Bexley - delayed test date and top 180?

[turnip08]

I've just read that the Department for Education has published advice strongly recommended that all 11+ exams are delayed until October. Does anyone know when we will know regarding Bexley as they have still not communicated about postponing the test?

Also, out of interest, what do children normally score in their practice papers at home to later score high enough to be in the top 180 (I realise this depends on the cohort each year but just as a rough guide)?

Many thanks!

[PettswoodFiona]

I can’t answer the first question but when DD sat the Bexley test she was a few points from top 180 but that probably represented several hundred pupils and she was scoring 80-90% in most home tests. I suspect the pressure of the real test meant she didn’t do as well as at home. She said she ran out of time so had to guess the last few quickly in each section. She did well in Kent but not as well as Bexley as the different style of test suits some and not others.

[turnip08]

I can’t answer the first question but when DD sat the Bexley test she was a few points from top 180 but that probably represented several hundred pupils and she was scoring 80-90% in most home tests. I suspect the pressure of the real test meant she didn’t do as well as at home. She said she ran out of time so had to guess the last few quickly in each section. She did well in Kent but not as well as Bexley as the different style of test suits some and not others.

That's really helpful, thank you. Which home tests did you use, generally speaking, and were most useful? True, speed does seem to be particularly important in the Bexley from when my eldest did it (who, with hindsight, fell down on the VR-vocab).

[PettswoodFiona]

We did Letts and Bond ten minute tests and GL test papers. I know Bexley is CEM but it didn’t seem a huge difference. She also did a couple of mocks, one geared to Bexley and one to Newstead / Kent. I also made up some questions if I couldn’t find enough of that type if she was not getting them. We gave up with cubes and net for Kent as we were spending too much time on them and she was getting demoralised and was getting everything else so it is sometimes fine to let go of a particular type if it just doesn’t click after repeated attempts.

[shelley75]

Sorry to moan but it's extremely annoying not to know when the test is.

I understand if the need to move it but that decision should have been made months ago.

We need to know as soon as possible to avoid peaking too soon or burnout.

If the 11+ isn't going to be until October then I'll put away all the books over the summer holidays.


*scream!*

[PettswoodFiona]

So many people are affected all over the place and adaptability will be they key for our young people for years to come. DD is about to join Y11 and we don’t know if the GCSE exams will be delayed, adapted or cancelled or a combination of all of the above. For her 11 plus the test date didn’t change but for the Kent test there weren’t enough girls toilets as it was a boys school and she couldn’t go during the break. It was very distracting for her, we were glad of all the practising she had to do while I or DH vacuumed, dropped things nearby etc to help her zone the distractions out, including a full bladder!

[turnip08]

Thank you, that's really helpful to know re the material you used, PettswoodFiona.

I must admit, I would love for the Bexley test to be over and done with; really hope they let us know soon if they do change, as I understand Newstead, Olaves and Kent are all delayed already.

Just have got to go with the flow, I suppose....

[vjm]

turnip08,

Could you please let us know where did you find out about Newsteadwood Test delay ?
I don't see anything in their website .

[PettswoodFiona]

Likewise about Newstead we’ve booked a long weekend taking into account the 25th of Sept being the test date and so no school for DD. So parents haven’t been told anything about a test date change but then I suppose they could just swap it for an inset day etc so may not feel the need to tell existing parents. Website still says it is going ahead as normal .

[vjm]

Bexley test has been moved to week staring from 2nd November .Here is the mail from Bexley.

Dear Parent/Carer,

We thank you for your interest in the Bexley Selection Test, and for registering your child to participate.

Following the recently published Department for Education ‘Covid-19 assessment processes for selective school admissions guidance’, which can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... admissions" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, the London Borough of Bexley is now able to confirm that it is formally postponing selective test dates from the 15 and 16 September to the week beginning 2 November.

You will note that this means testing will take place after the National deadline for applications to secondary school on 31 October 2020. It is important you submit an application to your home local authority by this date.

The London Borough of Bexley already permits its residents to submit the maximum number of preferences, six, and whilst it is not possible to accept further preferences, we will allow a short window following the release of results for change of preference requests to be made. This will enable only those candidates whose test result directly affects the outcome of their originally submitted application to alter their preference order.

To keep requests to a minimum we recommend that, for candidates participating in the test and hoping to secure a selective outcome, parents submit an on time application to their home local authority, including a mix of selective and non-selective schools in order of desired preference. Should a candidate not achieve a selective result, any selective preferences will be refused and only schools they are eligible for will be considered.

School Admissions Team