New Admissions Code - what do make of it?

[Sally-Anne]

1.25 Tests for all forms of selection must be clear, objective, and give an accurate reflection of the child’s ability or aptitude, irrespective of gender, race, or disability. It is for the admission authority as to which test is used, providing that the test is a true test of aptitude or ability.

The old code already said "they may apply any fair and objective means of assessing ability they consider appropriate" (2.73), and the rest is implied by equal opportunity legislation.

As with so much else in both the draft Codes, a "should" has become a "must".

1.26 Admission authorities must: inform parents of the outcome of selection tests before parents make applications for other schools – while making clear that this does not equate to a guarantee of a selective place.

Put this together with

2.9 Admission authorities must not refuse to admit a child solely because ... (e) they have missed entrance tests for selective places.

and it looks like a requirement for at least two sets of tests months apart, with the attendant problems of security and consistency.

This already exists in Bucks for children moving into area, etc, after the main round of testing has taken place, and I have always believed (assumed?) that the same papers are used. The numbers taking the test late are really not so significant as to give cause for concerns about security.

[Naulakha]

Phew!

[Marylou]

Phew!

Ditto!

[zee]

1.25 Tests for all forms of selection must be clear, objective, and give an accurate reflection of the child’s ability or aptitude, irrespective of gender, race, or disability. It is for the admission authority as to which test is used, providing that the test is a true test of aptitude or ability.

How do you operate selection tests for academic ability "irrespective of... disability"? It's one thing allowing extra time for dyslexics for example, but a child with a significant learning disability is bound to do poorly on an academic test and wouldn't receive a suitable education in an academically selective school anyway. Or have I missed something?

[Loopyloulou]

deleted

[Minesatea]

For schools that admit by rank order of score (rather than a qualification system as in Bucks), knowing your score isn't terribly useful

Absolutely. In Essex we are given score and a ranking position for each school to which you have applied. As under the new scheme you won't have applied at this point they will presumably only be able to give a county wide rank which for several years will not be very helpful as there will be no old data to compare against. Since many are only interested in their local grammars knowing you are ranked eg 300 is useless as there is no way of knowing where in the county the 299 above you live and thus which grammars they may apply to. Add to this a second round of testing later on which is likely to result in your DC moving down an unknown number of places, unless DC is brilliant and is ranked in the top 100 or so the info isn't going to help us.