Hello - hoping someone can demystify entry process for AGS for me, please.

By way of background, we are in Bromsgrove and 17 miles from Stratford fountain (so just out of priority are) but 10 miles from AGS (AGS isn’t in the middle of the priority area). So it’s my understanding that we may not be included in a first round of offers but would go on a waiting list which is set according to 11+ score with distance from AGS as tie breaker (ie being in priority area doesn’t move you up the waiting list at all).

Historically, do there tend to be many people getting places from waiting list and do they tend to be the out of priority area people who have scored in excess of the AQS?

Do people within the priority area who have achieved less than AQS ever get a place from waiting list? If they do, I suppose this means that all of the outside of priority area applicants with a score at least equal to AQS were offered a place?

I suppose what I’m getting at is whether it’s worth moving 1 mile to get in priority area?
Seems to me that the impact of being outside of priority area is that you are just worried about other outside of priority area applicants who have a higher score than you being offered a place from waiting list ahead of you?

Thanks in advance.

Looking at one of the stickies on the Warks threads they link to this https://apps.warwickshire.gov.uk/api/do ... CC-699-905 that shows how many places were allocated out of area and it looks like AQS had 6 places, the majority however of 144 were in area. Hopefully someone who knows your region best will come along, it may also be helpful to email the admissions person at the school but perhaps either do now before the 1 March hiatus or wait a bit for the busy period to settle and also get 2019 data.

Do also think about journey times. Some ten mile journeys are easy, some are not.

After first round of offers, effectively priority area is none existant (as in the first round they meet the first 4 or 5 criteria (sorry on y phone and doing this from memory) - as you have deduced.

At that point it is effectively score/distance order - ie strict rank order (determined by score) and distance as the tie breaker. There isn't a huge number from the waiting list in Warwickshire at all - the AQS is set after the test, and is usually around the score of the child who is at PAN, so the only wiggles are children who opt to go elsewhere. There amy be the odd child who gets in with a lower than AQS score but this is limited (if you search back in the admissions criteria they have a caveat that they only take a certain percentage of kids below AQS overall - in practice this percentage never happens as it is only ever small numbers)

If you are out of priority area, to be sure of a place yes you do have to generally score higher than those in the priority area to get a place - the people we know from Worcestershire/Banbury were all very high scorers.

As to whether it is worth moving the 1 mile - well, even if you did move, there would be no guarantee you would get a place - the scores for entry are getting higher and higher (and will continue to rise, especially if the changes to Birmingham that are proposed take place). Being in the priority area just gives you first bite at the cherry and maybe takes the pressure off slightly. More important is that you look at the alternative options in whatever area you are living in (be it in priority or out of it) as they will always have to be realistically considered. And the travel - both in terms of cost and time - absolutely no point in a child getting into a GS if they are too knackered to cope with the work or take part in the amazing extra curricular opportunities that are on offer, because they would miss the bus home. You also have tp bear in mind that the vast majority of their friends would be from the other side of Alcester - and quite a long way (by nature of the scores required, it is not unusual for AGS to be the back up for those applying to KES/Shottery, who may well be from the other side of Stratford), so weekend get togethers can be a mammoth task!

What year is your child in? Obviously alongside whatever state school options you have, there is Bromsgrove School, that you could consider.

Thanks for the prompt and helpful response.

Looks like my understanding was correct. Got a couple of years yet, just considering options early (and of course everything could have changed by them).

I work in Alcester, so travel not a problem. To be honest I hadn’t realised that the priority area was so far over here but since discovering it is, I have become aware of quite a few local kids (inside the priority area) at AGS. I get what you are saying about a lot of the other kids being from over the other side because of population density.

In terms of alternatives, the local comp seems to be a very good school (probably benefiting from the fact that Worcestershire doesn’t do grammar schools). Otherwise, think we’d be looking at Worcester private schools, never been keen on Bromsgrove school.

Anyway, thanks again for the response.

PettswoodFiona - just seen your response. Yes, I had seen that letter. I think that relates to offers on national offer day so it’s interesting to see that 6 places are offered to non priority area children scoring at AQS. Then looking at the forum there’s a lot of chat about AGS waiting list and it seems like places offered from the waiting list in the tens (around 40 places from waiting list from some of forum chat) presumably most of these to out of priority area scoring at least AQS because they would rank ahead of priority area below AQS.

I used to work in Worcestershire Schools and they are generally good or very good and it is partly to do with the none selective element so they cater for all abilities.

I am also not a fan of Bromsgrove School - from a sports point of view it is very much win at all cost...*shudder.....

Just crossed with your other comment - in practice the AQS is set very carefully - over the years I have been watching, it is clear that the very high out of priority area kids always get a place, even if that means the AQS rising slightly - this is true of all the GS. Unsurprisingly, they want the 'brightest" applicants and if that means raising the AQS to capture the out of priority high scorers, then it is not beyond the wit of man to assume that is what will happen.