Adjudication on Highcrest banding tests

[pippi]

The adjudicator's decision on objections to the new Highcrest banding tests is given at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/schoolsadju ... ada2262hca

[Guest55]

Someone posted this the other day!

[pippi]

Can't see where, but the Bucks Free has "Is this the end of the 11+?" on its front cover and it was just about this (imagine my disappointment!).

[stevew61]

Can't see where, but the Bucks Free has "Is this the end of the 11+?" on its front cover and it was just about this (imagine my disappointment!).

Oh pippi prepare for many more years of disappointment.

Not for the first time I've scanned through your many posts over many years and can't find a single reference to your children or any post that might help parents preparing for the 11+, other than how unfair it is? Neither is a requirement to post here, in a strange way your posts have helped me define and strengthen my views.

So I guess you are a political animal with an obvious agenda, sorry that sounds a bit rude.

If it helps I'm probably to the left of centre and as I've aged seen the benefit of diversity in all things including education.

Good luck with your crusade.

[Sonia]

I have read all the PDF document and checked the school website as dont understand the legal terminoldy so what we understood is after giving the 11+ parents who want their children to get admission in Highcrest Academy have to go through the banding process which involves the NVR paper by GL assessment.

Can some please guide as we are planning for the WGC as the first priority and for the local school our choices are Highcrest Academy or Sir William Ramsey, so we have to go for this banding test by the Highcrest Academy.

If if the DD dont give the NVR test , she will not be offered a place even if the option is written on the CAF.

Also this routine is only followed by Highcrest Academy or any other schools also.


Thanks


Sonia

[Sally-Anne]

what we understood is after giving the 11+ parents who want their children to get admission in Highcrest Academy have to go through the banding process which involves the NVR paper by GL assessment.

Yes, Highcrest will be setting a second test that is completely separate from the central Bucks 11+ test.

Can some please guide as we are planning for the WGC as the first priority and for the local school our choices are Highcrest Academy or Sir William Ramsey, so we have to go for this banding test by the Highcrest Academy.

Yes, I am afraid so. This was one of the issues that I believe motivated many of the objectors to this Admissions Policy. No one wants to see the Bucks test become fragmented in thsi way because it will put a great deal more pressure on the children.

If if the DD dont give the NVR test , she will not be offered a place even if the option is written on the CAF.

That is my understanding too.

Also this routine is only followed by Highcrest Academy or any other schools also.

No, just Highcrest. Virtually every other Upper School in Bucks objected formally to the the change. Several GS Heads were also furious about it.

I could speculate on Highcrest's motives or the likely outcome of this new Policy, but I don't have a week to spare ...

[Guest55]

I think the sad thing is that local people may not get places at Highcrest now because they might be in the wrong band. Then they'll have to cross Wycombe to get another school ...

[pippi]

Virtually every other Upper School in Bucks objected formally to the the change. Several GS Heads were also furious about it.

There's a quote in the paper from the head of Challoner's:

However, banding is only fair when applied across an area rather than just by a single school. Otherwise, the net effect will be to change substantially the intake of other schools in the area in a way which risks disadvantaging the students who attend those schools.

I don't think he's referring to distance from school here, but the ability balance of the other schools??

[Lillie]

It should be remembered that Highcrest originally wanted to use the results of the 11 plus test for banding, only for Bucks CC to tell them that its own test (i.e. the 11 plus) was biased by socio-economic group! If I remember correctly, this was the reason that Highcrest went the NVR route and introduced its own test as it couldn't use the results of the 11 plus test for banding. This caused a bit of a stink, picked up by the Times Educational Supplement and the Bucks Free Press. I can't remember all the details, but there is a link to it somewhere on this forum. I am sure someone will be along who can provide the link or remember more details.

It is interesting what they are trying to achieve at Highcrest, but looking at their website, I'm not convinced they offer a real alternative to those children who would qualify for a grammar school, at least in terms of subjects currently available. For example, their modern foreign languages department effectively only offers French, and that only to GCSE. However, it will be very interesting to see how this story develops.

The Bucks Free Press article and opinion leader also omits to mention that the Bucks test is changing next year anyway or perhaps they are unaware of this development?

[Sally-Anne]

Otherwise, the net effect will be to change substantially the intake of other schools in the area in a way which risks disadvantaging the students who attend those schools.

I don't think he's referring to distance from school here, but the ability balance of the other schools??

Yes, but also the potentially disproportionate effect on ethnic minority pupils, plus the fact that some children who would otherwise have been allocated Highcrest under the previous rules will be forced to travel quite long distances.