Watford boys results

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HenryVIII
Posts: 105
Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2011 1:08 pm

Re: Watford boys results

Post by HenryVIII »

There is a sticky (triangle with an i in the middle) at the top of the Herts forum which says "admission" statistics, thread started by the forum moderator WP. ALL the info you need & MORE is there for you to peruse. Hopefully it will be useful to you (I can see you joined the forum today so Welcome) & other people unfamiliar with how SW Herts schools work.
WP
Posts: 1331
Joined: Thu Jan 03, 2008 9:26 am
Location: Watford, Herts

Re: Watford boys results

Post by WP »

John terry wrote:Is this statistical data from inside source? Or is this information readily available? It all seems black and white - and unless you work at the school how do you really know what the lowest score intake was for WBGS
Each March and September I write to each of the schools asking for these figures, and they supply them. The Freedom of Information Act gives us the right to ask for information from public bodies (like schools) unless it would take too long to collate or is exempt, e.g. to protect privacy.
John terry
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Oct 13, 2013 9:36 am

Re: Watford boys results

Post by John terry »

Thanks Henryv1111 , and yes very new to this thread - I wish I joined earlier - it seems as though a lot of people know their stuff. I was reading your earlier messages about the consortium trying to narrow the candidates that live in the catchment area only - it would certainly make life easier and also get rid of the families that are using it as purely as mock purposes.

What I have learnt from this 11plus testing, is that schools are not really looking for naturally gifted/bright children - but are only looking for children that are prepped well for this testing purposes. It is amazing that from 1 test they can determine a child is academically right for the school because their parents have worked on a particular technique to get thru the test
Mgnmum
Posts: 245
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2012 6:34 pm

Re: Watford boys results

Post by Mgnmum »

future wrote:Parmiters is our nearest school according to the Herts distance measuring tool. However DD got 238 and the lowest score has not dropped below 240 since 2007. is it worth putting it down on the CAF?
there are distance places for parmiters so depends on how far away you live as to whether you would get a distance place rather than an academic one
Cutting42
Posts: 186
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2011 10:06 pm

Re: Watford boys results

Post by Cutting42 »

John terry wrote: What I have learnt from this 11plus testing, is that schools are not really looking for naturally gifted/bright children - but are only looking for children that are prepped well for this testing purposes. It is amazing that from 1 test they can determine a child is academically right for the school because their parents have worked on a particular technique to get thru the test
I don't agree that the schools are just looking for well prepped DC. That is the result of having an entrance exam not the driving reason. The Watford partially selective schools want to have a means to determine higher achieving children and chose Maths and Verbal reasoning. The maths is regular KS2 but with the VR, state junior schools do not prep for VR and the official advice is that you do not need to prepare for it anyway.

Trouble is, most parents, especially those on here try to get a competitive edge by cramming and tutoring their DC's to pass these supposedly unprep-able tests (myself included I might add). It does means that any parents and DC's that take a back seat and just let what will be, be, invariably come unstuck compared with the highly tutored DC's.

If everyone did not tutor then all would even but unfortunately life is not like that and as soon as a few start to tutor, you end up with the majority tutoring so as not to be left behind. As others have said 230 is an excellent score but the competition for WBGS and Parmiters is such that it is unlikely to be enough. I saw you had not selected Ricky, Queens or Bushey Meads but potentially St Clement Danes also remains an option.

The very best of luck
John terry
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Oct 13, 2013 9:36 am

Re: Watford boys results

Post by John terry »

Cutting42 - I agree that everyone jumps on the bandwagon to keep up with the "Joan's" for the tutoring. But the entrance exams is merely a snapshot of how the child has preforms in a 2 hour slot. It does not reflect the child's ability throughout the year.
Cutting42
Posts: 186
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2011 10:06 pm

Re: Watford boys results

Post by Cutting42 »

John terry wrote:But the entrance exams is merely a snapshot of how the child has preforms in a 2 hour slot. It does not reflect the child's ability throughout the year.
Completely agree but I am not sure how you might do it differently. Administering the 2hr exam is a big enough job let alone trying to have a continual assessment process over 1 year at hundreds of different schools. There is not enough detail in the current KS2 level assessments to differentiate between thousands of children so a single point in time, while not ideal is the only practical option.
John terry
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Oct 13, 2013 9:36 am

