13plus

[Amarstone]

Hello there,
I'm just wondering if anybody knows if there is definitely a 13 plus exam for the Birmingham Consortium Schools?

Many thanks.

[mike1880]

There definitely is not. Procedure for late entry (after the 11+ stage) is described in each school's admissions policy in varying degrees of detail. In some cases they give a very general indication of a the sort of exam/s they would set (which depends on the individual school). In any case there would have to be a place available at the school - e.g. due to another family moving away from the area - and there might well be a waiting list, in which case you'd expect the school to test everyone on the waiting list and award the place to the top scorer.

Mike

[GuidingStar]

There is certainly NO formal 13+ entry in any consortium/grammar schools, unless a place is available as someone leaving etc, which is very rare. In that case, all waiting/interested candidates will be asked to sit a test. Some families do contact in exceptional circumstance, I know few years ago about a migrant family from USA with a very bright kid, they contacted KE Aston for yr 8/9 entry and sent his previous school's records, transcripts, references to the head, who did invite them for a chat and tested the boy informally. Not sure if he was offered any place.

But if a candidate has previously failed 11+ for a particular school then it is very unlikely that s/he would be considered for 13+entry to that school. I guess schools do keep records.

Edgbaston girls, KES, KEHS other indies do have small 13+ intakes.

If a school has options for both 11+ and 13+ entry than I recommend definitely go for the 11+. Don't wait for the 13+, as 13+ exam is likely to be much more challenging and competitive than 11+ exams, not least because more subjects will be tested at 13+ (English, Maths, Sciences, at least 1 foreign language, 1 humanities etc). Also the fact that at 11+, most candidates are competing against other candidates from similar primary schools with similar standards. But at 13+, a candidate's standard will be judged against the standard of that particular indie/grammar school, which would be quite high anyway.

[mike1880]

Edgbaston girls, KES, KEHS other indies do have small 13+ intakes.

Only KES has a formal 13+ intake and I think even that is very dependent on places arising by chance ("The vast majority of boys enter the school at 11+, although there are a few places - on average between 5 and 10 - for entry at 13+."). We've touched on it briefly in the past, one year there was just one place and the year after that they had 5 places. I imagine Bromsgrove would have a 13+ intake, otherwise the only school in the area that I know of with a formal 13+ entry is Old Swinford Hospital.

Mike

[lex]

Edgbaston girls, KES, KEHS other indies do have small 13+ intakes.

Only KES has a formal 13+ intake and I think even that is very dependent on places arising by chance ("The vast majority of boys enter the school at 11+, although there are a few places - on average between 5 and 10 - for entry at 13+."). We've touched on it briefly in the past, one year there was just one place and the year after that they had 5 places. I imagine Bromsgrove would have a 13+ intake, otherwise the only school in the area that I know of with a formal 13+ entry is Old Swinford Hospital.

Mike

Many schools have 13+ formal intake, the main intake at Bromsgrove is 13 as their prep school is attended until that age. In addition the following have formal intake , RGS, Kings ,Malvern College , MSJ and OSH but to mention a few

[tammy555]

Not sure what KES 13+ intake will be like for 2015 seeing as an extra year group has been taken on due to the amount of acceptances received!

[Amarstone]

Thanks for your responses everyone. Unfortunately, I've given a friend duff information. However, I know of two children who switched from state schools into the one of the Birmingham Grammar Schools in year 8 and year nine. How did they get in? Surely, the waiting list become obsolete after a couple of years or do the schools still phone the next person on the list even if the pupils are in year 10? I suppose I'm just curious. I don't know the parents of the children well enough to ask them:it might seem a little rude!

[hermanmunster]

you say they went from state schools to the Birmingham grammars - do you really mean the grammars (which are still state schools ) or the KE independent schools (as mentioned above) which do take people in in different years if they have spaces.

[mike1880]

The waiting list becomes obsolete at the end of the first term of Y7. After that the "in-year" admissions policy applies - read the individual schools sections in the secondary admissions handbook. It doesn't say much but basically it's dead men's shoes. The process is roughly: apply (directly to the school from Sept onwards), get put on a (new) waiting list, wait for someone to leave. If/when a place becomes available the school will call in the people on the waiting list to be tested (nature of test not described, probably depends on the year group I imagine), the place will be awarded to the highest scorer (subject to reaching a minimum standard, whatever that is).

KEHS will similarly admit if they have the spaces; according to rumour (i.e. Miss 1880) they've admitted one to each form in her year group during Y7-8, the latest at the start of this term from a local state school (they seem to have under-offered to her year and by my reckoning could probably still take a couple more).

Mike

[KenR]

They do have entrance exams after year-7, but these tend to be for families relocating into the area. Occasionally they are for transfers between KE grammars.

I'm aware of one girl at KE Handsworth Girls that sat an exam in year 8 and moved to KEFW after passing the exam.

The exam papers set are the normal school end of year exams.