiting it too much !

[Moving on]

Hello Logic32 and welcome to the forum. We also live out of Bucks County but our DD sat the 11+ exam. She passed and is in Burnham Grammar. She also got a place at Slough Grammar. Our DD sat three 11+ exams because we wanted to offer her every opportunity to get into a GS. Provided your DS passes the exams and lives close proximity to the school then you are likely to get a place.

You will find this forum very useful for advice and suggestions. It is also a wealth of knowledge and was there in our time of need.

[Marylou]

Thank you very much for your replies. I think a lot of the ( unintentional ) misinformation was from parents who were basing their experiences on the old system, When OCC places were allocated on scores rather than distance. We live 7.3 miles from school gates so hopefully will have a fighting chance.

Welcome to the forum! You really have hit the nail on the head with this - it amazes me how this particular myth has persisted over the years. I really can't understand why otherwise savvy parents don't even bother to find out what the rules actually are (as you have done by asking on here ) and simply accept hearsay at face value. Just last week I heard this from the mother of a boy who, if he were to qualify, would almost certainly be within the allocation area for an OOC place: "Yes, I think he could pass the exam, but I'm not sure he would score highly enough...." ... I don't know how many times I've told her during our discussions in the past that spare places are allocated on distance and not on score.

At 7.3 miles I think you have a very good chance for the Aylesbury schools, so go for it and best of luck!

[logic32]

Thank you very much everyone for your positive replies. We will keep ploughing onwards !

[joop]

Does it make the difference in terms of numbers in particular school years ? It is interesting that in one year there were more 'all allocated' than other years. I am particularly looking at John Hampden Grammar as we live about 12.9 miles away and it seems we would not stand a chance looking at the last couple of years.

[Sally-Anne]

Overall, pupil numbers are stable. However, JHG has become increasingly popular purely because of the quality of its offering, and there were also some changes to the catchment areas for some of the boys' schools in the south of the county last year. They will have brought in more applicants for JHG, so preferences will have risen.

[HertsQuery]

Can I ask please ..... is it possible to ring up the Admissions Dept. and give them a postcode and ask what your chances are?! We've found a lovely house on the Herts/Bucks borders (definitely in Herts though) - less than 5 miles from Aylesbury Grammar School and moving there would allow us to keep our son at his current school (where he's very happy) for the next few years. Just wondering if the OOC admissions are reasonably constant year on year (I'd not expect them to make any promises obviously, but I wonder if they'd shy away from giving an opinion at all).