11 Plus Exams Forum

So tiffins exam start at 12:00 and pick-up is 3:30. I thought there were 2 exams and 50 min each. may be 10 min practice test so an hour each.

The website seems to be down so cant gather more info.

2nd session children are registered before the end of test in 1st session. This is very well explained in FAQs and you could have a look when their website is up again.

Over 1700 boys are taking the exam.

At recent parents meeting with form teacher, a figure of about 1600 was mentioned. Last year numbers were 1685.

My letter from Tiffin says more than 1700 are taking the exam. DS is sitting in the morning, so presumably the afternoon session is for people who have to travel further.

I think the extra time is to allow for general traffic: a loo break for everyone; getting everyone settled in their correct seats, collecting papers up etc.

menagerie wrote:My letter from Tiffin says more than 1700 are taking the exam.

Oh dear, the applicant numbers are ever increasing...........

Yes and we have the bulge classes coming through next.......

Will probably exceed 2,000 applicants then!

It is worth saying that the private school system is having some influence here - some positive and some negative influences probably. Grammar schools are now required to hold tests very early whereas, just a couple of years ago, Tiffins tested after Christmas. The 11+ tests are therefore ideal (and free) preparation for children planning to take independent school exams in January even for children whose parents have absolutely no intention of sending then to Grammar school and will either not fill out a CAF (options form) at all or will decline a place at Tiffins if offered.

The flip side though is that more people are leaving the independent sector or rethinking plans to 'go private at 11' (as many in Richmond have traditionally done for example) for financial reasons. There is definitely increased competition from children who are now aiming for Grammar schools where, once upon a time, they would not have been considering any state options at all.

And of course the birth rate increased year on year especially from 2002 onwards which adds to the number of children chasing all school places.

suzanne wrote:Yes and we have the bulge classes coming through next.......

Will probably exceed 2,000 applicants then!

I'm intrigued: why did the birth rate increase year on year from 2002 specifically?

We are parents who are sitting DS for Tiffin as a practise. Maybe it's bad form, but my thoughts are that we won't be a burden on the State from next year; we have been state educating up to now, at a school that disapproves of selective education, so my DS has no experience of sitting still and silently for 2-3 hours, so this practise is very much needed.