CSSE Guidance sheet - misleading?

Eleven Plus (11+) in Essex

Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators

11 Plus Platform - Online Practice Makes Perfect - Try Now
CardyMow
Posts: 194
Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2012 11:53 pm

CSSE Guidance sheet - misleading?

Post by CardyMow »

At the CRGS open day, Mr Jenkinson pointed out a very pertinent point to those who feel that their DC's may be 'borderline' for ANY of the CSSE schools.

The 'lowest score admitted' figure is NOT the lowest mark that started Y7. If you read the heading, it states that that is the 'lowest mark admitted ON MARCH 1ST' in the last 4 years.

Not just semantics - the CSSE schools, as all Essex schools, hold a waiting list until the end of the Autumn term of Y7.

I was told that CRGS had some pupils start AFTER the start of the Autumn Term.

So what that orange column tells us is purely the lowest mark that got admitted on March 1st in the last 4 years.

What it DOESN'T tell us is what the lowest mark admitted from the waiting list by 1st September in the last 4 years was, or what the lowest mark admitted from the waiting list by the end of the Autumn term in the last 4 years was.

This could mean a mark that is somewhat lower, depending on waiting list movement for the school you are hoping for is like, was admitted at some point between 1st March and the end of the Autumn term in the last 4 years.

Mr Jenkinson himself said that they had a boy in the last 4 years get a place IN the Autumn term, from the waiting list, with a score of 330. Which is a full 3 marks lower than the 'lowest score admitted' that is shown on the CSSE form.

I am hoping that this information might be helpful for others who feel that their child's mark is 'borderline' for the CSSE school of choice.

At some point next week, I intend to contact CRGS and ask what the lowest mark admitted from the waiting list between 1st March and 1st September was in each of the last 4 years, and the lowest mark admitted from the waiting list between 1st September and the end of the Autumn Term in the last 4 years was.

I wonder if other people would think about asking the other CSSE schools for the same information. It may prove useful for others with concerns about 'borderline scores'.
toolate
Posts: 194
Joined: Sat Jan 28, 2012 3:29 pm

Re: CSSE Guidance sheet - misleading?

Post by toolate »

Hi Cardymow, I think your point is well made. I have personally struggled to see how the yellow and orange columns differ, except to tell you that one year the lowest mark (on March 1st) was 333 and another year the lowest mark was 343 (on any date ie presumably til Dec). I presume that the 343 number means that, that year, the March 1st mark was more like 345/347+. I would be really grateful, when you are asking CRGS about the low end, if you could also ask the question: What was the cutoff mark on March 1st for the year that "343" was the lowest entry point. Then we will know that the actual range is: ie. probably more like 330-345 - which given there are about 6 boys for every grade point, suggests to us that there are about 90 boys who might reasonably class themselves as borderline.

Of-course the most meaningful question is really "does this year, broadly speaking, look like previous years" as four years is a really short data period. I wonder why they chose it.

Do you think this year there will be less movement on the waiting lists? I wonder if this upfront transparency means there will be fewer speculative applications...anyone have any thoughts on this?
Blitz
Posts: 874
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 3:58 pm

Re: CSSE Guidance sheet - misleading?

Post by Blitz »

At kegs we were told that the lowest mark admitted figure of 337 had not actually been admitted to the school in the last four years, but kegs had applied the catchment criteria retrospectively and this is the mark that would have gained a place in one or more of the last four years.
laluna
Posts: 51
Joined: Wed Jan 12, 2011 7:50 pm

Re: CSSE Guidance sheet - misleading?

Post by laluna »

Very useful thread. Thanks for giving optimism for those of us with DCs in the yellow!

"Of-course the most meaningful question is really "does this year, broadly speaking, look like previous years" as four years is a really short data period. I wonder why they chose it."

Sorry cant quote but this is a very pertinent point by Toolate; to whom should this be addressed, the school or csse?
CardyMow
Posts: 194
Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2012 11:53 pm

Re: CSSE Guidance sheet - misleading?

Post by CardyMow »

I think KEGS scores, given what Blitz has been told, may be more accurate for the CSSE table, though it is still the figure that WOULD have been admitted on 1ST MARCH in the last 4 years. KEGS may not have the data of the lowest mark that would have been admitted from the waiting list by 1st September or the end of the Autumn term, due to the Catchment. I would assume the same for CCHS.

However, I would assume the other CSSE schools would have this information, and I think these questions should be directed the the various other CSSE schools.

