12+ in bucks

Eleven Plus (11+) in Buckinghamshire (Bucks)

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buzzybee
Posts: 163
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2012 9:29 am

Re: 12+ in bucks

Post by buzzybee »

Thank you for your kind words Sally-Anne and Etienne :)

Can I run a quick question past you or anyone else that might be in the know? We originally registered dd for the 12 plus with the 1st and 2nd place preferences as we did for the 11 plus. She now tells me that those choices have now changed and no longer wishes to go to AHS and from her time at her current secondary school, I can tell she would be better placed in a mixed school.

Looking on the BCC website it says that rightly so, if a child passes with their first choice preference than any second choices would be nil and void. She's pretty adament that she would not like to go to AHS, so should I not let her take the exam for it this coming weekend? I know places at the school are pretty much at full capacity and should there be a place at her second choice (but in her head now first choice!) school, then we would not want to jeopordise that place. Are you still with me?!

I will give the lovely people :roll: at the admissions team a call tomorrow, but just thought someone might have some expert knowledge on this. Thank you.
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: 12+ in bucks

Post by Sally-Anne »

buzzybee, I think I'm with you ...

1. You can change your preferences before the allocations, but you will go to the back of the queue as a "late applicant", and only re-emerge in Round 2 (mid-June or thereabouts.)

2. If she doesn't take the AHS test, that won't impact negatively on the application to SHF in any direct way at all.

3. If she does take the AHS test and she passes, she will be allocated AHS instead of SHF.

4. If that happens, other people who put SHF as 1st preference will leap-frog her.

5. Unless there are sufficient places, she will then be put on the waiting list for SHF, which is likely to be never-never land at 12+.

6. If you are absolutely confident that she will gain a place at SHF, based on distance and current information (a call to the school asking for their Y7 numbers might be more useful than a call to Admissions?), then she shouldn't take the AHS test.

7. If you are not confident of that, she should take the AHS test as a fall-back.

What no one can tell you is how many people live closer to SHF than you, and therefore how long the queue might be. :(

The first you would know about that is in a letter saying that SHF hasn't been allocated, followed by a letter a while later telling you where you are on the waiting list. (And, dare I mention it, you could always appeal for a place?)

I hope I've understood what you meant!
1lurker
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat May 11, 2013 11:19 am

Re: 12+ in bucks

Post by 1lurker »

:D Very relieved to be able to share good news with my DS today... after a fail at 120/117, V poor recommendation from HT, unsuccessful review and unsuccessful appeal (although successful at the first stage – HT evidence was not fair, consistent or objective!)

Although we live within a mile of our preferred school (RLS) I don't hold out much hope of being offered a place... so will need to psych myself up for another appeal. To be honest grammar or fully comp, he has proved to himself and the sceptic old HT that he is a bright spark within a quirky ASD box and he can be proud of who he is and have confidence he will do well regardless. :lol:
buzzybee
Posts: 163
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2012 9:29 am

Re: 12+ in bucks

Post by buzzybee »

Thank you Sally-Anne. That's really helpful. I think a call to SHF tomorrow might be a good idea. We are in catchment (we live in the town the school is in), but I already know of 3 children at my dd's old school who passed. One has a sibling already at the school and 2 live a little nearer and that's the children that we know of who passed!

Thanks again, your a star.
Marylou
Posts: 2164
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2006 2:21 am

Re: 12+ in bucks

Post by Marylou »

1lurker wrote::D Very relieved to be able to share good news with my DS today... after a fail at 120/117, V poor recommendation from HT, unsuccessful review and unsuccessful appeal (although successful at the first stage – HT evidence was not fair, consistent or objective!)

Although we live within a mile of our preferred school (RLS) I don't hold out much hope of being offered a place... so will need to psych myself up for another appeal. To be honest grammar or fully comp, he has proved to himself and the sceptic old HT that he is a bright spark within a quirky ASD box and he can be proud of who he is and have confidence he will do well regardless. :lol:
Well done to your DS, and don't forget you have the option of appealing if he is not offered a place. I know of at least one successful 12+ oversubscription appeal for that school.
Marylou
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: 12+ in bucks

Post by Guest55 »

Yes I agree - I've never understood why their PAN is 174 when I am told they clearly have 30 desks in every room.

New science block being built too ...
Marylou
Posts: 2164
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2006 2:21 am

Re: 12+ in bucks

Post by Marylou »

Guest55 wrote:Yes I agree - I've never understood why their PAN is 174 when I am told they clearly have 30 desks in every room.
Because they are only small desks. I jest not - they really are. Measurements etc. all came out at our appeal! Sometimes I think I dreamt it.

:lol:
Marylou
1lurker
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat May 11, 2013 11:19 am

Re: 12+ in bucks

Post by 1lurker »

:lol: Best put DS on a diet then and take his vital statistics with us... just incase!

Seriously thank you and fingers crossed for everyone going forward!
southbucks3
Posts: 3579
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 11:59 am

Re: 12+ in bucks

Post by southbucks3 »

Well done all of your children who passed 12+ and best of luck, my niece lives in aylesbury and joined shf in year 8, she loved it.

The difficulty to secure a place makes me so cross. Basically like saying you are put in class 2 at a normal comprehensive and have to appeal to get promoted to class 1, rather than it being recognised that you have matured and are now performing at a higher standard.

They need to help the grammar schools formulate a much better procedure for relocating children who have shown they are struggling, it may seem harsh, but my ds1 is only now noticing that one or two children are receiving their last warnings, half way through year 8! Yes the kids need a settling in period, but not 18 months of constantly poor results, behaviour or both.

I know of some parents who staunchly refuse to allow their child to be removed from the grammar school, even when teachers and heads and pastoral care teams have arranged several meetings and very clearly informed parents that the child needs to be in a different environment to grammar school. The heads find it impossibly hard for some reason to remove these children?

I am categorically not a believer in bringing back the old ways, when it felt like we all dreaded report day and several friends vanished each term, but there does need to be more flexibility to move children between upper and grammar in an educational area with an enforced two tier system, otherwise it is simply not fulfilling the requirement of the system.
ConfusedAylesburyMum
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon Mar 04, 2013 9:42 am

Re: 12+ in bucks

Post by ConfusedAylesburyMum »

Tried calling SHF to find out how may Year 7s there currently are (I can see their intake is 150 per year) but they would not tell me.

If anyone finds out how many they currently have in year 7, could they post it please?
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