Reasonable journey to Grammar

Eleven Plus (11+) in Gloucestershire (Glos)

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Brackenboo
Posts: 441
Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2018 11:21 am

Re: Reasonable journey to Grammar

Post by Brackenboo »

What I've found interesting on this forum, is how the 11+ is different in different counties. It seems crazy there is no distance limitation with the Gloucestershire schools and how many exams some of the children do.
Phoenix-Mum
Posts: 162
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2019 12:50 pm

Re: Reasonable journey to Grammar

Post by Phoenix-Mum »

Even if it wasn't a catchment as such but to have to live in Gloucestershire for Gloucestershire Grammars would make far more sense.
Would we need the PP element as much then? As many more spaces would open up for local children.
Most Gloucester schools were full to capacity last year on Allocation day, I know some that are being shipped from the middle of Gloucester City to Newent as that was the closest school with space.
Surely if Gloucestershire grammars were only allocated to pupils in Gloucestershire that would free up a lot more comprehensive school places.
jearund
Posts: 254
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2018 1:52 pm

Re: Reasonable journey to Grammar

Post by jearund »

Phoenix-Mum wrote:Even if it wasn't a catchment as such but to have to live in Gloucestershire for Gloucestershire Grammars would make far more sense.
Would we need the PP element as much then? As many more spaces would open up for local children.
Most Gloucester schools were full to capacity last year on Allocation day, I know some that are being shipped from the middle of Gloucester City to Newent as that was the closest school with space.
Surely if Gloucestershire grammars were only allocated to pupils in Gloucestershire that would free up a lot more comprehensive school places.
That's a powerful argument. It's one thing choosing to send your child on a long commute so they can attend a grammar school. It's another thing another for your child to be forced to do a long commute to attend a comp because there are no places locally as many of the grammar school places (which of course are also state schools) are being taken up with children outside Gloucestershire. No offence implied to out of county families, we all want what's best for our children and the system allows this.
However I would question whether this is partly due to parents being unrealistic on their CAF choices and not listing their local comp?
Brackenboo
Posts: 441
Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2018 11:21 am

Re: Reasonable journey to Grammar

Post by Brackenboo »

Our local comp is in special measures and they haven't been full the last couple of years, with lots of people choosing Churchdown and Chosen ahead of it. But it has been turned around and their results this year are comparable and I think they will easily fill their PAN this year. I would imagine Holmleigh Park will eventually go the same way, but at the moment people will choose Newent, Chosen etc over Gloucester Academy, Holmleigh Park and still Henley Bank to a degree
jearund
Posts: 254
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2018 1:52 pm

Re: Reasonable journey to Grammar

Post by jearund »

I'm getting the picture. If your local comp is in special measures then it's hardly surprising people don't want to send their kids there. Good to hear it's being turned around, but this raises the much bigger issue which is the elephant in the room: how much of the fierce competition for GS places is because there are no acceptable alternatives without moving house? Surely that should be the government's priority - to drive up standards in all schools so that everyone gets a good education, no matter what their level? I'm not qualified to judge what the issues are with some Gloucestershire schools but I imagine some of the teachers/ heads on here will be able to tell us what's needed.
Phoenix-Mum
Posts: 162
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2019 12:50 pm

Re: Reasonable journey to Grammar

Post by Phoenix-Mum »

jearund wrote: However I would question whether this is partly due to parents being unrealistic on their CAF choices and not listing their local comp?
One of the mums in question works in the same department as me, her daughter and her neighbours daughter are 2 of the girls being shipped to Newent.
I know she put her 5 closest schools in preference order and didn't get any of them!
cheltdad
Posts: 90
Joined: Sat Oct 12, 2019 7:53 pm

Re: Reasonable journey to Grammar

Post by cheltdad »

Phoenix-Mum wrote:Even if it wasn't a catchment as such but to have to live in Gloucestershire for Gloucestershire Grammars would make far more sense.
Would we need the PP element as much then? As many more spaces would open up for local children.
Most Gloucester schools were full to capacity last year on Allocation day, I know some that are being shipped from the middle of Gloucester City to Newent as that was the closest school with space.
Surely if Gloucestershire grammars were only allocated to pupils in Gloucestershire that would free up a lot more comprehensive school places.
Is there any data on how many places are actually being taken by those from outside Gloucestershire?

I seem to recall there was something somewhere that said that Pates was about 50% Cheltenham, just under 25% Gloucester and just over 25% "elsewhere"- but it wasn't clear how many of those were just somewhere else in the county as opposed to further way; and I'm not sure I've seen any data for the other schools. [Edit: See the later posts as these numbers aren't right]
Last edited by cheltdad on Mon Oct 21, 2019 10:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Brackenboo
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Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2018 11:21 am

Re: Reasonable journey to Grammar

Post by Brackenboo »

https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/n ... ng-1092142" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
cheltdad
Posts: 90
Joined: Sat Oct 12, 2019 7:53 pm

Re: Reasonable journey to Grammar

Post by cheltdad »

Thanks - so a quick analysis (so apologies if the numbers are off a bit) of the numbers in that article for 2017 seems to show the following percentages for each school for children from outside Gloucestershire (these are the total children in each school not a specific year intake):

Overall 8% are from outside Gloucestershire, with 72% of those coming from Swindon.

Pates 13.9%
Tommies: 7.8%
Denmark Rd: 7%
Crypt: 2.8%
Ribston: 2.7%

Marling: 8.4%
Stroud: 12.7%

I put Marling and Stroud separately because those numbers seem to be dominated by those coming from Swindon
Brackenboo
Posts: 441
Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2018 11:21 am

Re: Reasonable journey to Grammar

Post by Brackenboo »

Makes sense that people perceive the travel is worthwhile for Pates, Tommies and Denmark so there figures are higher
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