Email from heads of Sutton and Wilson's schools
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Email from heads of Sutton and Wilson's schools
Dear Mr ****
Your son took the Selective Eligibility Test (SET) run jointly by the six schools in Sutton which have selective places. The result is used in two different ways for boys. At Greenshaw High School and Wallington County Grammar School the SET result alone determines whether your son is deemed of selective ability by that school. At Sutton Grammar School and Wilson’s School, it is used as a filter test so that a second set of papers is taken only by those with a realistic chance of securing the selective standard. The decision on the final passmark is down to each school’s Governing Body.
We appreciate the high quality of all the selective schools in Sutton and you have the opportunity to select the schools that most suit your son. All are excellent but there are small differences of curriculum, support systems, ethos and journey times (for example) that should allow you to rank us in order on the CAF form.
As headteachers of Sutton Grammar School and Wilson’s School we are sending this letter to the 781 recipients of an emailed letter from Mr Wilden at Wallington County Grammar School as we wish to ensure you, as parents, have a complete picture before you submit your CAF form.
As Wallington County Grammar School is using the SET alone to determine eligibility they have set a pass mark for the SET test that is higher than for our schools. This does not mean that Wallington County Grammar School has a higher standard for entry. At our schools the SET is used as a broad filter to select those for a different type of test (using open questions not just multiple choice) and the evidence of both tests will determine the final pass mark at our schools.
We believe that two stage testing allows every boy to demonstrate the best of his abilities. Going back a few years every selective school had its own tests and many weaker boys took multiple tests in which they scored low marks. One purpose of the SET was to have a single filter test so that weaker students were let down gently and only took one test in total. Brighter boys (and girls) do have to return for more tests that cover a broader spectrum of skills than can be assessed with multiple choice items only. The atmosphere at the second stage tests in the past has been very positive with many boys enjoying the challenges set.
Most importantly, the schools do not know the order of preference that you put on the CAF form. If your first choice school is Wallington County Grammar School please place it first, but please be clear about the way the co-ordinated admissions process works. If your son scores highly in our tests he could be ranked in the lists of several selective schools. The local authority will try to place him in his first preference school, but if that school is unable to offer him a place it will try to place him in his second preference school. If that school is not able to offer him a place it will look at the third preference school. This process is repeated until every boy has a place at the highest preference of school that is able to make him an offer. It is completely fair and parents should name the schools in THEIR GENUINE CHOICE ORDER. You will have received an invitation from both our schools to second stage testing and we strongly encourage you to attend so that you have a full picture of which schools your son is eligible for and then you can make selections on your CAF form based on your true preference order.
Yours sincerely
G D Ironside and N J Cole
Heads
Sutton Grammar School and Wilson's School
Your son took the Selective Eligibility Test (SET) run jointly by the six schools in Sutton which have selective places. The result is used in two different ways for boys. At Greenshaw High School and Wallington County Grammar School the SET result alone determines whether your son is deemed of selective ability by that school. At Sutton Grammar School and Wilson’s School, it is used as a filter test so that a second set of papers is taken only by those with a realistic chance of securing the selective standard. The decision on the final passmark is down to each school’s Governing Body.
We appreciate the high quality of all the selective schools in Sutton and you have the opportunity to select the schools that most suit your son. All are excellent but there are small differences of curriculum, support systems, ethos and journey times (for example) that should allow you to rank us in order on the CAF form.
As headteachers of Sutton Grammar School and Wilson’s School we are sending this letter to the 781 recipients of an emailed letter from Mr Wilden at Wallington County Grammar School as we wish to ensure you, as parents, have a complete picture before you submit your CAF form.
As Wallington County Grammar School is using the SET alone to determine eligibility they have set a pass mark for the SET test that is higher than for our schools. This does not mean that Wallington County Grammar School has a higher standard for entry. At our schools the SET is used as a broad filter to select those for a different type of test (using open questions not just multiple choice) and the evidence of both tests will determine the final pass mark at our schools.
We believe that two stage testing allows every boy to demonstrate the best of his abilities. Going back a few years every selective school had its own tests and many weaker boys took multiple tests in which they scored low marks. One purpose of the SET was to have a single filter test so that weaker students were let down gently and only took one test in total. Brighter boys (and girls) do have to return for more tests that cover a broader spectrum of skills than can be assessed with multiple choice items only. The atmosphere at the second stage tests in the past has been very positive with many boys enjoying the challenges set.
