Has anyone else noticed......

[scary mum]

do not have a hope of qualifying for a GS ...

Precisely! Although I do find it sad (but not surprising) that you can tell by talking to a child whether they are suitable for grammar school. Could you just have a chat with my little one and let Bucks county council know what you think? Would save a lot of time and nail chewing! Thanks

[Looking for help]

I find it even sadder that there are loads of kids there who do have the ability, but still won't get there

[Fran17]

Did anyone else experience those Mums and Dads who spoke in a very loud voice about how clever and accomplished their little DS/DDs were, as though the teachers would make a note of their names and somehow they would be given some sort of preference over and above their 11+ scores.

[scarlett]

I felt like crying during the open evenings as lots of parents seemed loud and rather full of themselves . Such a change from the little village school.Plus I was nearly knocked to the ground a few times by parents who were shrieking across the hall to people they knew.I was Billy No Mates ( but normal ).

[Fran17]

Scarlet you really made me laugh! Us Billy no mates were probably in the majority.

[um]

We were in the position this year of having ds1 showing people round his GS while ds2 was also viewing it (although not in his brother's group, of course).

dc1 said that a lot of parents asked him which tutor he went to, if he had any tips, how long did he spend each night preparing, etc etc. Not entirely fair for a 12 year old.

But most menacing was one grandfather who he says came up very close to him and said he was desperate to 'get his grandson in' and please could he have his tutor's phone number....ds1 just mumbled that 'his mum had helped him' and managed to escape, but grandad would not let him go

[menagerie]

Um,

I'm really shocked at that. Lots of parents asked him? How mad and pushy is that?

[mystery]

I don't know which area of the country you live in ScaryMum but that's a dim sequence of events with results out after CAF completion. Even Kent modernised a little a couple of years or so back and changed the date of the 11+ test so that the results are out before CAF completion. Of course there were some panics from the "how can you test children at the beginning of year 6" crowd but overall now it's just what everyone expects it's fine. It really does save wasting space for grammar schools on the CAF. The other thing that Kent had until fairly recently were non-selective schools who put into their admission policy a statement that if they were oversubscribed people who had put them first on their CAF had priority. Just how unfair was that to grammar school hopefuls who did not pass but had put a grammar first on their form? I can't see how it was allowed but it seemed to go on here for years.

So maybe you can all do something about it in your prehistoric local authority area? If Kent can change, anywhere can!!

[scary mum]

We are in Buckinghamshire, where I believe they used to apply for schools in January after the results were out. The 11plus is at the end of Sept or beginning of October (it is slightly later this year than the last couple of years when it had been slipping back into September). We get the results at the end of November. I have no idea why it takes so long, there is no head teacher appeal or anything. I think the out of county testing is in half term - something else which seems unfair to me as hints and tips about the questions MUST leak out, for example tricky vocabulary.

[Fran17]

In Essex the open days are in September and October, the forms detailing your four choices of schools in order of preference, (can't remember what they are called) have to be sent to the Council by the end of October, the children sit the 11+ in November and they get the results on 1st March which is the same day you hear from the Council which school you have been allocated. Ridiculous, stressful system.