4 months to go - still doable?

[kittymum]

Most of the Bucks people on here do not recommend mocks as the Transfer Test requires 121 to qualify and score doesn't come into the allocation of places. DG does not live in Bucks.

Other than that - are you in Bucks? If not, do check you have a reasonable chance of getting a place if qualification is achieved.

Read the pages here:

http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/education/sch ... sfer-test/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Just out of curiosity (and having read through the admissions link info) - does it mean that grammar school places are allocated based on distance from school? How do numbers of those who qualify compare to the number of grammar school places available? I didn't realise that GS entrance rules are so different between counties; in Surrey the higher the score, the better, although some schools have catchment or priority area rules to go with the scores.

In answer to your question - sort of! For instance at my ds's school (where dd will be going in Sept) they allocate in this order:

Children in care
Catchment siblings (by distance)
Catchment (by distance)
Out of catchment siblings (by distance)
Out of catchment

We are catchment but there are out of catchment who live closer then us however we have priority. Also dd was allocated her space as a catchment sibling but there are catchment children (without a sibling) who live closer but still haven't been allocated a space for September. (They have however as G55 says been allocated other grammar schools assuming they named them on their caf before an upper school etc etc).

Edited to say that all children have to have obtained the qualifying score to be considered for a place.

[PurpleDuck]

Thank you, Kittymum, this sounds very similar to admission rules in our comprehensives. GS in Surrey I know about (and I'm sure I don't know about all of them) do not have a siblings policy at all, so even if a sibling has passed a test, they may not get a place if their score is not high enough and they are not in one of the catchment/priority areas (for those schools that have them).

[Sally-Anne]

GS in Surrey I know about (and I'm sure I don't know about all of them) do not have a siblings policy at all, so even if a sibling has passed a test, they may not get a place if their score is not high enough and they are not in one of the catchment/priority areas (for those schools that have them).

It is illegal under the Admissions Code to give priority to siblings if places are allocated in rank order of score.

[PurpleDuck]

GS in Surrey I know about (and I'm sure I don't know about all of them) do not have a siblings policy at all, so even if a sibling has passed a test, they may not get a place if their score is not high enough and they are not in one of the catchment/priority areas (for those schools that have them).

It is illegal under the Admissions Code to give priority to siblings if places are allocated in rank order of score.

Thank you, Sally-Anne. It's true it wouldn't make sense to prioritise siblings if everyone else gets a place based on their score. I can now see the systems are completely different, so if someone is considering relocation from Surrey to Bucks or vice-versa, they'd better find out the details - you've been warned!

[tropicmama]

Thank you so much for your replies. I have purchased the CGP 10-minute books. We are just aiming for that magic qualifying score, anything more will just be a bonus . My son is intent on getting in to AGS or RGS - we are in catchment for the former. Funny thing is, we are more or less on the middle, with one GS only about half a mile further. This further one is more convenient for us too. I suppose we don't really have to think about schools first until after the test!