Safe rank for Tommies

[stroudydad]

Dear all

apologies for my ignorance at the outset. I have been following things very closely and after much have struggled to find much information on how the ranking system works. My understanding is this (and please, somebody, correct me if i am wrong): all the children receive a rank depending on their score. Their rank relates to the whole region (all grammar schools in the region) and not a specific school. So if a school identifies a rank of say 250 as a qualifying score, that is a rank across all schools i.e. it is not the case that if a school has 150 places and somebody has a score of 250, then they are 100 places out. In other words, the ranking is across all schools and not just individual schools. is this correct? I ask as we are going through this next year.

Hi there, and firstly good luck for next year.
When you register for the test you will be asked to tick which schools you would like your results shared with. depending upon everyone's circumstance some will share with all schools, others just one, and obviously some in between.
This means that each school has a different cohort of students. Therefore each school will have its own calculation and therefore its own ranks..
For example this year
Crypt had 1689 people ask to be considered. Whereas Marling had just under 900. In order to give the best results possible to those wanting to go to both school there were two different calculations and 2 different sets of rank - each school specific.

Hope this helps

SD

[stroudydad]

stroudydad - on the emails for HSFG they are quoting a figure of 364 that they allocated to last year but as someone who went through the appeal process last year I know that on allocation day it was actually 314 on allocation day according to the schools response to our appeal. The 364 referred to a child who was allocated a space after reconsideration (I think this is between 1st March and 31st March) under the education act as they had a statement.

My DD ranked between these numbers and we had to appeal for a place. It did cause some confusion at the time with me frantically checking that I hadn't missed a response or not ticked the right box but I asked the school and they clarified that she got a place ahead of my DD because of the education act.

I obviously don't know about other schools - do you have any information that may substantiate the numbers further and be useful for this years applicants?

Yes - it's in black and white on the results notice received from Marling.

"For information, the lowest rank position to be allocated a place at Marling School on March 1st last academic year was rank position 384. In the previous year, the lowest rank position was 344."

[Lysander]

What about 256? Is this safe for Tommies? How optimistic do you think we can be? We have 211 for Marling, which I think should be fairly safe unless there's something very odd going on this year, but we all really want STRS as the travel is so much easier for us.

[Watermelon8]

What about 256? Is this safe for Tommies? How optimistic do you think we can be? We have 211 for Marling, which I think should be fairly safe unless there's something very odd going on this year, but we all really want STRS as the travel is so much easier for us.

(Copied from one of the other threads)
STR - a total of 883 boys chose to share their results with Sir Thomas Rich's.
In previous years STR allocated places down to the following ranks:
Sept 2017 entry - down to rank 265
Sept 2016 entry - down to rank 275
Sept 2015 entry - down to rank 205
Sept 2014 entry - down to rank 223

[Lysander]

Post subject: Re: Safe rank for Tommies Reply with quote
Lysander wrote:
What about 256? Is this safe for Tommies? How optimistic do you think we can be? We have 211 for Marling, which I think should be fairly safe unless there's something very odd going on this year, but we all really want STRS as the travel is so much easier for us.


(Copied from one of the other threads)
STR - a total of 883 boys chose to share their results with Sir Thomas Rich's.
In previous years STR allocated places down to the following ranks:
Sept 2017 entry - down to rank 265
Sept 2016 entry - down to rank 275
Sept 2015 entry - down to rank 205
Sept 2014 entry - down to rank 223

Tommies sent us this, and all I could conclude is that only the past two years are indicative of the current setup, and the last place admitted is on a trajectory to be 255 this year, if nothing else changed. However, we have lost perhaps 45 boys' grammar places in Gloucester with Crypt going co-ed, and gained 30 with STRS getting an extra class.

I don't know enough about the usual preferences of children to know how all this will affect Tommies placements this year, so any views on the affect of the changes in the intakes of the grammars on a child's chances at Tommies, Marling and also Crypt will be gratefully received.

We didn't qualify for Pates, but I shouldn't think that the changes will have a lot of impact on their intake.

[wileycoyote]

Why do they bother ranking down to 600 then, if children with ranks in the late 300s, and the 400s and 500s are not going to get a place?
Seems like they are setting up expectations which then get knocked down on 1st March.

Can someone explain appeals in words of one syllable? If my child has been ranked for STRS, Crypt and Marling, but is given Marling, when I want STRS then Crypt, can I appeal, and on what grounds? And how many appeals are upheld?

