Wallington Exam

[loopylou]

I agree ThreeKids - most people would understand it now I think. A few years ago it was still new to some areas but now most people know the drill.

I do think most people are quite clued up about the whole equal preference thing now. A few of the old ideas lingered for a while like the myth that schools could select candidates who'd put them 1st above someone who'd ranked them 3rd but most people are pretty familiar with the way equal preference lists work.

In the old system, if they got a letter from Wallington saying "your son did brilliantly in the test and is guaranteed a place if he wants it" most would know that as long as they list Wallington somewhere on their CAF form, they will get a guaranteed place at Wally if none of their higher ranked options work out for them.
If they listed Wallington as 3rd choice after Wilsons and after Tiffins they'd still get that place at Wallington even if their son did terribly in the Wilsons and Tiffins tests because its the highest preference they qualify for.
And if their son aced Tiffins and Wilsons too then he'd get Wilsons as then that's the highest preference that he qualified for.

I must admit I do fail to see how a pass / fail letter helps a great deal when the numbers who pass vastly exceed the number that can be accommodated at the school. This is especially the case with Sutton Grammar. Apparently (it might differ this year but last year certainly) they tell candidates in January whether they have passed or failed. Just that though – no other information or hint to the likelihood of a place and all a long time after the CAF forms are in and the information can be of much use.

[chukli]

Many thanks to you all for the clarification.

[zeinab]

Hi guys. My DS was in the afternoon sitting held at the sports hall. Dropped him off at 12.50pm & he emerged very tired 5hrs plus later. No food, a little sip of water & a single trip to the loo. Very disappointed as I know it will affect his performance. Is that fair? I shall email the head about my concerns.

[shailesh]

All, Wallington Exam result will be out on 7th of Oct and hopefully every one get letters by Sat/Mon

All the best for all pupils and parents.....

Regards

S

[tiffinboys]

The administration seemed pretty poor. We arrived for the 9am exam at 8:30 but walking from the "wrong" direction, so had to walk for another 5-10 minutes to the end of the queue. Ds didn't get through the gate until 8:55, so inevitable that the exam would start late. At the end his "colour" was called at 12:20 to be collected from the front of school, and yet he didn't appear until 12:45 by which time all the afternoon boys were arriving. Sounds as if it was the shorter sitting, but given they have this every year I was disappointed that a better system wasn't found.

It might help if Sutton's selective schools arrange for a Common test. Last year, the tests were as follows:

Nonsuch Girls: VR, Eng, NVR
Wallington Girls: VR, Maths
Wallington Boys: VR, Eng, Maths
Sutton Boys: VR, Eng, Maths
Wilson Boys: Eng, Maths

As most of these schools test VR, English & Maths, perhaps they could agree on a common test (as used to happen few years ago for the two Girls schools).
Same number of boys or girls take these test 2 or three times. If these schools could agree for a Common test, this will ease the logistical pressures. Test could be taken in different schools at the same time and perhaps only one session would be enough.
Both parents & children would save time and avoid enormous exam pressure.
Schools would save enormous cost of administering tests on different dates, to the same children.

[fatbananas]

Although it gives some people more than one bite of the cherry, to allow for an 'off day' of some kind?

[tiffinboys]

Although it gives some people more than one bite of the cherry, to allow for an 'off day' of some kind?

May be or may not be, considering children had to endure the test of 5 to 7 hour. I would think that they would perform better in a test that finish in 3 hours while they still have energy and concentration.