What’s a partner school?

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Dollydripmat
Posts: 332
Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2014 8:19 pm

What’s a partner school?

Post by Dollydripmat »

I apologise if I should know this but it’s mentioned quite a few times in Bucks but have no idea why we have them ? Can anyone explain ? Dollyx
lea2124
Posts: 132
Joined: Thu Oct 12, 2017 7:05 pm

Re: What’s a partner school?

Post by lea2124 »

Dollydripmat wrote:I apologise if I should know this but it’s mentioned quite a few times in Bucks but have no idea why we have them ? Can anyone explain ? Dollyx
+1
I'd like to know too. Plus I've tried to Google it but nothing comes up and I hate the BCC website. I find it so unhelpful and hard to navigate.
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: What’s a partner school?

Post by Guest55 »

A Bucks partner school is a non-Bucks school that agrees to follow the 'rules' about no preparation and their students can sit the test in their own school. These schools also submit HT recommendation before the results so they are given more weight I think.

https://www.buckscc.gov.uk/media/451101 ... s-2019.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Aethel
Posts: 1190
Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2015 6:24 pm

Re: What’s a partner school?

Post by Aethel »

Forgive the mild cynicism here, but I believe this is a fairly accurate explanation.

The schools in Bucks are 11 plus by default: so every child is expected to sit the test unless they opt out. This is meant to normalise the cohort so that the top 30% of normal state school children qualify, and the lower 70% don’t, and then are allocated an Upper (non-selective) school.

Sitting the exam in a normal(ish) school day in their usual place of learning confers a certain advantage to the children sitting it : it is familiar, administered by teachers they know, they can then spend the rest of the day getting straight back to “normal” stuff..., so sitting the test is relatively easy and low hassle. This may not translate to a higher pass rate but it’s simpler for the kids than driving to an unfamiliar GS which may be miles away, fighting for parking with 200 plus other parents and seeing big stressed huddles of examinees clutching their plastic bags and water bottles.

So, some heads of schools close to the Bucks border can choose to have their schools treated AS IF THEY WERE BUCKS SCHOOLS for the purposes of the 11 plus. It means their kids won’t skip school to travel away for the test, it may encourage more pupils to enter (it’s considered prestigious by some heads that a good number of their children qualify and can be a selling point for the school). Some partner schools also run a nice sideline subcontracting 11 plus tuition on site at the weekends (cynical, moi??)

So that’s it. A non Bucks school who wants to encourage their cohort to be easily able to access the 11 plus for a variety of reasons, by holding the exam on site (such heads are also generally more willing to get involved with selections reviews as they know the system).
Sally-Anne
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Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: What’s a partner school?

Post by Sally-Anne »

Guest55 wrote:A Bucks partner school is a non-Bucks school
A slight but important correction: a Partner school is either a Bucks private school or a non-Bucks school. The number of non-Bucks schools has declined quite a lot in recent years, for reasons I am not sure of.
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: What’s a partner school?

Post by Guest55 »

Yes that's why I added a list but the sentence got very complicated.
Dollydripmat
Posts: 332
Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2014 8:19 pm

Re: What’s a partner school?

Post by Dollydripmat »

Sally-Anne wrote:
Guest55 wrote:A Bucks partner school is a non-Bucks school
A slight but important correction: a Partner school is either a Bucks private school or a non-Bucks school. The number of non-Bucks schools has declined quite a lot in recent years, for reasons I am not sure of.
SA I find this very worrying about the private sector......most send their child to a private prep to gain an advantage for the 11+ , then they are allowed to administer the test by themselves, with no outside authorities involved! I do feel foul play could be a possibility. Bucks schools gain no advantage with sitting the test or how many pass. Why should they be allowed to do this :oops: Dolly x
BucksBornNBred
Posts: 1031
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2015 4:01 pm

Re: What’s a partner school?

Post by BucksBornNBred »

lea2124 wrote:... I hate the BCC website. I find it so unhelpful and hard to navigate.
+1
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: What’s a partner school?

Post by Guest55 »

Dollydripmat wrote:SA I find this very worrying about the private sector......most send their child to a private prep to gain an advantage for the 11+ , then they are allowed to administer the test by themselves, with no outside authorities involved! I do feel foul play could be a possibility. Bucks schools gain no advantage with sitting the test or how many pass. Why should they be allowed to do this :oops: Dolly x
At least they have to use a CD now to ensure the timing is accurate and the Head has to sign to say everything is done properly according to the rules.
qwerty
Posts: 14
Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2017 1:46 pm

Re: What’s a partner school?

Post by qwerty »

A Bucks partner school is a non-Bucks school that agrees to follow the 'rules' about no preparation....
Do the private schools really promise not to do any preparation?

When parents go to them for a 11+ qualification I'm sure they do all they can like photocopying the paper to help with the next year. What was the penalty for The Gateway when they gave the familiarisation paper to children to take home a few years ago? No penalty sends a certain message to these schools.

Small sample but the three children I know who left the infants school for private schools either didn't take the test or didn't qualify.
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