Due of Bucks Council

Eleven Plus (11+) in Buckinghamshire (Bucks)

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Hope4Ken
Posts: 82
Joined: Mon May 04, 2015 3:49 pm

Due of Bucks Council

Post by Hope4Ken »

Hello. I don't live in Bucks so I'm just getting up to speed with Bucks Admissions. My target school is SWB in Marlow and I would be happy to move homes across 40miles to live in central Marlow. Given that the allocation distance for SWB this year was just 3.2something miles (!!), my question is, if my child passes the 11+ but does not get into SWB, is Bucks obligated to place an 11+ pass child into a grammar school?

If it boils down to the admission rules and the last grammar on my CAF is still oversubscribed. Could in theory, an 11+ pass child NOT end up in a grammar? I know that there are 13 (?) grammar schools in Bucks and Bucks is a BIG county. I actually phoned Bucks admissions to ask this question and they said there are no guarantees. They weren't very clear on their obligations though and I asked about past history - has an 11+pass child ever *not* been successful in gaining a grammar place? The lady on the phone was unable to give me a straight answer as she said she didn't know the answer and she wasn't able to articulate the Buck's obligations. Maybe she wasn't the right person to speak to in Admissions or I misunderstood but I came away not feeling very confident from that phonecall.

I don't want to make such a drastic move if my child doesn't get into A grammar if she does indeed pass the 11+.
Although of course, there are no guarantees and certainly I know many children don't pass the 11+ and I need to look at my fall back options. I just really want to ascertain Bucks obligations.

Thanks in advance!
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: Due of Bucks Council

Post by Guest55 »

Only children who live in Bucks and qualify are guaranteed a GS place but not necessarily their nearest.

Many children qualify from out of area and do not get a place.
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: Due of Bucks Council

Post by Sally-Anne »

It's a problem that doesn't exist, which is why the person you spoke to in Admissions didn't have a ready answer.

There are roughly 2,100 places at Bucks grammars, and each year around 1,600 or so Bucks-resident pupils (or pupils living in out-of-county catchment for a Bucks GS) qualify in the 11+. Of those, 95%+ obtain a place at their first preference GS. The remainder all receive a place at a GS, and that's usually their second preference unless the parent has done something seriously stupid on the CAF.

I've attached the preferences/allocations for September 2015 so you can see the facts for yourself. (I've probably got the March 2016 version somewhere, but I can't lay my hands on it immediately.)
Attachments
11plus-Allocations-September-2015.pdf
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Hope4Ken
Posts: 82
Joined: Mon May 04, 2015 3:49 pm

Re: Due of Bucks Council

Post by Hope4Ken »

Guest55 wrote:Only children who live in Bucks and qualify are guaranteed a GS place but not necessarily their nearest.

Many children qualify from out of area and do not get a place.
Thank you Guest55 for your response. I wanted to know how literal 'guaranteed' a GS place is in Bucks as it has been said a number of time on Bucks forum. From what I've learnt so far, it's actually not guaranteed but best endeavours (from speaking with Bucks admissions).
Sally-anne was able to provide the answer what I was looking for, so thank you Sally-anne. Very informative as always.
And it looks like I need to move within 3miles of SWB to stand a chance of getting in!!
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: Due of Bucks Council

Post by Guest55 »

It is guaranteed for Bucks residents - there are plenty of places for local children. You just can't be sure you will get your closest if you live in certain parts of the county or your first preference if you aren't in catchment.

The way the '121' is worked out ensures this ie the raw score changes with the size of the cohort.
BucksBornNBred
Posts: 1031
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2015 4:01 pm

Re: Due of Bucks Council

Post by BucksBornNBred »

I am glad you clarified that Guest55/Sally-Anne - I was starting to worry that it wasn't, as I believed, guaranteed for Bucks residents. I knew when I passed the 11+ (12+ actually) that I was guaranteed a place at a grammar /high but with this question I wondered if things had changed. The only problem with my area of Bucks is that if you don't pass the 11+ then the choice of schools is scary imo, so I think people need to choose wisely if they are moving into the area.
Hope4Ken
Posts: 82
Joined: Mon May 04, 2015 3:49 pm

Re: Due of Bucks Council

Post by Hope4Ken »

Thanks Guest55 for the clarification, very useful.
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