pates grammar school cheltenham glos

Eleven Plus (11+) in Gloucestershire (Glos)

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metalikaf

pates grammar school cheltenham glos

Post by metalikaf »

hi,can anyone tell me which tests they use for the 11+ at this school.
i am led to believe it is two tests which are vr and non vr.
also would be interested to know if your child has passed this years test and the scores that they received to get in. :?:
gloucestermum
Posts: 739
Joined: Sat Feb 03, 2007 5:14 pm
Location: Gloucester

Post by gloucestermum »

See my post on the Glos forum board.
Both test papers are verbal reasoning and NOT non verbal.Pass mark is 105 on both papers,however if places are not allocated after the 1st choices and waiting lists have been done,then the school do not take below 105 score children,if that makes sense!

Regards,
Glosmum
Orson

Pates, Chelt.

Post by Orson »

I can confirm that offers for Pate's are earned by performing well in two VR tests; there is no Non-VR. Both tests contain 85 questions; the first is 45 mins in length and the second is 50 mins in length. Test one is straight forward whilst test two is 'more searching' in nature.

Pate's is (arguably) the 'best' grammar school in Gloucestershire, if not the south west of England. Consequently, the demand for places is very high and it is extremely difficult to get in.

I'm a private tutor and several children that I worked with this year received offers from Pate's. In previous years children were offered places with scores of around 130+ in each paper. Two years ago I had a lad who scored two 129s and he went to Pate's. This year, one of my girls scored 130 and 119 and she has been told that she passed comfortably and her marks are in the top third of those who have received offers.

The headteacher of the school has since said that this year's test was 'the hardest one set in the last 25 years'. The LEA is obviously keen to sort the men out from the boys! The test clearly was tough this year as not all the grammars in Glos. are able to fill their places as they would like and scores have needed to have been adjusted in such a way as to provide children with enough marks to appear to have fulfilled the criterion of scoring highly enough to have 'passed' the test.

There is consultation this month with a view to getting preference forms submitted by Dec. 7th 2007. The idea is that children will know how they have performed in their 11+ before the forms go in. This would obviously be a popular change. It remains to be seen if the exams will be brought forward.

The LEA has also got rid of the 'first preference first' idea. This means that the order in which you put your four selections will no longer matter. The LEA will not tell the schools you have selected in which positions you have placed them. This will mean far less head scratching and anxiety for parents regarding exactly where each school should/should not go on the form.

What would be really helpful though, is for the LEA to make their minds up, once and for all, on exactly where they want to go with the 11+. Then they must stick with it for a few years at least, instead of messing around with things all the time. Nobody in Glos. has been able to relax, safe in the knowledge that no dramatic change is on the horizon, for years. It's no different now and it's time that changed.

Orson
gloucestermum
Posts: 739
Joined: Sat Feb 03, 2007 5:14 pm
Location: Gloucester

Post by gloucestermum »

Thanks you for your insight Orson-as a parent whose son will be taking the Glos 11+ this November,I am hoping that the test results will be known before we have to send in our preferences form.
Reading the schools admissions forum minutes online,it does seem that this will be the case,although the final decision is still to be made.I also see that Pates has updated their admissions policy to include the results being known before hand(www.gloucestershire.gov.uk,admissions link).

I have been speaking to a parent whose daughter got a Pates offer-she told me that the papers were of 40mins duration,which slightly confused me?? I also work with a parent of a successful boy-he achieved 119 and 124 in the tests.
We are planning to choose Thomas Rich as we live in Gloucester,although if son fails then its the local comp!!!

Regards,
Gloucestermum.
Phelpst
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Oct 08, 2006 12:43 pm

Pate's

Post by Phelpst »

thanks
Guest

Post by Guest »

Is the consultation about submition of forms on Dec 7th a national on? If so how can we get info about this?
gloucestermum
Posts: 739
Joined: Sat Feb 03, 2007 5:14 pm
Location: Gloucester

Post by gloucestermum »

The timetable that is proposed for Gloucestershire is on the Gloucestershire County Council website under school admissions.
The schools admissions code advises that LA's SHOULD(not must) inform parents of their childrens' grammar school test mark before submission of the choices form.Gloucestershire looks as though it is acting on this advice.
Schools changing their proposed admissions criteria are also on there-looks as though Cleeve school in Cheltenham(comprehensive school) are going down the banding route,which will be interesting!!!

Gloucestermum
Guestmum

Post by Guestmum »

I asked Pate's to tell me my child's score and they politely refused, saying they fear 'invidious comparison' and 'complacency'.

(I did not ask for my child's ranking, nor to compare it with others, I merely wanted to know the score or percentage. I don't intend to take it further, but I'm curious to know if there is not some requirement for a school to release such information to a parent who requests it? I'm thinking 'freedom of information' and the recent relaxing of some Data Protection measures here, but I don't really know my grounds here.
Glos Dad

Marks

Post by Glos Dad »

If you apply to more than one grammar school (i.e. Pates and Tommies) they send you the marks so that you can (if you wish ) appeal. Our eldest child scored 127 and 141 last year. Our middle child scored 141 and 141 this year. Last year I think there were children getting in to Pates with averages around the 127 level. I don't know whether this year was different.
Piper
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2007 3:02 pm

Post by Piper »

The LEA will provide your VRQ and some headteachers of Foundation Schools will give you a range, not the specific value.

The confusing issue this year(?) which I think is unique and perhaps is supported by Orson's comments, is that the same tests have produced very large variations in VRQ scores depending where you sat the papers.

The LEA failed to make it clear(?) that the VRQ standardisation is school cohort based. The difference in VRQ scores for our daughter between the two Girls Grammar School cohorts was 22 points!
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