Why is the priority score higher than qualifying score?

[Fishface101]

Hi my ds would fall in cat 4 - npp in catchment but has to achieve 220? A cat 5 dc needs to get 205 and above? Can someone please explain why the higher score for cat 4? Thanks

Also is there a way of adding on a percentage for age just to estimate if say got score of 203 what impact of standardisation would be? I.e. dependent on age could be enough to get over 220?

Thanks

[Wildfuture]

Your ds won't be cat 4 if he doesn't score 220. In this case he'll be cat 5.

[ToadMum]

Re the age issue, the score you are given will be your DC's standardised score, which already takes age into account. So an August 203 is the same as a September 203 for the purposes of any ranking done on score, although the raw scores which resulted in the 203 may be different.

[Fishface101]

Your ds won't be cat 4 if he doesn't score 220. In this case he'll be cat 5.

Sorry should have said “assuming he achieves 220 then he would be cat 4”

Is that more accurate?

[Fishface101]

Re the age issue, the score you are given will be your DC's standardised score, which already takes age into account. So an August 203 is the same as a September 203 for the purposes of any ranking done on score, although the raw scores which resulted in the 203 may be different.

Again suffering from inaccuracy - if raw score was 203 is there any way of adding on a percentage to see what the standardised score could be?

Thanks

[Fishface101]

Regarding my first question why is the priority score higher than the qualifying score?

[scary mum]

No, the standardised score depends on the cohort sitting the test. All children will only be compared with children born in the same month to work out the standardised score. Theoretically the same raw score could be needed for a September born & an August born (theoretically possible but unlikely).

[Fishface101]

Thank you, any idea why higher score required for cat 4? Implies they really don’t want local boys npp and have made it harder?

[mike1880]

Let me put it this way:

If he gets 220 (or whatever the priority score is determined to be) and is in catchment, he will get a place. (Or almost certainly anyway; but bear in mind that if places are so oversubscribed that not all cat 4 applicants get a place, NO cat 5 applicants will get a place)

If he gets 219 he will be in competition with all out of catchment applicants and places will be allocated in score order. His chances of getting a place are somewhere between low and zero (last offer in cat 5 appears likely to be at least 10 points higher than the priority score).

[Fishface101]

Thank you that is clear but why set a higher cat 4 than cat 5 - why make it harder? Am I missing the obvious?