hello

apologies up front if there is already a thread on this but am hoping someone can help with a question!

the intake for September 2020 is stated as 180 on QMGS website which is more than the 2019 September intake.

does the increase in intake may it harder to get in or easier? is there any impact on the scores required due to increase in intake?

Not sure if even a logical question but was just curious.

we are definitely taking the Birmingham test, and are thinking about the Queen Mary test.

thanks

Generally speaking an increase in numbers means that the lowest score required to get in drops slightly, as there are more spaces to fill - however, this can be offset by more people applying as they think they have a better chance of getting a place!

Thank you, so bit more hope but if lots of other people think that way it reduces chance! I’ll be glad when it’s all over!

It is very difficult to predict. For example, BV had an extra 30 places this year and instead of the score decreasing or staying the same, it actually increased. There was obviously the issue of duplicate offers, but once this was resolved, the BV cut off is still at present more than last year. The head at the open day had also said there could be a decrease in the cut off because of the increase in places this year, but in effect, the opposite happened.

You are right.Even if you could predict there are different variables.Whether we are talking about pupil premium cut offs or non pupil premium cut offs ? The biggest factor I think will be be the impact of the catchment areas in the King Edward schools on the QM schools and their cut off scores.But it appears catchment is coming into the QM schools in the preference given to children from Walsall primary schools in the allocation pf pupil premium places.It wouldn't be a surprise if in the future preference rules came in for non pupil premium places.

http://qmgs.walsall.sch.uk/wp-content/u ... ements.pdf

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In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.

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Wow, that's more than just a catchment, that would be some serious social engineering if it was applied to non-PP applications. There'd have been rioting on the streets of Solihull if the KEs had proposed that...

Sorry, a bit of a derailment, but...

B2. For those students whom do not attend a Primary School which is listed in the Walsall Children’s Services Directory but who achieve the qualifying score by rank order of standardised score.

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Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx

Whilst I am sure about king Edwards, still trying to way up whether worth putting DS through another test for queen mary’s. If we put two king Edwards schools first on list then put Queen Mary’s as third - but not sure how allocations work. Can anyone shed any light on this? If QM put third then is there any point taking Walsall test?

Your local authority's secondary school admissions web pages / booklet are your friend here, but essenrially, 'how secondary admisdions work' is exactly 'how primary admissions worked when you applied' .

- list your schools in your true order of preference, because your application for each school is ranked against that school's published admissions criteria as if you have only applied for that one school. Your local authority then looks at all the schools that can offer you a place, and the one you are allocated is the one of those which you said that you most wanted. Your DC goes on the waiting list for any schools (for which they qualify, if a grammar school) that you ranked higher than the one you got.

If you apply for a school and are turned down, you have the right of appeal. If the school concerned is a grammar school for which your DC didn't qualify in terms of a required score, you can still appeal, but you have to convince the independenrt appeal panel that your DC is actually of the required academic standard, as well as that their need for a place outweighs the school's need not to take any extra pupil above its PAN.

So if you really want QM in preference to a KE school, then you should aim to put it in first place on your CAF (otherwise, if your DC can be offered a school you put above QM, they won't be offered QM) and if that means that your DC has to sit a separate test, then they have to do that, if you would like them to be offered the school on 1st March.

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Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx

Where do you live as this might help determine your plans?
I am glad we took a Birmingham and Walsall test as it gave us options. My one son scored considerably higher on the Walsall test and is at QMGS.