Results on 1st March

[Etienne]

For anyone not familiar with the Code, this is the paragraph being discussed:

Information for parents – outcome of entry tests
2.98 Grammar schools and other schools, or their admission authorities, which are permitted to use selection by ability or aptitude, should ensure that parents are informed of the outcome of entry tests before they make their applications for other schools. This does not apply to testing as part of banding arrangements described in paragraphs 2.83 to 2.90.

As WP points out, it is not mandatory because the word "should" is used.

It's quite a strong recommendation, though.

"Should" has previously been defined as follows:

The Code also includes guidelines which the relevant bodies should follow unless they can demonstrate, if challenged, that they are justified in not doing so. Where guidelines refer to good practice the Code will state that the relevant bodies ‘should’ follow the particular guidelines and where the guidelines refer to practices or criteria normally regarded as poor practice, but where there may be exceptional circumstances when they may be justified, the Code will state that the practices or criteria ‘should not’ be used.

[Ronald]

Rose Petal wrote:

Is knowing the result in advance of filling out the CAF helpful or not? I have pondered this, and assume that knowing the result doesn't then mean you know if your DC has a place or not. As I see it knowing the result is helpful if you are in the top scorers (put the grammar on the CAF) or the bottom scorers (don't waste a choice on the CAF) but if you are in the middle you are no better off than not knowing!

I wonder if it might even be worse to know, if your child was in the middle. You could spend months telling yourself (and them, and all your friends and relations.......) that they almost definitely had a place at the grammar school, then imagine the disappointment if it didn't work out.

[Bad Dad]

Sorry, WP I was confusing CAF and Allocation day. Our test takes place on the 1st Saturday in October, long after the CAF has been submitted. I would like to get the results earlier than allocation day, but I agree it would not be a good idea to make the test even earlier, in time for the CAF. I do think 5 months is a long time to wait for the results. I wonder whether Warwickshire holds the record for the longest wait in the country?

edit: correction on the above, final CAF deadline is after the test.

With reference to the possible changes to the catchment next year, WP, what do you think they will do in South Warks? The adjudicator on the East Warks situation has recommended that the possibility of change be considered. The current priority circle includes parts of Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Oxfordshire. Gloucs has its own Grammar system with no catchments. Worcs is fully comprehensive, but I would think more children cross the Worcs border to go to KE schools in Birmingham (no catchment) or to Gloucs. It just feels to me that nobody would dare challenge the likes of KE or Pates & Co, because they are too powerful and considered untouchable, and yet the Warwickshire system which is on a much smaller scale seems to be fair game.

[Ed's mum]

Sorry, WP I was confusing CAF and Allocation day. Our test takes place on the 1st Saturday in October, long after the CAF has been submitted.

I'm sure that this was just a slip on your part Bad Dad...but just for those (like me) who panicked when they just read this (!) can I please just assure others that the CAF has NOT yet reached its deadline for submission.

I cannot remember when the deadline is though...is it the same nationally?

[Concerned]

With reference to the possible changes to the catchment next year, WP, what do you think they will do in South Warks?

Hi Bad Dad

The adjudicator has stated the new admissions policy in East Warks is fair. They take the first 50% of places from the priority circle area (which is 10 miles for Rugby). For clarity that area includes Rugby, all East Warks and surrounding areas upto 10 miles away. The second 50% of places are allocated to East Warks children only. In reality this halves the number of out of area children allocated a grammar school place in Rugby.
I assume that after much to-ing and fro-ing in East Warks, they will propose a similar policy in South Warks.

[Bad Dad]

I'm sure that this was just a slip on your part Bad Dad...but just for those (like me) who panicked when they just read this (!) can I please just assure others that the CAF has NOT yet reached its deadline for submission.

Yes, sorry, I was wrong! I think the actual deadline is 6th November for Worcestershire, but I remembered doing ours earlier than that last year. Still, I suppose it might be a struggle to get the test results out in time for parents to take into consideration when completing the CAF.

[fed up]

Concerned states:

In reality this halves the number of out of area children allocated a grammar school place in Rugby.
I assume that after much to-ing and fro-ing in East Warks, they will propose a similar policy in South Warks.

I think Concerned must be right. They can't have one rule for one half of Warks and one for the other half. That's even less fair!

[Bad Dad]

East and South are quite different. In the East, aren't all the selective schools in the same town? In the South, there is a fair distance between Alcester and Stratford, so you can't have one really small catchment covering both. Alcester is closer to Worcestershire than it is to Stratford. Also, Northampton arguably had a vaild complaint about the impact of Rugby schools, but no such complaint has been made to my knowledge in the South, and as I tried to point out earlier, Worcs and Glous parents have the Bham or Gloucs options where no catchment exists at all - why not come down on those schools instead? Granted, the people living in close proximity to the southern area selective schools might push for a smaller catchment, but the numbers of children are going to be a lot smaller in the 2 southern towns. Alcester population is about 6,000 compared to 60,000 in Rugby. Even Stratford is only about 20,000. So the catchment needs to be larger than in the East, I would have thought.

[Tolstoy]

Bad Dad

Our test takes place on the 1st Saturday in October, long after the CAF has been submitted. I would like to get the results earlier than allocation day, but I agree it would not be a good idea to make the test even earlier, in time for the CAF. I do think 5 months is a long time to wait for the results. I wonder whether Warwickshire holds the record for the longest wait in the country?

In Gloucestershire we have to register for the 11+ by the middle of October, after all the open days. The test takes place the first Saturday in November and the results are out two weeks later. The CAF form has to be submitted by the begining of December.

It is stressy if you are in that middle ground of not knowing for certain if your DC will get a place. However many do know one way or the other. I definately would prefer to have the result sooner rather than later.

Also if you know your child's hopes aren't good you can sell other options to them in the interim.

[Rose petal]

Thanks for all your replies so far.

I didn't realise that all the grammar schools in East Warks were in the same town. In South Warks there is around 7-8 miles, at a guess, between Stratford and Alcester. There is only one priority circle to cover both area's schools and it has Stratford at its centre. Any idea, based on East Warks, if any changes would be likely to mean one or two priority circles for South Warks?

I have found these maps.

http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/Web/corp ... 8C004786EB