Wilsons Head's Speech re progress report levels

[Webbo]

Went to the open evening at Wilsons and the Head said that if your child is achieving good level 5s then he should have a good chance of getting in. What I'm not sure of is by when! I thought he said by the end of key stage 2 (which would be end of year 6) but have heard someone else say it was level 5 at the time of taking the exam.
Just wondering if anyone else heard this - either from Wilsons or elsewhere?
Not sure how much of an exact science this is, if it was by the end of year 6 would feel more re-assured!

[PurpleDuck]

Hi, the kids need good level 5 at the end of year 5; the same was stated at Wallington grammar during their open eveninig.

[Webbo]

Ok, thanks for that. Do you know if those gradings based on the teacher's opinion of how they're doing and/or test results?
Just wondering how accurate they are, and how consistent between schools !
(clutching at straws as we only got one 5!)

[Amber]

Goodness me - that would be a select little band of applicants then - good level 5 by the end of Year 5; given that the expected level for Year 6 is Level 4. Can this really be true?

OK, shall crawl back to Gloucestershire and give thanks that even here it's not that competitive. Poor you!

[supermum2]

I went to both schools open days. The head teachers stated that children need only be a level 5 at the END OF KEY STAGE 2. They did not say by year 5. The Wilsons head even went on to say that he knew most parents would not believe him in relation to these requirements and the fact that he felt children did not need to be tutored.

I think if your child is on track for level 5 they should be ok. Also primary schools ofent down grade by 1 or 2 sub grades to ensure that the child improves on paper for the following year. This is a cheeky way to prevent the authorities from asking questions as to why a child has not progressed at the rate expected.

[Webbo]

Thanks for that Supermum2. Our confidence got knocked by a lower than expected result in the Sutton Mock test

[huntlie]

I hate to seem negative, but getting level 5 at end of year 5 has very little to do with getting in at any of the GS! My GD was level 5 at end of year 5 in all subjects - she was in a 'top group' of eight at her school, and only three of them including her, were at that level. Nevertheless, the other 7 all made it to GS - despite three of them being only level 3 (yes, level 3) in English!

How? Why? Simple - the 11+ is not a test of intellectual ability, and it does not reflect whether or not kids can write well. It is simply a test for which they can be trained like monkeys. Evidence? The vast number of girls from GS who require support in English from Year 7 right through to GCSE.