Warks exam 2012

[um]

Warwickshire admissions have confirmed that their exam this year will be 'at the beginning of September'.

The deadline for applications to sit the 11 plus will be mid-June.

Further info and exact dates will be on their website from mid-February.

[Bad Dad]

Many thanks for confirming this, um! I expect this also means scores will be made available much earlier than in previous years, although places will not be confirmed until March. Given the increase in Grammar School places, it seems reasonable to expect the standard for entry to fall slightly but would be difficult to predict by how much. If your child gets a high score you will be a lot better off under this system, but I guess some parents will still face a long anxious wait until March (and maybe even beyond into the waiting list period) before they can know the final outcome.

Given we have heard that the Birmingham test has also been moved to the beginning of September and is also CEM, it does seem possible the Warks and Birmingham tests might be combined. I don't see how they could operate separate tests and run them on the same Saturday. There must be many families who live between the two areas and would want to include schools from both Warks and Birmingham on their CAF. It would be good to know this asap as there are some differences with the Birmingham test. e.g. last year in Birmingham the VR section counted for one half rather than one third of the marks.

[um]

I understand that there are extra places available in South Warks, but that the Stratford and Alcester Grammars have no additional places?

I am also wondering if the earlier exam will have any impact on the scores that children are achieving. This is more pertinent in Birmingham, where the exam is more than two months earlier that it was historically been. As children will hardly have even started Year 6, can we expect their results in the 11 plus to decrease relative to the past 2 years?

[Bad Dad]

...Stratford and Alcester Grammars have no additional places?

Alcester will have 30 additional places in 2013 and Stratford girls about the same number. Apparently KES are waiting until 2014 to increase their intake (not sure how that sits with equal opportunities as if that is the case in 2013 there will be more a lot more grammar places for girls than boys). In the East, Ashlawn have additional places, and it wouldn't surprise me if an announcement was forthcoming from LS and RHS, but I am not sure whether they have gone down the Academy route, which seems to be the catalyst for this.

[Bad Dad]

I am also wondering if the earlier exam will have any impact on the scores that children are achieving.

As far as I know, the published scores are standardised relative to ages so should not be impacted by the fact that the children are a bit younger, but standardisation is a black art that I don't pretend to understand!

[um]

Thanks for confirming the increases in PAN!

Don't suppose they'll increase the priority circle, as we're about 100metres out

[Warks mum]

I've posted a link to Stratford Grammar's consultation document about the September 2013 changes on another thread. It gives the dates for the exams as follows:

2.3.4. The CEM Centre tests will be set in a morning session in test centres on Saturday 8th
September 2012. Supplementary tests will be held on Saturday 15th September and
Tuesday 18th September 2012.

It also says parents will be told of the results before submitting their school choices:

Under the new draft School Admissions Code (subject to final approval) there is a
requirement for Admissions Authorities to 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 grammar school place.

There's other information in the document that might be of interest to parents applying for September 2013, but I can't see anything about priority circle changes I'm afraid um.

[koala]

8th September is the same Saturday as the KE Foundation exams in Birmingham. This will prevent those in Birmingham using Warwickshire as a 'trial run' but more importantly will reduce the options for families like us who genuinely are considering either a South Warks school or a Birmingham KE school. Can't see KE Foundation working together with Warks Education and when my DC took both exams in 2010, the exams were different even though from the same exam board. Has anyone any thoughts or insight.

[mike1880]

I can't see anything about priority circle changes I'm afraid um.

The priority circle is described in the document, it remains unchanged.

I assume anyone wanting to take both Warks and Bham will have to ask to take the late exam from one or other. It would probably be best to start that conversation sooner rather than later!

Mike

[poiuyt]

unless there is something sinister to this 'coincidence'...winghing warks parents petitioning their local LEA about us brummies who 'used' their exam as a taster possibly? or am i completely off the mark as usual.