Help - are we in any catchment?

Eleven Plus (11+) in Lincolnshire (Lincs)

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Mandsjh
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2014 9:21 am

Help - are we in any catchment?

Post by Mandsjh »

Hi

New to all of this.

My boy is finishing y4 and we are starting to think about options other than the local comp!

We live in Belton, north lincs. Not far from Epworth.

According to the RAC directions thing we are 16.99 miles away from Gainsborough Gramnar. Browsing on here im assuming this is too far even if he passes the tests with flying colours.

Based on our location, does he have any other options available to him other than North or South Axholme Comprehensives? We aren't in a position to pay school fees.

We are prepared to spend y5 doing what we need to get him ready for sitting tests if he stands a chance at a decent school. We won't be moving house though!

Any help, views or advice would be welcome.
kenyancowgirl
Posts: 6738
Joined: Mon Oct 21, 2013 8:59 pm

Re: Help - are we in any catchment?

Post by kenyancowgirl »

Sorry, I'm not from your area but just wanted to comment, call your local LEA and ask them the exact distance from your house to various schools. They measure practically to the mm and, as far as I know, it is always an "as the crow flies" distance from a particular point at/around the school to your house, so you may find that the official distance is different to the one quoted by the RAC (or other equally reputable motoring services company!)
Mandsjh
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2014 9:21 am

Re: Help - are we in any catchment?

Post by Mandsjh »

Many thanks for the response.

As the crow flies it is a lot closer so I will definitely investigate with the LEA!

Probably still not close enough to be high on the list though :0(
Alex
Posts: 1097
Joined: Thu Nov 02, 2006 10:10 pm
Location: Lincolnshire

Re: Help - are we in any catchment?

Post by Alex »

You are correct that you would not usually get into Gainsborough QEHS from this distance. This year you would have done - but this year has been unusual and in terms of numbers in the cohort has been a low point which starts to rise again from next year onwards. Your only other option, i think, in terms of Grammar schools in Lincolnshire would be Caistor Grammar which is about 25 miles from you. Caistor has its own tests, separate from the consortium tests, which consist of two separate Verbal Reasoning tests. Outside of its inner 6 mile radius places are allocated on score order.
Alex
Posts: 1097
Joined: Thu Nov 02, 2006 10:10 pm
Location: Lincolnshire

Re: Help - are we in any catchment?

Post by Alex »

Gainsborough QEHS - distance is driving distance from home to school as per Lincs county council. Caistor inner area is straight line distance from the head master's office! Outer area is score order so distance only comes into it in the event of a tie.
Mandsjh
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2014 9:21 am

Re: Help - are we in any catchment?

Post by Mandsjh »

Many thanks Alex.

Sounds like caistor may be a better bet.

As I said, we are happy to put the graft in to make sure he's as ready as he can be. I just don't want to put the extra burden on him (or cost if we get tutoring) if he has no chance of getting in to one of these schools regardless of how well he does.

Could be interesting getting one child to Caistor and one to Haxey!

We just feel he's capable of more. I've no doubt he could pass all his exams at C or above but with the right environment he could aim higher and achieve higher.

Sorry, it's a major bug bear of mine at the moment that the more able children are not being challenged. All children should be encouraged to reach their full potential, whatever that may be.
Angie76
Posts: 116
Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2012 12:49 pm
Location: North Lincolnshire

Re: Help - are we in any catchment?

Post by Angie76 »

Hi Mandsjh

Just to let you know Caistor could be a good option for you as there is now a bus pick up from Tesco in Scunthorpe that picks up at 7.40am! Only about 15 mins drive from yourself in the mornings and would then give you time to get back to take your other child to Haxey. Easier to manage if you have a partner at home who can help and sort the other child out. I have a child at Caistor who has just gone into year 8 and another child in year 2 who goes to school in Scunthorpe and we have got into a good morning and evening routine. The evening drop off from Caistor at Tescos is around 4.50pm.
Good luck with this journey through the 11+ and feel free to pick my brain for more info as I know how stressful it can be.

Angie76 :D
Angie76
Posts: 116
Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2012 12:49 pm
Location: North Lincolnshire

Re: Help - are we in any catchment?

Post by Angie76 »

Hello again

One more thing is the distance issue with QEHS! The measurement is done using the Map point system and is driving distance and not as the crow flys sadly but you can check your exact distance by contacting Lincolnshire County Council school admissions team. They gave me our exact distance from our home to QEHS when we were considering schools for our DS.
Hope that helps.

Angie76 :D
Mandsjh
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2014 9:21 am

Re: Help - are we in any catchment?

Post by Mandsjh »

Many thanks Angie76.

Didn't know about the tesco bus that is a bonus and would mean I could get to Haxey in time. I will look into this

Xx
LocalLincs
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2014 6:27 pm

Re: Help - are we in any catchment?

Post by LocalLincs »

You may find the following link helpful: http://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/parents/ ... 92.article" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Seems Queen Elizabeth/Lincs CC are changing the admissions policy for 2016. My child isn't due to go to secondary school until 2017, but presuming if they're having a massive overhaul they'll stick with the same policy for a few years. It won't affect my daughter much as we're local to Gainsborough, so will be classed as local/in area. You're able to comment on the policy too. I'm more worried about where she will go if she doesn't qualify.
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