The point made by TooLate, however, of 'Does this year, broadly speaking, look like previous years, as four years is a relatively short data period', would be better addresses to the CSSE, rather than individual schools.
toolate
Posts: 194
Joined: Sat Jan 28, 2012 3:29 pm

Re: CSSE Guidance sheet - misleading?

Post by toolate »

Just to clarify on the question of whether this year looks broadly like other years....due to standardisation this is really only a question for each individual school, based on either the applicants from the CAF forms, or more roughly, based on those who sat the test at their school. The point is really whether a school like CRGS is getting higher scoring applicants and thus the average score is going up (and taking with it the minimum passmark).

If they are reluctant to answer the direct question of whether this years applicants are broadly similar in scores with previous years (and the guidance given), one might ask "has the average score of the CRGS successful applicants gone up or down this year?" - if they would disclose this - or even better, the actual average, then we would have something meaningful to work with.

Of-course, since the CAF deadline just closed and since the CSSE has been on holiday - they probably haven't actually assigned places yet. Wonder when this happens?

Don't you just love the fact that this has four more months to run and CRGS alone probably has 100 families stressing out on the borderline.
laluna
Posts: 51
Joined: Wed Jan 12, 2011 7:50 pm

Re: CSSE Guidance sheet - misleading?

Post by laluna »

Do you really think the schools will have this information?
toolate
Posts: 194
Joined: Sat Jan 28, 2012 3:29 pm

Re: CSSE Guidance sheet - misleading?

Post by toolate »

Good question. I don't think the schools do necessarily.

Once 2013 allocations have been sorted out - then I think they will have lots of data as they will have the scores for each child on their list. My concern is that policy, be it schools or CSSE or government, will prevent us being told anything more granular until offer day. Personally I feel as though there is a moral obligation to advise parents if their guidance turned out to be erroneous. However, I know that is just emotions talking, as they did a good job with that colour chart - which guarantees nobody anything, but basically implies that only those above 353 can relax.

I know the CSSE are helpful when they can be, so I am just trying to think of the right questions that we can ask, which they may be allowed to answer. Hence considering general requests such as whether the mean successful score went up or down. Obviously none of these are worth asking until the places have been sorted.

I do think cardymows questions about the bottom scores might get answered, and I hope they will also give the March 1st score for the year that 343 was the bottom offer. The wider that range is - the more we see that each year is different. If the March 1st numbers were 333 one year and 348 another, then we see how volatile the numbers actually are.
tabasco
Posts: 473
Joined: Fri Oct 19, 2012 11:21 am

Re: CSSE Guidance sheet - misleading?

Post by tabasco »

Between 05/11/2012 till Christmas LEA will be contacting Schools for applicant's details (ie. whether a particular DC has scored high enough to get into a particular school. For Schools in Essex LEA probably only need to contact CSSE to obtain the order of merit ranking list. The matching process will not taking place at least after the New Year. The Schools will not know how they have ranked by a particular applicant. They only information the school will get is that a particular applicant has applied for that school. With a genuine reason (ie. relocation due change of job) the preference on the CAF could still be altered if DC's score is high enough, he or she could still get in via waiting list.
Minesatea
Posts: 1234
Joined: Sat Oct 31, 2009 12:08 am

Re: CSSE Guidance sheet - misleading?

Post by Minesatea »

Of-course, since the CAF deadline just closed and since the CSSE has been on holiday - they probably haven't actually assigned places yet. Wonder when this happens?
Not for ages yet - the final list is not sorted until mid feb.
31 October 2012 Statutory national closing date for all applications, including online. Online application system will be closed after this date.
w/c 5 November 2012 onwards LA to consider all applications received after the closing date. Schools notified.
November 2012 LA send/receive files to/from co-ordinating LAs.
19-23 November 2012 LA sends lists to all secondary schools detailing applications received with the expectation they will rank every application.
November/December 2012 1. Admission authorities will apply their own admission criteria and rank the preferences received.

10 December 2012 LA to receive lists of applications ranked in accordance with admissions criteria from admissions authorities within Essex and the Order of Merit Lists from the CSSE
January 2013 LA to process applications with reference to allocation lists and parental preference and establish an initial ‘best fit’ of offers.
February 2013 Essex LA will exchange offer data with other LAs and refine ‘best fit’.
w/c 18 February 2013 LA to send final allocation lists to all secondary schools in Essex, the CSSE and Other LAs.
Post Reply