[stroudydad]

Why do they bother ranking down to 600 then, if children with ranks in the late 300s, and the 400s and 500s are not going to get a place?
Seems like they are setting up expectations which then get knocked down on 1st March.

Can someone explain appeals in words of one syllable? If my child has been ranked for STRS, Crypt and Marling, but is given Marling, when I want STRS then Crypt, can I appeal, and on what grounds? And how many appeals are upheld?

Hi there.
Assuming by 'ranked' you mean he achieved a qualifying rank (all children were ranked even those below the qualifying level) then he has deemed to be of a suitable academic ability for that grammar school. So if there were enough places available he would get one. Anyone who doesn't get there choice can appeal. However you would be appealing due to oversubscription rather than not qualifying. Assuming I understand correctly this means that you only have to prove that Him having a place in the school that you appeal to is not prejudicial to the existing students and prove why this school is the most suitable for your son. (And in the case of multiple appeals you may have to have a case better that other appellants. ) You don't have to prove his academic ability.!!
If I'm wrong someone please put me right:-)

[libreria]

Why do they bother ranking down to 600 then, if children with ranks in the late 300s, and the 400s and 500s are not going to get a place?
Seems like they are setting up expectations which then get knocked down on 1st March.

Can someone explain appeals in words of one syllable? If my child has been ranked for STRS, Crypt and Marling, but is given Marling, when I want STRS then Crypt, can I appeal, and on what grounds? And how many appeals are upheld?

Hi there.
Assuming by 'ranked' you mean he achieved a qualifying rank (all children were ranked even those below the qualifying level) then he has deemed to be of a suitable academic ability for that grammar school. So if there were enough places available he would get one. Anyone who doesn't get there choice can appeal. However you would be appealing due to oversubscription rather than not qualifying. Assuming I understand correctly this means that you only have to prove that Him having a place in the school that you appeal to is not prejudicial to the existing students and prove why this school is the most suitable for your son. (And in the case of multiple appeals you may have to have a case better that other appellants. ) You don't have to prove his academic ability.!!
If I'm wrong someone please put me right:-)

Stroudydad - interested in your comment "all children were ranked even those below the qualifying level". I am assuming you are referring to information that is kept private by schools (the ranks of those who did not qualify). I ask out of curiosity because one dad told me that last year his son was in the '800s' for Marling which seemed to me a bit odd. Mind you that same dad did also say that Marling post previous test papers on their website! Never bothered to check as from everything else I have heard/read about CEM tests this could not possibly be true!

[smileandsparkle]

Why do they bother ranking down to 600 then, if children with ranks in the late 300s, and the 400s and 500s are not going to get a place?
Seems like they are setting up expectations which then get knocked down on 1st March.

Can someone explain appeals in words of one syllable? If my child has been ranked for STRS, Crypt and Marling, but is given Marling, when I want STRS then Crypt, can I appeal, and on what grounds? And how many appeals are upheld?

Hi there.
Assuming by 'ranked' you mean he achieved a qualifying rank (all children were ranked even those below the qualifying level) then he has deemed to be of a suitable academic ability for that grammar school. So if there were enough places available he would get one. Anyone who doesn't get there choice can appeal. However you would be appealing due to oversubscription rather than not qualifying. Assuming I understand correctly this means that you only have to prove that Him having a place in the school that you appeal to is not prejudicial to the existing students and prove why this school is the most suitable for your son. (And in the case of multiple appeals you may have to have a case better that other appellants. ) You don't have to prove his academic ability.!!
If I'm wrong someone please put me right:-)

Stroudydad - interested in your comment "all children were ranked even those below the qualifying level". I am assuming you are referring to information that is kept private by schools (the ranks of those who did not qualify). I ask out of curiosity because one dad told me that last year his son was in the '800s' for Marling which seemed to me a bit odd. Mind you that same dad did also say that Marling post previous test papers on their website! Never bothered to check as from everything else I have heard/read about CEM tests this could not possibly be true!

Yes - everyone is ranked right down to the last person who sat the test (and chose to share) although only the top 600 (in this case) are deemed to be qualified - which means you can put it down on the CAF however likely/unlikely it is you'll get a place. Most schools don't bother telling you your rank below the qualifying 600, however I imagine that information is still available should you request it?

I know that Pates tell you your rank regardless of whether you qualify so people have been reporting to be rank 900 odd for example, even though only the top 225 are deemed 'good' enough to be able to put the school on the CAF as an option. I think they are the only school to do this though (without request). The same as Ribston is the only school to tell your your position within the top 150.

Hope that makes sense!!

[libreria]

It does - thanks!