Re: Watford boys results

Post by John terry »

I'm new to this thread - and maybe what I'm saying is also reflecting a percentage of other parents on how they are feeling (but maybe don't want to speak out). But when You read some of the messages on how their children have left their primary school at a grade 4b/4a and got through a school due to sibling policy is mind boggling when my dd is grade 6c/5a and he is only in his first term in year 6. Which I feel personally is a high achievement, but his down side is that he buckles under pressure when it comes to exams. Being one of the youngest children in his year does not help!
I don't think the consortium will change its arrangements but hopefully someone who works in the consortium may read this thread and the many others - and realise the whole procedure sucks. Sibling policies, people moving to the area, getting a place and then moving out!
Daogroupie
Posts: 11099
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:01 pm
Location: Herts

Re: Watford boys results

Post by Daogroupie »

The whole of secondary education is based on being able to perform well in exams. Our secondary school creates the top maths set from one end of year exam and ignores performance through the year. The selective schools want to score highly in the league tables and they can only do that if they have students who can deliver great results in Y11, 12 and 13. The Herts Consortium have chosen to use a Maths/VR exam that tests students ability to work accurately under pressure which is how the GCSE, AS and A2 exams work. They are able to test applicants from a wide variety of schools and compare their ability all doing the same exam at the same time. Many students rush through the exam with misplaced confidence and end up misreading questions and getting them wrong. It does not matter how bright you are, if you cannot go in to an exam room and deliver the goods you are of no use to the school. Sadly some students think that being top in your year group at school makes you naturally bright and very able. I call this Top Table Syndrome and I see it all the time. These students need to understand that it is purely a matter of chance that they do not have more competition in their class. The exam tests willingness to work hard and prepare, technique and ability to cope with the situation, all crucial factors in doing well at GCSE. I don't know any siblings on 4B but I know lots on Level 6. When you sit Watford you have only had a few weeks of the Year Six syllabus so you do need to complete the KS2 syllabus at home before you take the exam. In my opinion the test is a straightforward one which identifies those who follow instructions and read carefully. I don't believe in gifted and talented and natural ability. These tests are designed to reward those who prepare carefully. Some students sadly do not do well, but preparation is the best way to avoid this situation. It does not work for all but you are more likely to do well if you prepare carefully. DG
Last edited by Daogroupie on Mon Oct 14, 2013 8:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
Cutting42
Posts: 186
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2011 10:06 pm

Re: Watford boys results

Post by Cutting42 »

John terry wrote:I'm new to this thread - and maybe what I'm saying is also reflecting a percentage of other parents on how they are feeling (but maybe don't want to speak out). But when You read some of the messages on how their children have left their primary school at a grade 4b/4a and got through a school due to sibling policy is mind boggling when my dd is grade 6c/5a and he is only in his first term in year 6. Which I feel personally is a high achievement, but his down side is that he buckles under pressure when it comes to exams. Being one of the youngest children in his year does not help!
I don't think the consortium will change its arrangements but hopefully someone who works in the consortium may read this thread and the many others - and realise the whole procedure sucks. Sibling policies, people moving to the area, getting a place and then moving out!
Believe me I do sympathise, we have all been there to some extent and it is important to realise these are partially selective schools not fully selective so there is some level of compromise. A fully selective school is allowed to have no distance rules and typically will not permit a sibling policy whereas a partially selective school has to deal with distance places, siblings, academic/music entry and other local requirements.

The Watford consortium have to deal with all this with every process and decision having its critics often with valid points. My first DC was a DD who gained entry into WGGS and at that time there was no cross sibling policy with the Boys Grammar but there was sibling policy so if I had another DD then happy days, however I had a DS so tough luck! What really galled was that there used to be a cross sibling policy but it was protested by a parent with only boys who wanted to improve the chance of their kids getting into the Boy Grammar. From my perspective this was unfair but to someone else it made sense.

Now the cross sibling policy has been returned (too late to help my DS) and another group of posters on here are claiming it is unfair again. The schools want it and unless it is banned by the powers that be again then I am sure it will stay.

I would love to see some stats on how many people move in to the area and then out again after securing a place. It it is a significant problem then they should adopt the American system of kicking you out of the school if you leave the area!
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