Royal Grammar and Dr Challoners Boys Allocations

Eleven Plus (11+) in Buckinghamshire (Bucks)

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Marylou
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Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2006 2:21 am

Post by Marylou »

Sally-Anne wrote:I heard the same rumour - the number quoted to me was 5, although I have no idea of the truth of that.
That's quite a high number - it's reassuring to know that the council is carefully checking all address claims! (Though :( for the kids involved - it must be dreadful for them.)
Marylou
janeyjack
Posts: 17
Joined: Tue May 22, 2007 10:21 pm
Location: Bucks

Post by janeyjack »

Hi beacmum,

Ds not so happy :( . He has been allocated a very good GS but it's hard to explain to him how, after all his years of hard work at primary school, passing both his 11+ exams and living in catchment for his favourite school, he still hasn't got a place.

I know lots of boys who are in the same situation and my heart goes out to them.

Thank goodness for this forum - the support on here is amazing. I'll be back for advice on the inevitable transfer appeal!
beacmum
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Mar 02, 2009 5:05 pm

Royal Grammar School allocations

Post by beacmum »

Janey

Sounds like we are both in the same position. My DS is very upset that the school he has always wanted to go to, now seems to be slipping out of his reach.

We are appealing too, although from reading on here, the chances of sucess are very very small.

I dont know how to make it better for him :(

beacmum
Rob Clark
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Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2008 1:59 pm

Post by Rob Clark »

When I was a youngster, boys in GX always got in to Challoner’s if they wanted it, but nowadays it’s much less likely.

As Sally-Anne has said in the past, I think this is down to there being so many new houses being built in the area – everywhere you go, new developments are underway. It’s very tough on GX families whose boys don’t have such an obvious catchment school.

When it’s hard enough to get a place already, it’s at least reassuring to know that the authorities are keeping a close eye on the legitimacy of claims.
janeyjack
Posts: 17
Joined: Tue May 22, 2007 10:21 pm
Location: Bucks

Post by janeyjack »

I also wonder how much this 'credit crunch' has effected numbers - perhaps boys being pulled out of the private sector are causing a difference this year.

Doesn't this academic year seem to have a huge number of boys compared to girls anyway?

Apparently it's the first time in 17 years that so many boys haven't got their first preference school.

Not sure if any of this is valid - just trying to make sense of it all :( .
zee
Posts: 360
Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2009 10:43 am

Post by zee »

I'll reiterate my commiserations to those still waiting and hoping for RGS/DCGS. For any currently allocated CHS, that's supposed to be improving quite fast, so may be a better alternative than you expect.

Anyway, I was wondering whether all these in catchment boys have been allocated a GS place somewhere, or are there actually more qualified boys than places over all?

So, is it primarily a geographical problem (too many qualified boys in SE Bucks) or whether the test this year was easier so more qualified (though if that was the case, it presumably could (and should?) have been adjusted during standardisation)?

And does anyone have a hunch as to why it so vastly more a problem with boys than girls this year? Obviously there will always be statistical blips, but this is a particularly large one.
bucks mum1
Posts: 191
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2008 5:20 pm

Post by bucks mum1 »

I think Sally-Ann has posted somewhere that more boys than girls qualified this year and a high number of those are based in the South Bucks area. Girls in South Bucks are not encountering anything like the same problems, with spaces remaining at Beaconsfield High.

I guess it is not possible to standardise boys and girls separately so you are unable to arrive at exactly 30% for each sex and even then you can not make allowances in the standardisation for the geographical spread of that 30% of qualifying children. I am no statiticain - only my take on it. Although twice as many boys as girls did qualify from my DC's state primary in South Bucks!
janeyjack
Posts: 17
Joined: Tue May 22, 2007 10:21 pm
Location: Bucks

Post by janeyjack »

Zee

I think I'm right in saying that all children who qualify at 11+ have to be found a GS place by law.

This is not the case at 12+ or 13+.
andyb
Posts: 645
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2007 10:27 am
Location: Buckinghamshire

Post by andyb »

bucks mum1 wrote:I guess it is not possible to standardise boys and girls separately so you are unable to arrive at exactly 30% for each gender and even then you can not make allowances in the standardisation for the geographical spread of that 30% of qualifying children. I am no statiticain - only my take on it. Although twice as many boys as girls did qualify from my DC's state primary in South Bucks!
Similar situation at DS's school - don't know if it was twice as many boys but definitely more boys than girls. The year group is about 50/50 so it's not just more boys being tested.
Sally-Anne
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Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Post by Sally-Anne »

I do have some numbers now, but making them add up and compare correctly against last year is a time-consuming job! However, briefly:

Figures for BOYS only, 2009 vs. 2008:

State schools:
Aylesbury Vale: - 6 entrants, -24 qualified
Chiltern/South Bucks: -20 entrants, +39 qualified
Wycombe: +41 entrants, +42 qualified
TOTAL: +15 entrants, 57 qualified

Ind. Schools:
Aylesbury Vale: + 6 entrants, +9 qualified
Chiltern/South Bucks: + 33 entrants, +18 qualified
Wycombe: +4 entrants, +8 qualified
TOTAL: +43 entrants, +35 qualified

What is more revealing is a comparison of 2009 with 2007:

State schools:
Aylesbury Vale: -32 entrants, -37 qualified
Chiltern/South Bucks: -17 entrants, +9 qualified
Wycombe: +15 entrants, +49 qualified
TOTAL: -34 entrants, +21 qualified

Ind. Schools:
Aylesbury Vale: -8 entrants, -1 qualified
Chiltern/South Bucks: +6 entrants, -9 qualified
Wycombe: +9 entrants, +10 qualified
TOTAL: +7 entrants, +0 qualified

2009 was in fact a very average year for independent entrants - the numbers this year were very similar to 2005/06/07. 2008 was an unusually low year for independent entrants, which is why the increase looks more significant than it is.

The real pressure has come from the unusually high pass rate in state schools in Wycombe - the highest on record at 27%. That has created pressure on RGS, and that will in turn have created even more pressure than usual on Challoners because RGS cannot absorb their over-subscription as they have done in the past.

Sally-Anne
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