Who's coming along for the ride? Sept 2017 Bucks test?

[anotherdad]

Aethel, you've introduced some emotive terms when inferring my motivations: "thumbing noses", "celebrating", "one in the eye". You've inferred incorrectly. Yes, I am in favour of a level playing field. No, I do not celebrate or consider someone's child being upset with the test format as "one in the eye for tutored children". What a strange thing to say. You've seen an implication that simply wasn't there. My understanding of thumbing one's nose is that it's an insult, nothing to do with denigrating someone's choice. As with me supposedly celebrating a child's distress, not guilty.

Since tutoring isn't possible for all children, the only way of trying to level the playing field is to limit the advantage those who are tutored have gained. If CEM have deliberately kept details of the test secret, be it exact content, timing or test process, I applaud that. Not celebrating, just appreciative that they've taken a step to try and keep things as fair as they can. What's the alternative? A prescribed, predictable test of known length, content and format that anyone with the means to coach for can do so? We've been there before.

[Aethel]

Fair enough, anotherdad, if you feel I have misunderstood your motivations, though your words "if it slightly wrong-foots tutored children , ......that's a thumbs-up from me" do sound like you're pretty happy with this occurrence.

This process is emotive, whether you like to agree this or not. We all want our children to have a reasonable chance at these tests and not to be upset in the process. It's all very well to state that you want to "level the field", but you're not waiting for the results that will change my child's choice of schools on the CAF form from one school to five schools within sensible travelling distance. Of course I am invested in this, and I refuse to see this as a flaw.

And what do you count as tutoring? As I have said at least three times, my child was home prepared and not comercially tutored. And the unpredictability of the test is of course up to CEM or whoever says the test, but I think you are incorrect in stating that tutored kids would be more thrown by this than the unprepared children. There are three of us on this thread who have previously stated on thread we have DIy'd our kids, and have now commented that our children left spaces blank because of the timing thing. This will impact their score, maybe not by much, but if it changes a 121 to a 120 it will hugely impact them.

Who the variable timing reminders penalises is more a measure of children's personalitles and reaction to unexpected events, than the amount they have been tutored, I would argue.

[anotherdad]

Ah, I see. My apologies, I meant that if the process collectively wrong-foots those that have overly prepared then it (the opaqueness of the process) gets my approval, not that individual children upset by it gets a thumbs up, but I can see why you read it that way. My fault, sorry.

It is an emotive subject. I may not be waiting for results this year but I have been through it as a student and as a parent, which is precisely why I do want to see the flaws in the process sorted out and the playing field levelled as much as it can be. Why do I continue to post on here seven years after my daughter went through it and when I don't have any other children to go through it? Because I like to advise and help those going through it now, particularly those that have children academically suited to a grammar school and who are in catchment but might miss out for various reasons. But a quick look over some of my old posts will show that I'm also honest and sometimes fairly blunt when I respond to those who don't have the academic evidence to support an appeal, to those who put their child through multiple tests all over the country, to those looking for advice on schools or travel options to places they've not even done some basic research into or to those gaming the system through tourism or residency shenanigans, for example.

What do I count as tutoring? That's easy. Tutoring, whether DIY or commercial. There are differing amounts and intensities of course, but it's all still tutoring. How else would you describe DIY preparation? It shouldn't happen but I'm not naive to think it won't get more and more prevalent in the coming years.

As to your last sentence, you may be correct. However, it's clear from some comments and questions that some children were led to expect particular formats, timings and time checks and practiced accordingly. That's the risk those tutors and/or parents took, by making assumptions. As a consequence, some children were wrong-footed and didn't have time to go back and guess. That's not the fault of CEM, that's the fault of tutors/parents who tried to second-guess the process. I hope that academically suitable children don't miss out as a result and I will contribute advice if they wish to appeal in the event of non-qualification.

[Aethel]

I think we're pretty much on the same page.

Conciliatory gin?

<offers Tanqueray and tonic with optional olive branch>

[anotherdad]

Of course! Thank you.

[BlueBerry]

How's everyone bearing up with the wait?

[Aethel]

Trying to ignore it, yet I keep coming on here.....

I genuinely have no idea at all of DD2's chances, so am hoping and at the same time mentally prepping for a no.. we know she would love the stimulation/depth of the grammars but also know that a selection review is unlikely to be successful, and we talked about how it all works and DD doesn't want the uncertainty of a later appeal, she wants to know where she's going in March so we can all get used to it, rather than switch at the last minute.

Irrespective of the result, will just be a relief to find out either way!

[BlueBerry]

Ha ha, same here Aethel

Your DD sounds very sensible. My DS is the same, he wants to know which school he's going to so that he can tell his friends about it. I haven't spoken to him much about the process, the intensive tutoring etc. Maybe i ought to?

[Blue_Marigold]

Aethel I am exactly the same. I've mentally accepted that DD won't qualify but just want to get it over with now!

[Pinky1405]

Hi

My daughter was one who cried when she came out and I commented on another thread I'm trying to ignore the looming date! We have not got a particular school we desperately want her to go to and neither does she have a favourite but she just worked so hard! There were 2 sections in particular she found tricky and I keep trying different percentage allocations and trying to work out if she's anywhere near what she needs but with the standardisation etc it makes prediction impossible! She mentioned to me today that it was 2 weeks til the results came out. I asked her how she now felt about it and she said better. We discussed that she couldn't have worked any harder and she should be exceptionally proud of herself but deep down I was very aware how upset she'll be if not qualified! In hindsight I am not sure she should have done it which is making me feel a bit guilty. She does very well academically but is a perfectionist and found the process with the timing stressful. We didn't go mad with tutoring just an hour a week and I know she couldn't have prepared herself any better but she was so upset that she didn't know some of the words. Sorry I'm waffling but I didn't realise it would be quite this stressful!!

There's nothing we can do but wait! I don't think we would do an appeal - we always said it was about having options and if not qualified its just a different selection of schools to chose from.