? date for 2008 11+ is sept?
Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators
? date for 2008 11+ is sept?
Does anyone know when the 2008 11+ will take place.
Playground gossip says it is in sept 2008 and some say thay will change the format.
Playground gossip says it is in sept 2008 and some say thay will change the format.
Bexley are meant to be changing in Sep 2008.
The proposal is for just 2 papers to be taken (VR & NVR), instead of the current four.
Results should then be made available prior to submitting the CAF form.
There was a consultation which ended in September, some of the details are still on the council's website.
The proposal is for just 2 papers to be taken (VR & NVR), instead of the current four.
Results should then be made available prior to submitting the CAF form.
There was a consultation which ended in September, some of the details are still on the council's website.
changes to Kent test
I e-mailed Kent admissions recently about any proposed changes to Kent 11+, and also about the arrangements where children who are not attending Kent state primaries or Kent linked independent schools sit all the papers (nvr, vr, maths, and writing task) all one day at a Saturday test centre.
Here is the answer, paraphrased.
KCC are writing the consultation document at the moment. They are looking at the practicalities of testing earlier, and whether this can be done if they still use the same number of tests (Bexley's consultation about testing before preference, which has just ended, proposes cutting the number of tests).
At the moment, KCC uses grammar schools for Saturday test centres where possible. It may well be the case that over time the numbers of children sitting the 11+ will increase, and test arrangements will change. KCC is currently dealing as best they can with a growing number of requests for consideration from children living outside Kent or attending schools outside Kent, in the context of a tight timetable and national legislation.
Normally, schools give a short break between the first two tests and a longer break after that, to allow for toilet and refreshment needs, but the length of the break, for example, may be affected by how many children need to be given these opportunities. Staff at all test centres do their best to make sure that children are comfortable when they sit down to complete a test.
The proportion of candidates who score well at the Saturday test centres is slightly higher than the proportion of those sitting it over two days at the Kent state primaries and linked independents. It is possible that this is because they would not enter another Local Authority's assessment process if their parents were not confident that they were very able., Anecdotally, some parents and teachers also feel that the challenge of taking the tests close together is motivating for certain types of children.
KCC is not proposing a change to how tests are spread out, because they can't see a way of doing it at present which wouldn' t create another difficulty.
Perhaps someone in your playground has seen the consultation document. I do not know who will get to see it or when. Does anyone out there know?
Here is the answer, paraphrased.
KCC are writing the consultation document at the moment. They are looking at the practicalities of testing earlier, and whether this can be done if they still use the same number of tests (Bexley's consultation about testing before preference, which has just ended, proposes cutting the number of tests).
At the moment, KCC uses grammar schools for Saturday test centres where possible. It may well be the case that over time the numbers of children sitting the 11+ will increase, and test arrangements will change. KCC is currently dealing as best they can with a growing number of requests for consideration from children living outside Kent or attending schools outside Kent, in the context of a tight timetable and national legislation.
Normally, schools give a short break between the first two tests and a longer break after that, to allow for toilet and refreshment needs, but the length of the break, for example, may be affected by how many children need to be given these opportunities. Staff at all test centres do their best to make sure that children are comfortable when they sit down to complete a test.
The proportion of candidates who score well at the Saturday test centres is slightly higher than the proportion of those sitting it over two days at the Kent state primaries and linked independents. It is possible that this is because they would not enter another Local Authority's assessment process if their parents were not confident that they were very able., Anecdotally, some parents and teachers also feel that the challenge of taking the tests close together is motivating for certain types of children.
KCC is not proposing a change to how tests are spread out, because they can't see a way of doing it at present which wouldn' t create another difficulty.
Perhaps someone in your playground has seen the consultation document. I do not know who will get to see it or when. Does anyone out there know?
It is not been confirmed yet whether the move of the 11+ to Sept 08 from Jan 09 will actually happen. I have just had a letter from the County (via the school) saying that people have expressed the opinion that they would rather know whether their child has passed or not before putting the schools of their choice down. This letter wants parents to put down their choice of having the exam in Sept or leaving it as it is for Jan. I personally think that Sept is too soon. It would only be a couple of weeks after going back from the summer holidays and it takes a while for the children to settle back into school. The extra 4 months would make a big difference to a child's ability and achievement for the 11+.
September tests
But every child will have just returned to school after the summer break, so everyone will be in the same boat. Therefore having the test in September doesn't disadvantage any individual child.
Unless some parents let their children have a well earned summer holiday; playing, swimming, catching up with friends etc. and other parents tutor their children during holiday time....
I feel this will be the split and as a parent you will have to choose one or the other. I personally feel it will be a shame that the last couple of weeks of the summer holiday could be potentially spent going over old papers.
I feel this will be the split and as a parent you will have to choose one or the other. I personally feel it will be a shame that the last couple of weeks of the summer holiday could be potentially spent going over old papers.
-
- Posts: 12821
- Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
- Location: The Seaside
I realise that every child will be in the same boat, but as has also been said, it does indeed seem a shame that children will lose some of their summer holiday getting them up to speed, by doing past papers. I don't know of any other counties/boroughs that have their results before they put in for their schools so it seems a bit odd to me that people are suggesting a change. Why should Kent be different from anyone else?