B'ham -all the way to Telford.

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finners
Posts: 11
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2014 8:21 pm

B'ham -all the way to Telford.

Post by finners »

Firstly sorry if I am showing my ignorance here but I wonder if anyone can explain to me the following:

My daughter sat the Walsall Consortium exam which cover schools as far and wide as Newport in Shropshire & Walsall & Wolverhampton, of which as I understand it many families from the B'ham area take as a 'mock' type exam in readiness & as back up for Birmingham 11+ exams/schools.

Now my daughter could never go to Newport Girls just like my son couldn't go to Adams Grammar without us moving houses & so they go into exams with kids from Bham who are in similar boat (who don't really want Walsall/Wolverhampton schools due to the logistics of travel etc. )

It seems a badly run system why cant the schools sit and students take the exam for the selected school they covert? i.e my daughter sitting WHGS & QM only & not blocking up opportunities for families in Shropshire who seek Newport Girls? and vis versa?

Would this not be a more logical process?

Shall I go get my tin hat on, because I feel I am missing something here & expect to be 'educated' on the ins & outs of the system in place..perhaps I am simply naive
hermanmunster
Posts: 12750
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Re: B'ham -all the way to Telford.

Post by hermanmunster »

Hi Finners

Of course none of the kids have actually applied for any of these schools yet - that happens next.

It is sometimes easier to have a single exam for a large group of kids and then having got their score they choose which schools they want to be considered for. Bit like having AS levels / predicted grades and then chosing your Uni.
thirdtimemum
Posts: 386
Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2014 11:21 am

Re: B'ham -all the way to Telford.

Post by thirdtimemum »

Hi, I think this is what they used to do. If you look at it the other way it's a lot of exams for a child to take. Personally we have 4 grammar schools within 5 miles from so that would be 4 exams. We have been quite ruthless to and not considered those further away even though there is a school bus that would take our DS from just outside our house. In theory there are 7 schools that we could get to without the independant schools. Having said that I don't like the idea of one exam as there is talk of Walsall and birminghsm also being combined next year.
Midlandsmom
Posts: 275
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2014 7:25 pm

Re: B'ham -all the way to Telford.

Post by Midlandsmom »

finners wrote:Firstly sorry if I am showing my ignorance here but I wonder if anyone can explain to me the following:

My daughter sat the Walsall Consortium exam which cover schools as far and wide as Newport in Shropshire & Walsall & Wolverhampton, of which as I understand it many families from the B'ham area take as a 'mock' type exam in readiness & as back up for Birmingham 11+ exams/schools.

Now my daughter could never go to Newport Girls just like my son couldn't go to Adams Grammar without us moving houses & so they go into exams with kids from Bham who are in similar boat (who don't really want Walsall/Wolverhampton schools due to the logistics of travel etc. )

It seems a badly run system why cant the schools sit and students take the exam for the selected school they covert? i.e my daughter sitting WHGS & QM only & not blocking up opportunities for families in Shropshire who seek Newport Girls? and vis versa?

Would this not be a more logical process?

Shall I go get my tin hat on, because I feel I am missing something here & expect to be 'educated' on the ins & outs of the system in place..perhaps I am simply naive
My understanding is that the Walsall consortium will join Bham next year, as warks did this year. Whether that's a good thing for everyone....

It doesn't feel good to me, but that's because my child got a 'safe' (?!?) Score for Walsall and bombed in KE but we can make Walsall work travel wise. I can see how it makes sense to the schools, it must cost the Walsall consortium a fortune to be a 'free mock' for so many each year.
Petitpois
Posts: 1440
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2015 7:44 am

Re: B'ham -all the way to Telford.

Post by Petitpois »

Hi Finners - look at our situation. 360 WSC 223 KE.

We were always wanting something Logistically do-able that would not mess things up for DD2.

Using that score, we think we will be okay for Handsworth Grammar or if not a spot off the waiting list. Sandwell Comp are not for us, and our nearest Local Girls (Lorsdwood girls) is imploding in terms of exams Results 58% provisional.

So plan A - A KE Grammar
Plan B - WGHS / QMHS
Plan C - Independents
Plan D - Lordswood

If it works out for us, we will get one of the KE Girls, most likely Handsworth. Freeing sought after places at B and D.

If things do not turn out for us at KE we will take WGHS/QMHS, but since we don't live in Birmingham, Walsall or Wolves, we see our applications to the grammars as neutral because they are open to all comers, including the posters who brought their kids up from Heathrow and the wonderful lady who drove all the way from Lyon (10 hours) and stopped in a Travelodge before driving all the way back.
JamesDean
Posts: 1537
Joined: Wed Jul 31, 2013 5:03 pm

Re: B'ham -all the way to Telford.

Post by JamesDean »

Gloucestershire seem to have a good system - take one test but choose which schools you share the results with, so you need only select those you can sensibly travel to ...

JD
kenyancowgirl
Posts: 6738
Joined: Mon Oct 21, 2013 8:59 pm

Re: B'ham -all the way to Telford.

Post by kenyancowgirl »

JD...they also have a good number of GS and a much smaller population, so the odds of getting a place are significantly higher!!
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