Merchant Taylor - 11+

[benno]

My son is in year 7 at our local high school. He sat the Bluecoat (Liverpool) entrance exam, but didn't get placed high enough.
He passed the Wirral 11+, but in the end we deemed it too far for him to travel.

So, here we are, he went to the local high school. Now he's through the 'settling in' period, he's complaining about it. The disruption in some classes means they don't do much at all. Kids not listening to teachers when they're told to put their phones away and stop 'Snapchatting'! He says if it wasn't for his 2 best friends being there, he'd hate it!
Fights every day. 250+ per year group. etc etc.


We feel his academic progress is already suffering and as a result we're looking at other options. (We're kicking ourselves we didn't take the Wirral option!)
Next week Merchant Taylor in Crosby has an open day, we're going to go along to this.
He'd have to sit an entrance exam, but presumably it wouldn't be the 11+, or would it and the score would be adjusted to take in to account his age?

Do they use CEM or GL for their exams? It's really difficult to find anything out about them!

Any help greatly appreciated.

thanks

[ToadMum]

My son is in year 7 at our local high school. He sat the Bluecoat (Liverpool) entrance exam, but didn't get placed high enough.
He passed the Wirral 11+, but in the end we deemed it too far for him to travel.

So, here we are, he went to the local high school. Now he's through the 'settling in' period, he's complaining about it. The disruption in some classes means they don't do much at all. Kids not listening to teachers when they're told to put their phones away and stop 'Snapchatting'! He says if it wasn't for his 2 best friends being there, he'd hate it!
Fights every day. 250+ per year group. etc etc.


We feel his academic progress is already suffering and as a result we're looking at other options. (We're kicking ourselves we didn't take the Wirral option!)
Next week Merchant Taylor in Crosby has an open day, we're going to go along to this.
He'd have to sit an entrance exam, but presumably it wouldn't be the 11+, or would it and the score would be adjusted to take in to account his age?

Do they use CEM or GL for their exams? It's really difficult to find anything out about them!

Any help greatly appreciated.

thanks

Not in your area, but I do like a challenge . See what you mean, though - didn't feel I could plausibly pretend to want to move one of our DC a couple of hundred miles to a new school, so I didn't sure the 'find out more' links. I assume you at least got this far, though (from the Admissions Policy):
Admission to Years 7-10
Applications for entry to Merchant Taylors’ Schools for Years 7, 8, 9 or 10 will always be considered
and once parents have contacted the appropriate Admissions Officer, the procedure is similar to the
11+, that is entry is dependent upon the required academic standard being reached in English,
Mathematics and a Reasoning test, with some spoken and written questions in Languages and the
Sciences if required.

[benno]

Thanks for the response. I did get that far

I suppose what i'm asking is, does anyone know whether an entrance exam to a grammar school once you're past 11+ age is much more difficult?
And, does anyone know whether MT use CEM or GL?

I've ordered a CEM and GL 11+ practice papers anyway, it'll at least get him back up to speed.

[ToadMum]

If it helps, our DD got an in-year place at one of our local state grammar schools near to the end of year 7 a few years ago. There, the exams were about the same level as the end of year exams that the girls already in the year had taken a month previously. The previous year, there had been assessments for places much earlier in the school year and the tests administered were those being used for setting within the year group at the time, I believe.

[streathammum]

Is the Wirral option definitely off the table? Some schools keep waiting lists active throughout Year 7 - if so, could you apply to have his name added to that waiting list as a late applicant? You never know. Good luck.

[ToadMum]

Is the Wirral option definitely off the table? Some schools keep waiting lists active throughout Year 7 - if so, could you apply to have his name added to that waiting list as a late applicant? You never know. Good luck.

If the school you were / are interested in doesn't maintain its waiting list past the end of December of year 7 (the shortest time the Admissions Code requires it to), it should have some kind of Continuing Interest list, of those who wish to be considered should a place become available in the relevant year group. (I have come across a school which has neither, just gives the place to the first person who enquires after a pupil leaves, but seriously that wouldn't work with a grammar school, where some sort of test is required to check that the applicant is of a suitable academic standard).