can you gauge when a pass will result in a place

[onamatappear]

Hi All,
My DS is busy in his own way preparing for round 2 of the Sutton test, having mixed results missing out at Wallington and passing wilson's.
Feedback has been filtering through to me and I was curious if any of it was true.
Firstly, do Sutton inform the parents if their DS has excelled in the test and finished high in the rankings. Initially i did'nt think so but then wondered if the school would be keen to attract the best performers so the school is put down as first choice.
Secondly I have heard that Wilsons have informed some boys who have passed of their scores, perhaps because of the same as described above.

If this is the case, not having this info would suggest your DS has not excelled and consequently less likely to be offered a place.

Can anyone help
Thanks in advance

[London_Mum]

Without saying that it could never happen, I think the stronger possibility is that a lot of children are just boasting or exaggerating. Either that or a lot of parents are trying to reassure nervous children who still have one test left to go that they've done brilliantly so far and this is getting fed back to the playground as a bit of a different message.

In past years when the scores were secret, they did seem to stay secret. Certainly I know people who’ve been offered places at all of the schools mentioned none of whom have been tipped off in advance!

As for probability – the received wisdom a few years ago was passing 3 exams = a good chance of 1 place whereas passing only 1 or 2 exams = assume it must be a borderline result and therefore less chance of a place.
That doesn’t always play out – boys pass all three tests and get no grammar school offers every year and boys pass only 1 test, fail 2 yet get an offer (at the one they passed of course).

I think I posted on a different thread about knowing people in this situation who ended up with each other’s first choice (eg boy wanted Wallington but failed test. Passed Wilsons and got offer. Meanwhile his friend wanted Wilsons but failed test. Passed Wallington and got a place..... and no they weren’t allowed to swap!)

[mommyg]

Some boys told DS they passed the Tiffins exams - how come? Does Tiffin let the high scorers know that they have passed? Or are they guessing based on their marks?

[London_Mum]

They are guessing based on their marks.

Nobody knows what the cut-off will be yet. In theory there could be 200 late entries this year who all get exceptionally high grades (very unlikely but still a possibility). Even if there are no late entries, nobody knows for certain what the required score will be less still that they have reached it (except possibly the children who know they have scored nearly full marks. I doubt there are too many of those though either).

One of the Year 6 mums at our school has told everyone that her daughter has a place at Nonsuch. A bit of anxious questioning from other mums revealed that her daughter had exceeded last year's required score by 10 marks. This probably does mean that she will get an offer but it isn't a certainty in the way the mum seems to think.

[onamatappear]

OK, just to clarify Tiffins and NonSuch inform children of their scores which in turn gives them an idea of their chances of being offered a place.
In the case of Wilson's and Sutton they categorically do not?

[London_Mum]

Wilsons do give out scores but only to those who have failed the test. Boys who have passed Wilson's test do not get told their score at any stage.

Sutton do not give out scores and go one further in explaining why:

Boys who pass the eligibility test, and who choose to take the second stage test will not be given any further information until after National Offer Day (1st March). The reason for this is that knowledge of rankings or scores could allow parents to work out the school offer they will receive, so could be interpreted as an offer of a school place. Schools are not permitted to release any information which could be interpreted in this way.

....which begs the question about where that leaves Tiffins and Nonsuch (not to mention countless grammars around the country that give out scores plus a traffic light system to show how likely a place is!).
The upshot however is as you say: Tiffins and Nonsuch give out scores that can lead to guesswork. Wilsons and SGS do not give scores to boys who pass their tests. Nobody who has passed the SGS or Wilsons test knows whether they are likely to be offered a place.