WCGS 2014 - Second Stage - Results today

[suttonmum]

But those of us who actually take up the places in reality, who aren't taking every grammar school test south of Birmingham, who live fairly near (or even in) Sutton don't want our boys arriving on day one comparing scores. No one I know has any problem filling in their CAF form even without knowing their scores.

[pencil369]

Well said, suttonmum. Agree heartily.

[Biggiesmall]

Also agree Suttonmum

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[ShrimpStation]

No, a pass doesn't mean guaranteed entry at all.

In fact, I heard last year of one boy who passed all three Sutton grammars, but didn't get a place at any.

[loopylou]

The pass/fail information is designed to help parents fill in their CAF so as not to waste options on schools where the minimum standard has not been met. It is not a guarantee of a place.
In previous years, parents filled out the forms in October despite some schools only setting 11+ exams much later in the year (or in Tiffin's case, after Christmas).
This was in the days before the SET where each school had just one day of testing and where it could still come too late for a pass/fail result to be known.
It was also in the days when Surrey residents only had 3 spaces on their forms so had to limit themselves to just 2 grammar schools if they wanted to retain a local comprehensive school as a plan B.

Whilst some regions are able or willing to give lots of information on scores and ranked positions, Sutton doesn't. I am beginning to think this isn't such a terrible thing in light of the poor parents in other regions who seem destined to end up with a school they don't want because, armed with mountains of statistics and information, they are tempted into play tactics with their preference order and are sometimes misadvised on this by the schools themselves it seems. People are fearful to list a borderline pass first wrongly supposing it will restrict their chances at a school where they know they have a more convincing pass. Others have false hope from a type 1 letter or green zone result not fully appreciating that this is not a guaranteed place and, in previous years, even those in the highest "likely" categories have not always got in straight away.

No school can give totally accurate information at this stage as everything hinges on how other parents fill out their CAFs. If the world goes mad and only those ranked 300-400 for Wilsons even list Wilsons on their form at all, they will all get a place with many left over.
Schools have a rough idea of how many they need to pass to ensure they fill their seats but how those pupils will be divided depends entirely on which schools everyone chooses, in which order and whether people who don’t choose Wilsons as their top choice for example do well enough to get given the school they prefer. One person’s reluctant 3rd choice is another person’s narrowly missed 1st choice.

[Catlady]

I also think it is a good idea that we don't know how our children have fared in the exams other than whether they have passed or not. Then we put down on the CAF forms, our DS' true preference for schools to which they are eligible and so they will, in Sept 2015 - walk through their new school gates as equals.

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[Peridot]

But those of us who actually take up the places in reality, who aren't taking every grammar school test south of Birmingham, who live fairly near (or even in) Sutton don't want our boys arriving on day one comparing scores. No one I know has any problem filling in their CAF form even without knowing their scores.

Well said Suttonmum. Actually I think there are people making their children take every grammar test south of Birmingham AND the tests in Birmingham. The 11+ world is descending into over-competitive madness.

[tiffinboys]

Just thinking aloud.
Form consortiums. Test same day and share results. If not scores, at least give result in some other meaningful way. Perhaps like some North London schools, (likely, possible, not likely). One of 700 pass doesn't give any information. That school could as well test after CAF dates.