Proposed admission Criteria B'ham Grammars 2020

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lakings1900
Posts: 25
Joined: Sat Jan 07, 2017 8:14 pm

Re: Proposed admission Criteria B'ham Grammars 2020

Post by lakings1900 »

mike1880 wrote:
blaart wrote:Surely Category 4 is precisely where the non-PP (i.e. the remaining 75% of PAN) will come from?
As I said, the Foundation does not expect to fill all the remaining places (around 75%) from cat 4. They expect all cat 4 applicants to receive an offer, hence the oversubscription criteria for cat 4 *should* be irrelevant.

I'm sure a small minority of parents will seek to move to Kings Heath and Moseley. However, success at 11+ is not guaranteed; some of them will be disappointed and their local non-GS alternatives will probably be less satisfactory than the schools they chose to leave behind when they moved (we can be absolutely certain that the perceived quality of the other schools in Moseley and Kings Heath will decline when what would have been their top stream are attending Camp Hill instead).
I'm not convinced it will drop standards, quite the opposite. What about the children who score below 220 and would of gone to other GS they will now go to their local comp pulling the average back up.
Those scoring over 220 would already be at GS, although having to travel.

The catchment areas for those Moseley and Kings Heath comps have already shrunk to the more affluent parts of those areas; and will continue to do so due to the baby boom hitting senior school years. That will have a bigger impact on results for those schools then a couple of kids scoring over 220 and refusing to travel.
Fishface101
Posts: 77
Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2018 7:53 am

Re: Proposed admission Criteria B'ham Grammars 2020

Post by Fishface101 »

Hello I have lost track a bit re new catchment arrangement - is the score already known that children have to exceed subject to distance - is it 220 or do find out after the test as implied on foundation website? We are “spitting distance” from one GS which luckily is our first choice and the thought score to beat was 220? Could it be higher when announce after test? Total novice so any help gratefully received.
SVK
Posts: 81
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2018 1:04 pm

Re: Proposed admission Criteria B'ham Grammars 2020

Post by SVK »

My understanding is the Foundation Office can only confirm the cut off score after the closing date of the registration which is on 28th June. I envisage that they would need to study the number of student living within the boundary of Birmingham catchment registering for the test before being able set the cut off score.
PettswoodFiona
Posts: 2130
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 11:24 pm
Location: Petts Wood, Bromley, Kent

Re: Proposed admission Criteria B'ham Grammars 2020

Post by PettswoodFiona »

In other grammar areas that have cut off scores they either
a) for superselectives that are based on score announce the required cut off on 1 March. They can’t work out an accurate cut off before knowing all the preferences and how well pupils have done in the exam etc. Whilst you get a score in October it is only indicative and there will be some doubt until 1 March

b) if it is just a pass mark this is announced at the date of the results in October, usually one for PP and another for non-PP, but then other over subscription criteria apply if there are more applications than those who pass e.g siblings, priority zones, distance etc - these are then affected by birth rates, popularity of school, how many take the test out of catchment and push up the pass mark for those nearby etc.

C) Some standardisation (not talking about age standardisation which is another aspect) can take place and all results are put on a bell curve and given a score. This means the pass is roughly the same year after year but the number of questions to get that score can vary year on year - they then apply either a or b above depending on whether it is a superselective process or a pass and oversubscription criteria process
Fishface101
Posts: 77
Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2018 7:53 am

Re: Proposed admission Criteria B'ham Grammars 2020

Post by Fishface101 »

Thank you, wow complicated stuff with a great deal of Unknowns at this stage. I guess we better just get on with / focus on our prep and all will become clear in time!
JS33
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Jun 15, 2019 11:54 am

Re: Proposed admission Criteria B'ham Grammars 2020

Post by JS33 »

itisme wrote: I think they are wrong and the Foundation has ignored the 416 objections out of 991. Many were just comments. Just 205 supported the catchment areas, yet they went ahead with it. They ignored the majority of the feedback.
You are right, itism, The Foundation Office itself couldn’t hide in their feedback (to the Trustees) that 56% of the respondents are against the proposal.
Parents did indeed express their opposition to these new admission rules.
tom40
Posts: 15
Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2017 11:28 am

Re: Proposed admission Criteria B'ham Grammars 2020

Post by tom40 »

Found this statement on the Foundation Office website:

'When setting the priority score, we will consider application patterns with the aim that not all places will be filled by children living in the catchment areas.'

So it seems there will be places available for applicants outside the catchment areas.
hermanmunster
Posts: 12748
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Re: Proposed admission Criteria B'ham Grammars 2020

Post by hermanmunster »

tom40 wrote:Found this statement on the Foundation Office website:

'When setting the priority score, we will consider application patterns with the aim that not all places will be filled by children living in the catchment areas.'

So it seems there will be places available for applicants outside the catchment areas.
that is interesting - also ensures that all the pupils in the catchment who reach the priority score will be offered a place (as they have spares) - I think one of the worst things to happen would be that the score is set too low and then there are children who "pass" but live too far away
kenyancowgirl
Posts: 6738
Joined: Mon Oct 21, 2013 8:59 pm

Re: Proposed admission Criteria B'ham Grammars 2020

Post by kenyancowgirl »

This basically replicates Warks's Automatic Qualifying Score. This is set at a level that allows them to take the highest scoring "in priority' area candidates and also the VERY high scoring out of priority area candidates, whilst still obeying the theory that only in priority candidates are offered on NAD.
KenR
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Joined: Fri Mar 17, 2006 6:12 pm
Location: Birmingham

Re: Proposed admission Criteria B'ham Grammars 2020

Post by KenR »

What's not clear is whether the priority score will be the same for all KE grammars or whether it will vary depending on the number applicants from a particular KE Grammar catchment. I have sent an email to the KE Foundations admissions seeking clarification but have received no reply.

I understand one parent requested information (under FoI) as to how many students in recent years exams from the proposed new catchment areas for each respective school achieved the suggested priority score of 220. I believe that there was an issue with KEFW in that the number scoring 220 or more was greater than the published PAN, which if the priority score was set at 220 this would imply no Category 5 places. Other KE Grammars were OK.

It would be nice to get an answer from the KE Foundation
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