Most importantly, the schools do not know the order of preference that you put on the CAF form. If your first choice school is Wallington County Grammar School please place it first, but please be clear about the way the co-ordinated admissions process works. If your son scores highly in our tests he could be ranked in the lists of several selective schools. The local authority will try to place him in his first preference school, but if that school is unable to offer him a place it will try to place him in his second preference school. If that school is not able to offer him a place it will look at the third preference school. This process is repeated until every boy has a place at the highest preference of school that is able to make him an offer. It is completely fair and parents should name the schools in THEIR GENUINE CHOICE ORDER. You will have received an invitation from both our schools to second stage testing and we strongly encourage you to attend so that you have a full picture of which schools your son is eligible for and then you can make selections on your CAF form based on your true preference order.
Yours sincerely
G D Ironside and N J Cole
Heads
Sutton Grammar School and Wilson's School
Re: Email from heads of Sutton and Wilson's schools
How interesting....does anyone have the email from WCGS to share?
Re: Email from heads of Sutton and Wilson's schools
WALLINGTON COUNTY GRAMMAR SCHOOL
25th September 2015
Dear Parent/Carer,
I would like to personally congratulate your son on the considerable achievement of reaching the pass mark required for admission into Wallington County Grammar School.
Following our decision to reduce the testing process for young people wishing to access the selective system, we do not expect you to enter your son for a second test to gain a place at our school. Our pass mark for this test is considerably higher than that of other selective entrance schools and so you should feel very proud of your son’s achievement.
Wallington has recently achieved some of its best ever public examination results at both GCSE and at A Level and is enjoying a period of stability as it looks to cement itself as one of the leading schools in the country.
Having passed the Selective Eligibility Test (SET) and reached the expectations of the Governing Body this means that you can now list Wallington County Grammar School as a preference on the Common Application Form (CAF) by the deadline of 31st October 2015. We strongly advise you to list the School as a high preference on your CAF to stand a better chance of gaining entry for September 2016. The number of parents listing the school as their first preference has dramatically increased in recent years and so we would urge you to bear this in mind should you wish to secure a place here.
Wallington County Grammar School have decided not to hold a second stage test as we feel, and have felt for the vast majority of our 88 year history, that one test is more than enough to give an accurate indication of whether a child may be suitable for selective education. Also, by reducing the testing process, we believe we are removing some of the unnecessary demands placed upon your son by a second stage test, reflecting the outstanding pastoral care that we at Wallington County Grammar School pride ourselves on.
You may wish to read more about the School, why we have reduced the testing process or about the Admissions Criteria for Wallington. If so, please visit our website at http://www.wcgs.org.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
Thank you for considering Wallington County Grammar School and rest assured that it is the perfect place for your son to mature and develop as he strives to reach his personal best and become a leader of tomorrow.
Your commitment to your son's future is the reason he will succeed and we look forward to working with your family through the next exciting stage of his life.
Regards
Mr J J Wilden
Headmaster
Wallington County Grammar School
25th September 2015
Dear Parent/Carer,
I would like to personally congratulate your son on the considerable achievement of reaching the pass mark required for admission into Wallington County Grammar School.
Following our decision to reduce the testing process for young people wishing to access the selective system, we do not expect you to enter your son for a second test to gain a place at our school. Our pass mark for this test is considerably higher than that of other selective entrance schools and so you should feel very proud of your son’s achievement.
Wallington has recently achieved some of its best ever public examination results at both GCSE and at A Level and is enjoying a period of stability as it looks to cement itself as one of the leading schools in the country.
Having passed the Selective Eligibility Test (SET) and reached the expectations of the Governing Body this means that you can now list Wallington County Grammar School as a preference on the Common Application Form (CAF) by the deadline of 31st October 2015. We strongly advise you to list the School as a high preference on your CAF to stand a better chance of gaining entry for September 2016. The number of parents listing the school as their first preference has dramatically increased in recent years and so we would urge you to bear this in mind should you wish to secure a place here.
Wallington County Grammar School have decided not to hold a second stage test as we feel, and have felt for the vast majority of our 88 year history, that one test is more than enough to give an accurate indication of whether a child may be suitable for selective education. Also, by reducing the testing process, we believe we are removing some of the unnecessary demands placed upon your son by a second stage test, reflecting the outstanding pastoral care that we at Wallington County Grammar School pride ourselves on.
You may wish to read more about the School, why we have reduced the testing process or about the Admissions Criteria for Wallington. If so, please visit our website at http://www.wcgs.org.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
Thank you for considering Wallington County Grammar School and rest assured that it is the perfect place for your son to mature and develop as he strives to reach his personal best and become a leader of tomorrow.
