11+ exam dates

[RajithaSaleem]

Hi I am new to this forum and am a late realiser at the worth of Grammar schools. We would like DS to sit for 11+ exams. But as I do my research, I find that there are many schools or councils which hold the 11+ exams and there is a clash on the exam dates, which is mainly on September 10th. I have come across three tests scheduled on the same date. Any idea on how can we deal with this? Is there any workaround for this? Does anyone else face the same situation?

Many thanks!

[hermanmunster]

Welcome to the forum!

yes there are a lot of tests now taking place on the same day - this is partly done to avoid people taking lots of tests for schools they have no real intention of applying to.
Sometimes people have done this to get practice in the tests, other times it is done with unrealistic intentions of the child travelling a long way to school each day.

Which tests have you been looking at?

[doodles]

Welcome to the forum, the Kent section is quite active so I hope you find the help and info you need to help your DC.

Some test dates do clash but neighbouring authorities seem to try and co-operate, those that are on the same day tend to be some distance apart and a child probably wouldn't travel that far to school each day. A problem can arise when a family is relocating for whatever reason and the location chosen is based on a school access.

This year's Kent test dates are on the website as :

For Kent Primary school pupils - Thursday 8th September 2016
For Primary school pupils outside Kent - Saturday 10th September 2016

Medway and Bexley "naturally" sit alongside Kent and their test dates are on the websites (sorry it won't let me copy and paste) and they don't seem to clash.

[RajithaSaleem]

Thank you for the replies...My email was playing up and I could not access it for some time and that is the reason I am responding late. I am not sure why my profile showed as Kent, something I must have done, but I am in West London. I am not aware of much grammar schools here...but the schools I looked at were the Slough consortium and Watford grammar school and I believe both of them have their exams on the same date....

Can I ask one more question please? Is there a fee to apply for the 11+ exam?

Many thanks for the lovely replies again

[ToadMum]

You must have had the 'Kent' section of the forum open when you started your thread. I'm sure that a mod will move it for you.

I have no idea about the Slough and the SW Herts date clash, but I do know that for the Watford Grammar Schools, you have to live within their inner or outer catchment areas in order to be eligible - you can check whether you live in catchment by looking at the admissions policy on one of the schools' websites. I would also urge you to consider bus / train routes to the schools you are interested in, before putting your child in for the exam(s) - remember that they are going to have to do the journey twice a day, five days a week for several years if they do get a place. Also, the Watford 'grammar' schools are actually comprehensive schools which admit a small percentage of their intake specifically on academic ability - the rest of the pupils will reflect the 'spread' of abilities (from below average to above) in their catchment area, just like your own local schools.

State schools are not permitted to charge a fee for taking their selection tests.