11 Plus Exams Forum

hello

I've tried searching on here and just generally on the net for this but can't find an answer so wondered if anyone on here knew, or perhaps no one knows, but will the Shepway Test be set by the Harvey and Folkestone School for Girls, or an outside organisation? I'm wondering if anyone knows whether it's best to practice Bond for their VR/ NVR papers or whether you have to look at everything on the market

Has anyone heard anything about these tests?

I haven't heard anything about them either. It may be worth contacting the schools themselves.

Thank you, Yoyo123. I'll ring them now and let you know what they say.

Just rang FSG and the person I spoke to didn't know either as it's still all so new so they suggested I ring back in a couple of weeks.

There's another thread on here about these tests. Don't think it really answers your questions but it gave me the idea that it is intended to be easier to pass it than the Kent test - so maybe it's something to be pleased about rather than a worry. Don't know really. Sorry not from your neck of the woods. The same thread also referred to it clashing with another school test (Dover I think?).

Children have to pass the Kent test or the "Shepway test" I think.

Is the school concerned an academy? No academy has to use the Kent test if it chooses not to. Are most Kent grammars academies now? In which the case the whole thing could crack up and new tests pop up all over the place.

What I don't understand is how a school could beat the price of a county-wide test, and why a school would want to pay for the marking of written work, or mark it in-house. Very subjective and time consuming.

The neighbour school Dover Girls, has set its own test for several years. Its this school that the test date clashes with . Dover has historically done the test on this particular weekend, so it strikes me as deliberately making locals `choose` a school.

Dover will now take girls who have passed their test but not the Kent test. When we did the test years ago, you were expected to pass both, and I know several girls who passed Dover, but not KT who had to appeal. Dover Boys runs its own test to.

Dover is usually very over subscribed, not sure about Folkestone. We were invited to an open day there last summer, and we live a long way out.

This year, before we moved out of catchment any way, we had decided not to put DD2 through the Dover test......one test is enough, and she`s only 10, I personally think its wrong to make them sit several tests

Making you choose is a bit of a cheek. They're a school not a supermarket, and we all pay for all schools through our taxes.

Presumably it will backfire on them in some way.

The Folkestone GS's are very under subscribed, much of this is because DC take the Dover test and get in there so don't bother with Folkestone. It is clearly not a 'mistake' the Dover and Folkestone tests are on the same date..... Not sure 'choosing' is a cheek actually. You'd have to choose at some point and can always appeal if you felt that way inclined should you not get allocated the one you had picked. I'd rather my child didn't have to sit multiple tests if I am honest.

The Folkestone GS's have had to react to changing conditions as in the previous years they only half fill (roughly) from Kent Test passing children and much of the rest of their intake are from appeals. At The Harvey recently the staff referred to their students being considered less able than in a typical GS but their 'Added Value' results are very good. Maybe some of that is the improvement seen in their grades? GS's taking more able children have less room to improve those children to achieve top grades, against a school taking less able who go on to gain top scores in exams.

Anyway, I digress. It will be interesting to see how this evolves

Sure I'd rather my children didn't take multiple tests either, but they can leave that decision up to the taxpayers, not remove an option for them.

Could you then appeal for a school you didn't take the test for because the date clashed with another school?

So the Folkestone schools hope that they catch more children by having their test on the same day as Dover in order to stop people going to Dover who might otherwise have chosen to do so. It doesn't really add up for me, but I don't live in the area so maybe I've misunderstood. If any of the grammars round here come up with clashing test dates I will be furious.

It sounds as though there are too many places in that neck of the woods for the number of "grammar children". Maybe the solution would be to go fully comprehensive with a a top stream that is grammar equivalent rather than fix up a clashing test date with another grammar school.

My sister goes to a comp with a grammar stream. She's in the grammar stream. The culture of a comp can be VERY different from the culture of a grammar. The sneering (at best) that can go on from lower sets towards the more 'nerdy' element is very unpleasant. The grammar stream's grades aren't actually all that impressive and certainly not a great deal higher than the set below. I'd much rather full grammar status - with the grammar ethos - was maintained.