Your commitment to your son's future is the reason he will succeed and we look forward to working with your family through the next exciting stage of his life.
Regards
Mr J J Wilden
Headmaster
Wallington County Grammar School
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agathachristie
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Re: Email from heads of Sutton and Wilson's schools
well hopefully parents will not be swayed by the misleading Wally letter and rather fill the CAF forms ranking the schools based on their true preference.
Good luck in the coming exams
Good luck in the coming exams
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panicattack
- Posts: 162
- Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2012 7:28 pm
Re: Email from heads of Sutton and Wilson's schools
Naughty WCGS. And yes everybody, please put the schools in your preferred order. I am glad though the WCGS letter makes it clear the reasons for scrapping the second stage. I had a niggling doubt that it was disappearing because of the past problems they've had in running their own 11 plus exams (candidates sitting slightly different papers, long delays etc.).
Re: Email from heads of Sutton and Wilson's schools
What confuses me about this latest email is why Wallington has, according to its contents, passed as many as 781 candidates? Given that the school only has 135 places, and in previous years the number of offers has been pared down to somewhere between 350-400 after stage 2.
It makes the implied suggestion that by achieving pass mark of a statistically reasonable chance of getting a place there completely valueless.
It makes the implied suggestion that by achieving pass mark of a statistically reasonable chance of getting a place there completely valueless.
Re: Email from heads of Sutton and Wilson's schools
Can someone explain why 781 candidates would have a pass mark that enables to be considered for a place? Given that previously, after the second stage exams, schools select - their final intake - from about 3-400 boys( various sources suggest)
This letter - as it was always going to become public - will scare parents whose child hasn't passed the Wallington Exam because it indicates that those who didn't achieve the Wallington score aren not currently in the top 800 candidates. after the SET.
Surely people will be anxiously worried about how likely it is that a candidate will move up around 400 places to be in with a realistic chance of being in contention to get a place.
The letter is really very discouraging.
This letter - as it was always going to become public - will scare parents whose child hasn't passed the Wallington Exam because it indicates that those who didn't achieve the Wallington score aren not currently in the top 800 candidates. after the SET.
Surely people will be anxiously worried about how likely it is that a candidate will move up around 400 places to be in with a realistic chance of being in contention to get a place.
The letter is really very discouraging.
Re: Email from heads of Sutton and Wilson's schools
Thanks for sharing the WCGS email. Do think it's cheeky and could further confuse parents who may think their son 'definitely' has a place at WCGS reading that.
Good luck to all boys sitting the second stage test, do sit the second stage tests if eligible (and ignore the inference that SGS' and Wilson's pastoral care is somehow lacking compared to WCGS' - that does make me very angry!) and please listen to your LA and place your schools in true order of preference when the time comes!
Good luck to all boys sitting the second stage test, do sit the second stage tests if eligible (and ignore the inference that SGS' and Wilson's pastoral care is somehow lacking compared to WCGS' - that does make me very angry!) and please listen to your LA and place your schools in true order of preference when the time comes!
Re: Email from heads of Sutton and Wilson's schools
Don't worry..stage 2 is like a fresh start. Wilson gives weight of 20% to stage 1 score and Sutton gives 40%.Woodbine wrote:Can someone explain why 781 candidates would have a pass mark that enables to be considered for a place? Given that previously, after the second stage exams, schools select - their final intake - from about 3-400 boys( various sources suggest)
This letter - as it was always going to become public - will scare parents whose child hasn't passed the Wallington Exam because it indicates that those who didn't achieve the Wallington score aren not currently in the top 800 candidates. after the SET.
Surely people will be anxiously worried about how likely it is that a candidate will move up around 400 places to be in with a realistic chance of being in contention to get a place.
The letter is really very discouraging.
Re: Email from heads of Sutton and Wilson's schools
Last year 550 boys passed the WCGS Second Stage test and even then, the school subsequently had to approach boys who had failed the Second Stage but passed the SET in order to fill their PAN.Woodbine wrote:Can someone explain why 781 candidates would have a pass mark that enables to be considered for a place? Given that previously, after the second stage exams, schools select - their final intake - from about 3-400 boys( various sources suggest)
With no Second Stage test this year, the school will only be able to offer places to boys who passed the SET so I guess they need to cover themselves by passing a few more. I do agree however that this could give some parents unrealistic expectations of the chances their son has of being offered a place at WCGS next March.
