Pass rate this year - probably nothing in this, but ...?

[instantsunshine]

DD2 also older in year just missed the mark but did better in 2nd test than 1st (by 2 marks). Although we live in Bucks also sat tests as if OOC in half term & there were loads of actual OOC children there. Gather a friend of DD2 also a Sept birthday had a similar experience re just missing the required score.

[neveragain!]

Very interested to read your comments newgirl; lower score (than expected and compared to test 1) on the second paper for my daughter too, and she is a September born, same with a friend of hers who is a November birthday. I have requested her raw scores. My daughter thankfully passed but I am still very interested to understand more about how the raw scores translate to the standardised scores. My interest extends beyond wondering why my daughter’s standardised scores seemed significantly out of kilter with her marks on practice papers in the lead up to the actual tests……We live in an area where OOC private schools are rumoured to achieve a 100% pass rate, since their pupils are trained daily in the VR question types at school. Are their marks taken into account in the standardisation process? I believe they are. If so the impact must surely be catastrophic on the results of in catchment state primary school children, whose familiarisation within school is strictly controlled. Having been through the 11+ process three times now I am more and more concerned about whether our children are being denied a place at their local grammar school, which they deserve, because of these practices. I would welcome comments from others on this.

[Sally-Anne]

We live in an area where OOC private schools are rumoured to achieve a 100% pass rate, since their pupils are trained daily in the VR question types at school. Are their marks taken into account in the standardisation process? I believe they are.

You are correct. It would be impossible to exclude them, because where would you draw the line? OoC Preps that tutor intensively? In-county preps that sneakily tutor the children? State schools that set "puzzles" which are remarkably similar to VR for their children?

You are right that it must skew the process pretty seriously. Of the ca. 7,000 children taking the test each year, 2,000 are OoC, and their qualification rate is as high as 40% compared with 25 - 30% for the in-county cohort.

[Sally-Anne]

Sorry, buzzybee, I missed this question earlier.

I'm a bit worried how it will affect her chances of appeal if there are more than normal from the same school? Will the selection panel cap successes from one school if there are many of similar outcomes?

Good grief! I sincerely hope not! There is far more than one panel anyway, but I think it would take a seriously Machiavellian mind to attempt to do that. (Or should that be Orwellian? )

Anyway, I can't think of a single possible reason why that would be seen to be desirable.

[proudmother]

My daughter was one of the lucky ones who qualified. Interestingly, she is September born, and actually did better in the second test!

[heartmum]

My DC ... born middle of year ... knew that they had made some silly mistakes on 1st paper however did still qualify on that paper and on the 2nd paper did very well. For my DC it wasn't so much the difficulty of each paper, just that the 2nd paper had the question types they preferred/felt more comfortable with.

[SKJJB]

Our school's pass rate is seriously down. Only 16 out of 60 passed. Normally more like 26-30.
The neighbouring school also got only half normal number through.
Also most kids got much lower scores than expected.
And some seriously bright children have not come anywhere near pass mark.
Something fishy going on in my opinion.

[StacatoMum]

In DS' school the result is at its average, they usually get 3-5 pass and 2-3 appeallants getting through- this year they got 5 pass and there were three 120s and they are 30 in Yr6.

[GrimUpNorth]

The pass rates naturally vary but our Bucks state primary regularly does very well but this year is markedly down. Suggested that as the age of austerity continues to bite, children who would go to private schools are instead having lot of paid tuition and sitting the Bucks 11+. instead as the cheaper option.

[anotherdad]

I don't think we can draw any conclusions until the data is published. I have suspicions over any sample that is anecdotal because we are all notoriously unreliable sources, particularly around a process that has become so emotionally pivotal for many. Re-told stories are influenced by personal beliefs, bias, selective attention to detail and so on. Possibly the greatest distortion comes from disappointed parents seeking reassurance that the tests were "particularly difficult" or that "more OOC children applied". When my daughter sat the 11+ I was told that only seven children from her primary had qualified. The HT confirmed that it was 12. I was told that it was "down considerably on the previous year". In fact, it was up by two. I've yet to speak to a parent whose child performed better on the test than in all their tutored or practice sessions - they have all "underperformed unexpectedly" and out come the retrospective extenuating circumstances...

That said, I do believe that the economic climate and more widespread and accessible information on the internet have led to an increase in 11+ applications from those schooled privately. Data will tell whether that is true or not.