Watford grammars no longer for local state school children??

[sh2013]

I've just stumbled across this website and found the posts very interesting to read.
I totally agree with all the comments.
It's a minefield out there and having gone through this myself this year I am now helping any current year 5 parents by offering them help and advice on when to start visiting schools, preparing for the 11+ etc etc.
If anyone reading this needs any help then let me know and I'm willing to share my own experience with you.

[fizzypops]

I am not surprised to hear that Watford Grammar doesn't accept local children anymore. After all, Watford is a partially selective school, which means there might not be any catchment area. My DD got in Henrietta Barnett and we don't live anywhere near there; because Grammar Schools are quite popular it has to be very selective about the students they take in. So an exam must be taken; it shouldn't be too bad.

[Mgnmum]

the issue is that although grammars in name, the watford grammars and the rest of the south west herts consortium are only partially selective and a few years ago were instructed by the adjudicators to take more local children, cutting the number of academic places from 35% to 25%. 10 % go to music but the rest are supposed to be community places for local children. however they are now taken up with siblings/ children of staff etc who as long as the eldest child got in via the academic route or a community place the siblings no longer need to meet the location criteria (there are strict postcodes for inner and outer catchment areas for the academic places) so this year at watford boys there were only 20 out of 180 places that went to local children on distance. so just over 11% went to community places rather than the 65% it should be.

[KS10]

What about the siblings of those who qualified on distance in previous years? Are they included in the siblings figure?

[strictlyfriends]

Yes the siblings of the children who qualified on distance will automatically be accepted. My sons both went to the Boys school and were at a local Watford School. Also this year at least six of the boys from my dds local school are going to the Grammar. Mind you as the scores seem to be going higher and higher this may become fewer and fewer

[ajooba]

Strictly friends, did the boys from your Dd's school get in on distance or academic to watford boys?

[RomaWhelan]

7 children from my DDs class, a local school are going to both WGGS and WBGS, with at least one other child on the waiting list with a good chance of entry also. As far as I know, 5 of these children gained academic places, 1 for music and 1 on the sibling rule.
I agree that the distance places have been considerably eroded, however, on the whole, I feel they are still local schools for local children. The majority of siblings are local children.

[strictlyfriends]

All of them gained an academic place even though it would be their local school but still at least 1000m away.

[decaff]

As most of you will know by now I am not a fan of return to cross sibling rule as I feels that it denies many local children places at their nearest school. I also feel it undermines work of parents who fought so hard to get it removed 4 years ago, and cost of public money having school adjudicator investigate and rule that rule was unlawful. I know of several boys who live very close to WGSB who had failed to secure a distance place and this makes me feel sad. While I agree many local children will get places under xsibling rule many others who live far away will gain places over those living further than 360m away. I also found it quite interesting that looking at Herts admission stats that 10 children from Chater the closet school to boys school had 10 children who got a non ranked school. I am aware that they may have not all been boys but this is a larger number than any other Watford school. Whilst these schools call themselves comprehensive we know they are far from this. I agree with many other posts that it seems to have become even harder to secure places this year.

[Hera]

7/8 from my DC's single entry state primary. Mix of sibling, academic, music.

Varies year to year. 2 or 3 last year after waiting lists etc.