Help-I'm having a flap!

Eleven Plus (11+) in Essex

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Manana
Posts: 710
Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2011 3:22 pm

Help-I'm having a flap!

Post by Manana »

This is Southend related, but not especially 11+ related-I hope it's ok to put this on here.

DS is in Y4-will sit the 11+ next November. We live in Southend and if he passes, will go to SH or WH-all good stuff. If he doesn't-I am really stuck about which schools to put down! I read about lots of people on here saying-'oh well, if DS doesn't pass, he will go to our local 'excellent' comprehensive, so that's ok.' However, our 'catchment' school isn't excellent-it keeps changing its name because it is not excellent.

I've just been looking at the league tables and it seems that because there are 4 grammars in the area, they get 100% (5 A-Cs) whereas the others (excluding private schools/faith schools) get 50% or less than 40% in the case of our local school. The difference is vast :(

If DS were to miss out on getting into the grammar school, do the other schools (eg if we put down Eastwood which is not our catchment school) take into account decent academic results, or is it purely on distance? People keep telling me 'oh, you wouldn't get into Eastwood anyway-you're nowhere near'. What about somewhere like Deanes/King Edmunds which are in Essex, but again-not our catchment?

I just want to feel happy about an alternative plan and I don't at the moment.

My whole family went to SHSB or SHSG-so no pressure on the poor love either...
Manana
Posts: 710
Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2011 3:22 pm

Re: Help-I'm having a flap!

Post by Manana »

If nobody here knows the answers, might you know who I can ask? I want to know if there's no chance of us getting into xyz schools when we are out of catchment, then I wouldn't waste a place on it on the form?

Thank you :)
mitasol
Posts: 2756
Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:59 am

Re: Help-I'm having a flap!

Post by mitasol »

You need to check the admissions policy for each and every school you are considering and this could well change given your DC is in year 4 . This will detail exactly how schools will allocate places. Where distance is a feature of admissions, the composite admissions booklet usually gives the final distance offered.

Go to your local education authority website and look under admissions.

edited to add: if you're looking at schools in other LEA's then you will find their school admissions policies in their LEA or on the school website. http://www.southend.gov.uk/downloads/do ... admissions" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Chai
Posts: 156
Joined: Sat Dec 06, 2008 2:41 pm

Re: Help-I'm having a flap!

Post by Chai »

An alternative plan would be to also apply for King John, if you are willing to go further to Benfleet every morning. King John does have a good reputation with around 81% scoring 5 GCSEs (A* to C). The journey from Southend to Benfleet is doable and quite pleasant with the C2C trains.

We also considered Eastwood School and were told when we rang them a few years back that they were so highly over-subscribed that it would be pointless for us, since we live in Westcliff. Regardless of their advice, we went ahead and put them down as a choice, just in case. Do give them a call. They might be able to give you an indication of what to expect. These were the schools we chose:

Westcliff
Southend
King John
Eastwood
St Bernards


That was our backup plan for my daughter. She sat both the CSSE and King John tests.

You only need to sit one test for King John, which is Verbal Reasoning and it is Nfer style, hence the prep you are doing for the CSSE exams would still be relevant.

I hope all works out for your son.
Manana
Posts: 710
Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2011 3:22 pm

Re: Help-I'm having a flap!

Post by Manana »

Thank you so much for your replies. That's interesting about King John-I had heard that was a good school. Unfortunately, we don't particularly live near the Fenchurch Street line-we're much nearer the Liverpool Street line. I suppose there are buses?

I'd like to put Eastwood down, but don't want to waste a choice. That's our closest school (other than the catchment one) but I'm not sure how much of a difference that makes.

The results/Ofsted report on Belfairs/Cecil were pretty dire. Do you know anything about Deanes?!

I need to get something sorted in my head or I will spend the next eighteen months going insane!
Minesatea
Posts: 1234
Joined: Sat Oct 31, 2009 12:08 am

Re: Help-I'm having a flap!

Post by Minesatea »

Not my area so I cant comment on the reputation of individual schools but there are the semiselective schools - Cecil Jones, Shoeburyness, St Bernards and St Thomas's that I believe have grammar streams and have a lower pass mark than the southend grammar schools. Obviously they will not look as good in league tables as these show the whole school, you would need to approach the schools for the results of just the grammar stream in order to compare them.
The CSSE booklet gives the details of all the schools that use their exam.
Manana
Posts: 710
Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2011 3:22 pm

Re: Help-I'm having a flap!

Post by Manana »

Another question! If you can put four schools down-do they include any schools you choose in Essex? Or do you have 4 Southend schools and then 4 Essex schools?

Actually-I've just found a Southend document that suggests it's 5 schools, not 4. Maybe things have changed?

Thank you Mineseta-I will try that.
Minesatea
Posts: 1234
Joined: Sat Oct 31, 2009 12:08 am

Re: Help-I'm having a flap!

Post by Minesatea »

For Essex its 4 in total, this includes any in other LEA's. I don't know how many southend is but if 5 this will include any Essex schools you apply for.

For my DD this year my 3rd choice was a comprehensive in Suffolk, it still had to go on my Essex CC CAF and counted as one of my 4 choices.
Chai
Posts: 156
Joined: Sat Dec 06, 2008 2:41 pm

Re: Help-I'm having a flap!

Post by Chai »

We had 6 choices (if I remember correctly) - we come under Southend Council.

This was for 2010 entry (exam taken in 2009 Nov).

We only chose 5 schools, all of which were super difficult to get to, but at that time, we also could not think straight and our back up plan was to pray and hope she would pass the 11+ or to rely on scholarship options if we really had to. Looking back, we did this whole high school thing the risky way but we were fortunate with the outcome, for which I am very grateful.

I did not want her to go to any of the other schools in Southend apart from those we chose.

To be honest, we would possibly have declined St Bernards and gone to an independent if she did not get in anywhere.

I believe calling the schools or visiting them on Open Evenings would help you.
moved
Posts: 3826
Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2007 1:42 pm
Location: Chelmsford and pleased

Re: Help-I'm having a flap!

Post by moved »

In Southend you have 5 choices on the CAF and have had for the last few years, although our offer list came through with six places as St Bernards offered us both grammar and one of their ordinary places (despite no SIF).

Eastwood do accept pupils from further afield, but only for sport/drama/talent places.

St Thomas Moore has a grammar stream, but unlike St Bernards, priority is given to Catholics, then other Christians, etc. Still worth putting on the form though.

As mentioned by Chai there is also the choice of King John who select 15% of their pupils on ability and the remainder on distance.

Have you considered the independents as a back up? There are excellent bursary/scholarship options.

Brentwood is an academic school and they take pupils with slightly lower academic ability than the grammars. They run a good scholarship/bursary package.

There is New Hall, which is much less selective and they give scholarships for sport/music etc.

There is also Thorpe Hall in Thorpe Bay, which is entirely non-selective and also offers bursary places for those in need.

A little further afield there is also Felsted, but then the travel may be a little long unless you are happy for DS to board during the week.
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