11 Plus Exams Forum

This years YR6 will only do SATS for English and Maths, so what would BCC then require if a child wished to sit for the 12+? I gather they normally ask for atleast 2 level 5's out of the 3 but now there will only be 2 given anyway. Do you think they will alter this and say only one L5 needed? Or will it be the case that your child has to definitely have to get the L5 in English and Maths now Science is no longer happening?

Any thoughts?

Hi MM

I have moved your post here because it doesn't really belong on Appeals. It is Bucks-specific and there is a risk that posters from other areas will assume that every area takes the 12+, which is not the case.

It is already the case that a child wishing to take the 12+ must have Level 5s in English and Maths, and I cannot see there being any change to that.

I have posted elsewhere that I disagree with this restriction. There will be many children - probably boys - who really excel in Maths and Science (not an unreasonable combination), but who do not quite achieve Level 5 in English. That might be, for example, because their creative writing has not yet developed to a good standard.

I cannot see why a future aeronatuic engineer or astro-physicist should be denied a Grammar School place on the basis of their dodgy creative writing at the age of 11.

Sally-Anne

I completely agree with you, will affect boy's an awful lot more
I didn't know it stipulated L5 in English and Math already as have only ever read that "2 L5's are needed".

Please view 12+ Sticky.

Posted by someone on an Internet Forum Near You a couple of months back.

(Sorry - a week of 11+ Appeals is leaving me with a sort of "gritted teeth" sense of humour!)

S-A

How close can that be when you don't know where I live??

Sorry for making a silly post, had not realised it already had to be the maths and english, feel free to delete .

I've seen far sillier posts than that one!

Sally-Anne, when we enquired directly to Buckscc, april/may 2009, about the min requirements for 12+ testing, they replied "two level 5 SATS"....since then we see it is now stipulated to be specifically English and Maths (your scenario exactly represents our current dilemna...our son got 119 standardised score at 11+ and great SATS passes in Maths and Science but missed English by 1 mark!!!!!....and he wants to be either in the RAF or a astronomer....!!! have you been reading our minds?....) so what we need to know is WHEN was this changed. was it published anywhere? were the schools informed.....otherwise my son in particular could have focussed on the two important SATS and could have chosen to bomb out on science!!! as we had this 12+ specific target to aim for......now we find he has been turned down to be allowed to sit the 12+ test....GRRRRR! (we have many other issues with buckscc which we will publish if we do not succeed on this...so watch this space.....it would be REALLY INTERESTING reading....(all about their inconsistent adherence to their own published guidelines...which have curiously now been amended in this years booklet!!!!). Would really appreciate your response.

AngryParents, I'm sure Sally-Anne will reply in due course (she is up to her eyes at the moment as you can imagine!) but in the meantime I think you should appeal against this decision. Here is the relevant Sticky:

http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... hp?t=11473

It sounds like a classic case of BCC moving the goalposts, something that happened to us on a different issue and which I know is very frustrating.

My personal view, fwiw, is that since science was still included as a compulsory KS2 test for last year's intake (i.e. anyone sitting 12+ this year) then surely it ought to take one year for the new arrangements to feed through? Backdating this requirement so that it disadvantages this year's 12+ cohort seems illogical and unfair. I can see why you are angry!

If you decide to point out these inconsistencies to the panel I'm sure they'll be very sympathetic but the main focus is best placed on the academic evidence. This should be possible if you keep the objective in mind of your son being allowed to sit the test, and not criticising the system - no matter how tempting. Following what we felt to be an unfair change in the rules, we had five years to calm down before our appeal.

I have read that appeals against refusal to test have quite a high success rate, so it's certainly worth fighting this one. Good luck!

now we find he has been turned down to be allowed to sit the 12+ test

angry, you know you can appeal against this decision, don’t you?

Sally-Anne’s the expert, but my understanding is that if you appeal to be allowed to take the 12+, they usually err on the side of allowing it – particularly as you can point out DS only just missed his level 5.

I agree with Marylou and Rob. At an appeal you have an opportunity to ask the LA representative when and why the change was made.

A word of caution: - however angry you may feel, do not breathe fire and brimstone at an appeal hearing. You need to appear cool, calm and above all reasonable.

You should stand quite a good chance.