The wait is nearly over!

Eleven Plus (11+) in Warwickshire

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JPH1
Posts: 43
Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2010 7:26 am

The wait is nearly over!

Post by JPH1 »

Hi all.
Only a few weeks to go now. It seems a long time ago now but I don't think a day has gone by where I haven't thought about - 'which school next!' 23 days to go and counting. I don't think I've ever been so anxious about a result not even when I was at University!
Preston
Posts: 65
Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2011 5:51 pm

Re: The wait is nearly over!

Post by Preston »

It is an utter scandal to make us feel this way.

The test was early Oct 2010. We are not told until March 2011.

They sit GCSEs and A Levels in June. They are informed of results in August.

Enough to make you want to nuke Shire Hall and all the "school allocation planning personnel" pen pushers.

If you barged into your Headteachers office and asked, under Freedom of Information legislation, that they tell you whether or not your child has passed the 11+ then they have to tell you. If they refuse, and you yourself refuse to budge from their desk, then if they call the police there will only be one winner...

They have known the results since Mid November for everyone in their school who sat the test.....

(Ooops, was I meant to release that cat from the bag?)
DenDe
Posts: 390
Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2010 1:45 pm

Re: The wait is nearly over!

Post by DenDe »

I absolutely agree. I hate the fact that the head of my children's school knows their fate but we, as parents, are not allowed into the secret. If we had been given the results at the same time as the school we would have had much longer to come up with alternative plans if the results were not what we hoped. I'm tempted to try the chain myself to the head's desk approach but as a governor it might not go down too well :lol:

And yes, I too have not had a day's respite from 11+ thoughts. I have become, rather worryingly, an addict of this forum in the feeble hope that I might somehow get the results by osmosis :oops:
magwich2
Posts: 866
Joined: Fri Sep 05, 2008 5:33 pm

Re: The wait is nearly over!

Post by magwich2 »

Sorry - I already tried the freedom of info approach but there is an exemption in the act for this kind of exam result!!
The LA do,however, have to publish their admission arrangements for next year at easter time and there is then a consultation period. The LA already know that they are in breach of the School Admissions Code in that they do not give 11+ results out before parents fill in the preference form. There is a very specific clause about this but it only states "should" not "must". The LA know that they are in the wrong and may do something about it this time round.
If they do not then a complaint may be made to the Schools Adjudicator who can compel the LA to comply with the code.
The LA have 2 objections to doing what they ought to do (neither of which hold much water!)
1- The time scale . Plenty of other authorities manage though and presumably whoever drafted the Schools Admission Code was well aware of the timetable.
2- not everyone would be certain of the outcome if they only had the 11+ scores. Better that 90%+ of parents are happy than none at all! Again, virtually every other LA has the same problems.
Only one way to get the situation improved and that is to put pressure on the LA
JPH1
Posts: 43
Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2010 7:26 am

Re: The wait is nearly over!

Post by JPH1 »

With the schools knowing in November do you think that they are consulted in any way as a child’s suitability for GS knowing their current school work and what they are capable of? I would imagine that this would apply to boarder line cases where the child did well in the test and school work is good but probably not GS level, if you see what I mean?
Preston
Posts: 65
Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2011 5:51 pm

Re: The wait is nearly over!

Post by Preston »

What would happen to the brave Headteacher who, with the 11+ results from their school in front of them said to themselves, late November; "This is just ridiculous and unfair, I'm going to tell my parents now."?

mmmm. :idea:

Assuming they were at a VA school, and therefore directly employed by the Governors, not the LEA.
mitasol
Posts: 2756
Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:59 am

Re: The wait is nearly over!

Post by mitasol »

With the schools knowing in November do you think that they are consulted in any way as a child’s suitability for GS knowing their current school work
Have a look at this from June 2010 regarding a ranking/review process. http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... ew#p188350" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I don't think that it involves teachers speaking to parents. I've only had a quick look at one of the GS admission policies (AGS Consultation docs 2012) which states
Ranking of Children:
2.12 Once papers are marked, students are listed in standardised score order and the appropriate WCC CYPF Committee of Reference will set the automatic standard for entry. It will also list which children should be given “further consideration’; usually those scoring immediately below the automatic standard and children referred for exceptional reasons.
2.13 For the further consideration cases additional information is sought from the primary school Headteacher. This includes a questionnaire asking for the child’s ranking order amongst the peer group, reading age and scores of other standardised tests. It is on the basis of this report and test scores that candidates are ranked.
2.14 Priority within each group will be given to children hi the care of, or provided with, accommodation by a local authority (scoring the automatic standard set by the Committee if Reference). No other criteria, e.g. gender, sibling connections, proximity to school, desire for a single sex or mixed school, etc, will be taken into account.


It was a quick copy and paste, so excuse any errors. :)

Check your current school admissions policy to see if it applies.
gettingnervous
Posts: 70
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2011 7:12 pm

Re: The wait is nearly over!

Post by gettingnervous »

DenDe, I know the feeling I am also getting obsessed, I've contemplated many different ways of trying to get something out of Warwickshire admissions :lol: Does anybody know if an application was made online, when we would receive the allocation email (I live in Solihull so it was made through Solihull LEA).
Rugbymum
Posts: 349
Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 12:05 pm

Re: The wait is nearly over!

Post by Rugbymum »

For those who submitted their preferences online to Warwickshire LEA, we get sent an email at 1700 on 1st March. Not sure about Solihull LEA though.
DenDe
Posts: 390
Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2010 1:45 pm

Re: The wait is nearly over!

Post by DenDe »

Hi gettingnervous,

I'm also Solihull and from the correspondence I have had with the LEA it would appear that the e mail may arrive after the letter :o So it looks as though we will have to wait until March 2nd. If anyone knows any different I would love to know because the thought of B'ham knowing results and not us is agony. :(
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