Re. It's all over .... until 1 March!

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trembling in torbay
Posts: 15
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2009 4:53 pm
Location: Torquay

Re. It's all over .... until 1 March!

Post by trembling in torbay »

Thank god! All the worry and hard work is over ... for now! So relieved both of the test mornings are done now for Torquay Boys Grammar School. We have all just come back from a celebratory Pub Lunch with some little suprise pressies for DS.

A nice quiet afternoon play for DS to play with his new lego and then SCD and X Factor. We will have our weekends back again now and won't have to worry about DS doing homework before we can go out for the day.

I am sure all the hard work over the past year will be worth - I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Anyone else out there with DS or DD doing 11+ for Torquay Boys, Girls or Churston GS?[/img]
Tracyhf1
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Aug 03, 2009 4:16 pm
Location: Midlands

Post by Tracyhf1 »

Me... and today has not been a good day.

She came out last week... (cgs) buzzing, saying she enjoyed the vr and the English test. She was really looking forward to going today, but when I went to pick her up she came out and burst into tears!!
She said that she found the maths really hard, way more difficult than what she had been doing with me and at school. She was so upset, proper distraught. I can't believe I have put her through it to be honest, I feel like a terrible mother. We didn't put pressure on her to pass, but I know how sensitive she is, and she puts pressure to achieve on herself. She is estimated to get a level 5 in sats in all areas, she has been getting really good marks on practice SATS papers, and decent marks on Bond 11+ stuff, so I don't know what happened today...
Either it was just a hard paper, she lost the plot, she is over thinking her performance, or the notion that "what they do at school covers it" is not true for our area, and unless she had a private tutor 1 to 1 for a year she didn't stand a chance. No idea, shame because it seems a lovely school, but I think it is safe to assume she hasn't passed the Maths element. :( I guess we will have to wait and see how she did in the other parts, and then if she is in the borderzone, what happens then.
If I was a betting person though, I wouldn't put any money on her getting a place.
trembling in torbay
Posts: 15
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2009 4:53 pm
Location: Torquay

Post by trembling in torbay »

Dear Tracy

Sorry to hear about DD.

All I would say is she only needs 50% in the maths paper so hopefully she may be OK. I think some children are hard on themselves and think they have done worse than they have and others come out feeling everything is fine when perhaps they gave some stupid wrong answers under the pressure of things.

If she is in the borderzone (passed 2 out of the 3) then it depends on her Head Teacher's supporting notes and her CATS and SATS for last yr and predicted SATS this year.

We put CGS down as DS's second choice - I thought it was a lovely school but as we live in Torquay it would mean an hour journey there and back every day so TBGS was put down as 1st choice. Both my SS's when to TBGS - they are 23 and 21 now!

I have 2 friend's who's DS's took the 11+ at Churston but yet to hear what they thought of the maths paper as yet - I know one of them finds maths harder so it will be interesting to see what he thought of it.

I am keeping my fingers crossed for her (what was your 2nd and 3rd choices??)
Tracyhf1
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Aug 03, 2009 4:16 pm
Location: Midlands

Post by Tracyhf1 »

Because we are moving to the area during the year I have no chance of getting the 2nd or 3rd choice because we are still out of the area at the time of the application process. I put Brixham and Paignton college respectively. To be honest I feel absolutely drained by the whole process.
For 2 weekends we have driven miles and stayed in a caravan for her to do these tests and to see her come out so upset was just too much for me to bear.
I don't think she was over estimating her level of mess up - she told me she didn't get time to finish, and that there were about 8 questions that she didn't do. She said of the ones she did do she was struggling with some of them, she said it was much harder than anything I had done with her. Yet she is estimated to get a level 5 in all areas next year.
I don't know what to do now, because were were looking to live around the Broadsands, White rock, Galmton and Brixham way. But I know that Brixham Community is oversubscribed too, and the last thing I want to do is buy a property over St Mary's way for example, THEN be told there is only room at Paignton. What a journey that would be every day!
If only she had come out and said "well it was a bit harder, but not too bad, I think I have done ok" I would have been hopeful and happy. Now I just feel like I have put her through this for nothing! I should have either not bothered, or had her a private tutor for a year, but then I think if she needs that she would struggle there once she had got in. Oh I don't know, totally fed up...
Tracyhf1
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Aug 03, 2009 4:16 pm
Location: Midlands

