Birmingham Grammars 2019-2020

[mum1115]

What happens if not enough children make the cut off 222 score?
Fair enough on the 1st of March they might but we’ve seen scores as low as 206 get in off the waiting list.

I would think then there would be places for the last category - the out of catchment applicants

[Plazaplus]

What happens if not enough children make the cut off 222 score?
Fair enough on the 1st of March they might but we’ve seen scores as low as 206 get in off the waiting list.

I would think then there would be places for the last category - the out of catchment applicants

No I mean what if there isn’t enough children who score 222 or more to full fill all the categories. Take for instance this year, I think at least a third of places in the schools were taken up by pupils who scored less than 222. That’s a big chunk and if you can’t even apply with a score of under 222 then who fills the gaps? Or have they made the test easier.

[hermanmunster]

Not all the schools accepted children with scores below 222, where did you got the figure of 1/3 from?

these were the cutoffs at March 1st

CHB 249
CHG 238
FW. 237

[helen0209]

There are a lot of children who score 222 and more that don’t obtain a place. For example, someone with a DS who lives near CHB may score 240 but not secure a place because it only goes down to 244 from 249. For whatever reason they do not want to travel to a school further away so he goes to the local comprehensive. However, with the introduction of a catchment area, that boy is more than likely to secure a place. The boy who scored 244 may end up at KEA rather than CHB as that is his catchment school.

The FO would have looked at scores over the years and know how many children score 222 and above and where they live, thus being able to make an educated guess as to what the score needs to be to ensure there are enough children in the right catchment areas.

222 sounds like a high score (and it is), but in standardised scoring 200 would be the average. The test cannot be any easier or harder when it is standardised scoring.

Not sure if I’ve explained myself there, but hopefully I have. I know that doesn’t specifically answer your question, but personally I would think that there would be enough children who score 222 or above to fill the spaces.

[hermanmunster]

I agree with Helen - am certain that the foundation know exactly how many children in the new catchments have got 222 or over in the last few years

[Wildfuture]

You can still apply with a score of 205 or above, not sure why you think nobody under 222 can apply and have a chance?

[Plazaplus]

I have a child who got into BVGS with a score of 216, but this was offered in late June 2014. Second child is at KEA with a score of 218, but again this was offered in late June as he was initially offered HGS on March 1st, followed by BVGS in April then his first choice KEA. He chose KEA as first option as its a ten minute walk from home. Under the new rule we are just outside the catchment area of KEA. If you look at the map the school is on the edge of the zone rather than the middle. This I believe is to avoid overlapping Handsworth Boys but for us that school is more than 20 minutes walk.
Finally as a none pupil premium child is it possible to apply with a score of under 222 or will it be rejected outright.

[hermanmunster]

Finally as a none pupil premium child is it possible to apply with a score of under 222 or will it be rejected outright.

You can put any school on the CAF, whether you are eligible or not - it is down to you to decide whether it is a waste of a slot or not. It loks like all the schools will be filled with children non-PP > 222 and PP > 205 so some schools will have higher "cutoffs" than before.

As far as I understand the criteria a non PP child 205-222 would be in category 5 but in that category there would be some very high scores from outside the catchments.

[thirdtimemum]

I have a child who got into BVGS with a score of 216, but this was offered in late June 2014. Second child is at KEA with a score of 218, but again this was offered in late June as he was initially offered HGS on March 1st, followed by BVGS in April then his first choice KEA. He chose KEA as first option as its a ten minute walk from home. Under the new rule we are just outside the catchment area of KEA. If you look at the map the school is on the edge of the zone rather than the middle. This I believe is to avoid overlapping Handsworth Boys but for us that school is more than 20 minutes walk.
Finally as a none pupil premium child is it possible to apply with a score of under 222 or will it be rejected outright.

With everything up in the air at the moment I'm going to just be putting exactly what school I want in the order I want as long as we score over about 215. I just think there are so many unknowns that we need to just be putting down what we would have done previously. I was reassured at open events that there will be places for cat 5 at these schools so people really do still need to put down their first choices as a first choice.

[Bettyspaghetti]

They seem to have done their homework regarding the scores they are expecting to get from each catchment area; when I visited Five Ways the Admissions bods said that they only envisaged there to be a handful (which, when probed, they said was 4 or 5) of out of catchment places available, whereas the head at Camp Hill girls said she expected there to be a significant amount of OOC places. Who knows what will happen; I agree that the best advice is to just fill the form out as in previous years and put the school you want first.