There seems to have been a large increase in OOC children taking eleven plus tests. Many parents have entered their children for several tests, believing that this gives their child a better chance of a grammar school place. Then when their children qualify, they suddenly realise that they are out of catchment and wonder if they should put the school on their CAF. To those parents thinking of doing this next year: children who qualify, especially after lots of tuition, will affect the statistics so that they effectively "push out" other children with very slightly lower scores but who are eligible for places. Also, why not read the admissions criteria for the schools you are interested in before entering your child in the test? If they will have no chance of a place, either move into the catchment early or don't enter the child! If these parents have the wherewithal to navigate the eleven plus system then they should be able to look up admissions rules.

2009: 2152 OoC applicants **

2019: 4519 OoC applicants

** I have edited the number for 2009 because I had omitted to include OoC children attending Partner schools.

You're absolutely right, Deb70, but your plea will probably fall on deaf ears. I am just one of many who have been saying this for years, and some are actively working behind the scenes to try and change the situation. Bucks CC are much more direct in their advice to OOC applicants than they were in the past, partly due to the good work of those people behind the scenes. What it comes down to is that a lot of people don't care. I have seen many posters on here state, very openly, that they are looking out for themselves and don't care about the impact on other families. Until the Bucks grammar schools address it properly, the sorts of numbers Sally-Anne has just posted will probably remain.

As well as those who enter the process ignorant of its rules, there are good numbers who enter the Bucks test with no intention whatsoever of even applying for a Bucks school. They do so just to use the Bucks test as a mock, as preparation for their real targets. They aren't going to heed advice from any quarter and nor are they likely to care about other people. Of course, it's impossible to put a figure on those numbers because we cannot guess their motivation but you have probably seen lots of them on these forums, particularly in the Berkshire and Hertfordshire sections.

I wish the GS headteachers would grasp the nettle of the explosion in the number of OOC entrants - there are almost as many OOC as in county. These 'self-selected' OOC candidates distort the '121' and push out Bucks children who would have qualified in the past.

A higher qualification % would restore the balance as distance would push out ridiculous commutes.

Do the heads actually care though? In times when league table rankings are everything, as long as they get their 'top' children why should they mind? I think that heads fall into two camps on this - those who want to cream off the highest scorers, whatever happens, and are willing to either ignore the consequences or else (looking for a polite term to describe this) expose local children to disadvantage to do so; and those who may feel differently but have no effective choice, or voice to express that feeling.

Here in Gloucestershire we have no catchment areas for our few grammar schools (cue lots of people from Herts and Berks rushing to sit tests) and a teacher at a GS I was speaking to the other day observed that the journey distances among children at the school had 'gone mad' in the 12 years she has taught there. My children have all studied with classmates undertaking journeys of 60-90 mins each way, sometimes even longer. I genuinely do not understand parents doing this - they are only schools!

I think most Heads do care or they would rank on score not distance. Long commutes impact on results and participation in all school events so it is not healthy for the school or the students doing this.

However, I think they have not really done enough number crunching to really 'see' what is happening.

Why not have some selection on who can apply to sit the test.....for example, asking out of county applicants to give reasons why they think they would be eligible for a school place? Then if they had a genuine reason, such as an imminent house move or sibling in the school, they would then be allowed to sit the test. It would cost money to administer, but surely less money than administering the test to a whole lot of people who will never go to the schools, plus the cost of thousands of selection reviews from those who have been displaced by OOC children?!

It would be illegal under the School Admissions Code to do so.

Sally-Anne has the number increased or decreased from last year’s cohort . I had hoped with the introduction of GL many tourists would stay away.....wishful thinking . Dollyxx

Agree completely with both posts Anotherdad and G55. I do wish we could find a solution. Dolly xx