Post by Tracyhf1 »

Hmmmmm!!!
I managed to have a little chat to her tonight and trying to skirt around the issue and make light of it I said
"so... the paper was an hour long wasn't it...? At which point did you think "crikey this is too hard!" was it straight away, or after 10 min or about half way through?"
She pondered for a moment and then said "probably about three quarters of the way through!" I swear to GOD!! Now either her fractions have gone to pot, or it appears the "whole paper being too hard" was a bit of a hasty judgement based on the latter questions!
So now from thinking "ok better start looking into other options" to now thinking there may be the slightest glimmer of hope again!
Roll on March, I can't take it anymore!
trembling in torbay
Posts: 15
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2009 4:53 pm
Location: Torquay

Post by trembling in torbay »

Hi

Glad you have had a chat with DD - so perhaps it might not have been that bad after all. I haven't had a chance to speak with my friend to see how her son got on at Churston on Sat - might help you judge your DD's comments on hearing from others.

You must have gone through it - having to travel for both weekends - and in this horrible weather in a caravan - you poor things!

The last few weeks I have felt terrible - fretting about it all - DS has had a tutor for the last 12 months as we had been advised from school to do this especially for Torquay Boys. My 2 step sons went so we felt that it was only far when DS was given the chance too. But with having say 6 pieces of homework per wk from tutor, it has been quite a struggle.

Just going to enjoy the next few weeks before Christmas having the time after school/work and weekends to do nice things with DS - swimming, cooking for School Christmas Fair etc. This will be the last year of getting involved with the Christmas Fair and want to make the most of all those nice things that come with Christmas!

Time goes by so quickly - can't beleive he will be at secondary school next year - and a big boy!

Take care of yourself and try not to think about it all too much.
Tracyhf1
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Aug 03, 2009 4:16 pm
Location: Midlands

Post by Tracyhf1 »

Thank you, nice to know we are in the same position. lol. At least your son's school advise you and are interested in the process. We don't currently live close to any Grammar schools, so nobody from her school will be applying. They wouldn't have a clue. I have probably messed up her chances by not having a tutor, but she did start a sunday "extra class" thing in Sept. So she has had one lesson per week extra, not much I know, but a small group of 8 doing extra work once a week is better than nothing I guess.
It was reasonable too, I bet tutors are very expensive - hubby would faint. haha
Tracyhf1
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Aug 03, 2009 4:16 pm
Location: Midlands

Post by Tracyhf1 »

Bit of an update to say that Churston didn't contact her school for information. I am REALLY glad, because this either means
1. she has passed all 3 elements, in which case she has passed well, without being in the border zone (and thus giving me a year of stress thinking if she got in, it was because she scraped in and therefore wouldn't cope).
2. Or I guess the more likely option (given her post maths tears) is that she didn't get the required mark in two of the tests, which means that it wasn't just THAT maths paper that ruined her chances, and that it really isn't the best school for her academic needs.
Either way the decision is more clear cut, less fuzzy and I am happy ... well happier. :D

If she gets in now then she got in with room to spare so to speak, if she hasn't then I know she didn't "just miss out" she would have struggled anyway.

Can't believe how soon we will find out though, and I will be coming here in about 6 weeks to start on the pre results build up. She has already said that she thinks she won't get in, so I know if she does it will be a huge surprise. We are also playing it down, better that than build her hopes up that she has a really good chance.
Tracyhf1
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Aug 03, 2009 4:16 pm
Location: Midlands

Post by Tracyhf1 »

... and now i am thinking "what if they DID contact her school for information, but they were told not to say anything to parents?" LOL, I am going crazy I tell you.
I mean I asked her Head just before xmas if he had heard anything from the school, and he said no - but what if he is told to say no?
Would they actually contact the school if she HAD passed all 3 elements and got in? Or do they do that into the summer term if they want stuff sending on?
Less than 5 weeks to go, I guess I should be patient really, but not living in the catchment area for the other schools, means I have a lot of ground to cover once I do find out one way or the other. *sigh*
mitasol
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Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:59 am

Post by mitasol »

I'm sure in that situation the head would have said he was not allowed to divulge the information as opposed to saying no.
Good Luck.
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