Got pass ... Now worrying about getting into a grammar

[raymae]

Im really concerned on actually getting my son into a grammar ... He has a good pass (Not high enough for skinners or Judd though) And it seems that non super selectives still base admissions on distance. We live in sevenoaks and all the grammars are coming up at least 10 miles in distance from us. Most deffinitly do not want our local school (with grammar stream) being offered to us! Have any of you been refused places over the years at wilmington/ tunbridge wells or maidstone? Really really worried

[GPmum]

My 2 boys have not sat the 11+ yet, and am sure others on here have more experience than me, but I did think that for boys living in Sevenoaks it is much harder to secure a grammar place for the facts you have stated. If they do not get high enough scores for the SS grammars, then we live too far away to be given a place........... or that is what I have been told! So I really felt for the mums of boys today who had scored well, but not well enough for Skinners or Judd.

Maybe someone else on here has a silver lining for you?

[doodles]

It really does depend on where you live in Sevenoaks and, as far as I can remember, some years boys at the top of the town have got into TWGSB.

[raymae]

We are in Seal x

[tigger2]

Raymae...I think that you should call TWGSB tomorrow and ask them...I know that they can only tell you how far they went out last year but it may help....

[raymae]

Ive been googling tonight and come across an article that stated this years intake from tunbridge wells grammar took no one at all out of there catchment area (cant remember exact amount of miles) exept those that already had a sibling in the school. We are over 10 miles away x

[bertalone]

I know of two boys who got into TWGSB last year from Brasted on the appeal when they opened up the extra class and that's further than anywhere is Sevenoaks so try not to worry. There is a whole bus full of boys from the Westerham/Brasted area who go to TWGSB. Many had to wait for 2nd rounds or appeals but they all get spaces in the end.

[mystery]

Yep, you should be able to ask the school for quite a bit of detail year on year about your address - whether people got in at that distance on 1 March, waiting list or via appeals.

There is plenty of hope so long as you don't view 1 March as the done deal.

You can also appeal for schools you don't put on your CAF - just not immediately on 1 March- a slight delay before you are allowed to.

[mystery]

There is a panic every year in the Sevenoaks area as on 1 March not everyone who has passed gets TWGSG, Judd or Skinners. So far so good though - it seems as though every year it is generally all sorted out through waiting lists and appeals. I don't know of course what this year will be like - is the current year 6 population significantly higher than last year's?

The other thing of course is that we are close to borders so there are OOC children who get offered places at Kent Superselectives on 1 March who then turn those places down later in the year; also we are a prosperous area so there are children who hold state grammar places for a while but eventually go private and don't use the state grammar place.

So there is probably a much larger shift in the numbers after 1 March than you would see in the centre of a large county in a less prosperous area.

Never any complete guarantees though so good luck!

[crispin]

hi raemae
please see my update on thread : W Kent boys GS Sept 2012. I hope that helps. Each year is so different. Good luck.