Time Table

Eleven Plus (11+) in Birmingham, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Wrekin

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Pi

Time Table

Post by Pi »

I came across this information from the LEA

Timetable for Processing Secondary School Application Forms

July 2006
Distribution of application forms to Year 5

September 2006
Secondary school open days

13 October 2006
Closing Date for Applications

20 November 2006
First exchange of information with neighbouring LEAs

12 January 2007
Second exchange of information with neighbouring LEAs

26 January 2007
Third exchange of information with neighbouring LEAs

16 February 2007
Neighbouring LEAs notified of offers for resident children

1 March 2007
National Offer Day

Is this the same in all LEAs?

Thanks

Pi
stevew61

Post by stevew61 »

Reading Borough is similar, frustrating that it appears 'other admission authorities' i.e. Reading & Kendrick Grammar Schools know exam results by 16th December 2006, but we wait till 1st March 2007 !



Parents/carers to receive Common Application Form and admissions guide
By 8 September 2006
Online admissions site open
8 September 2006
Closing date for receipt of common application form
Tuesday 24 October 2006
Information exchange
Electronic information sent to other LAs
By 14 November 2006
Electronic information sent to other admission authorities in Reading
By 14 November 2006
Allocations
Other Admission Authorities in Reading to inform Reading Borough Council of allocated places and waiting list (all to be ranked according to admissions criteria)
By 16 December 2006
Send out initial allocation information to other LAs
By 20 January 2007
Resolution of multiple offers
Final allocation lists to other LAs
15 February 2007
Secondary and Primary Schools informed of final allocation
24 February 2007
Allocation letters to parents
1 March 2007
Deadline for parents to accept
15 March 2007
Closing date for receipt of appeals
24 March 2007

Lost a bit of format but hopefully still readable.

Hope for the future,

READING BOROUGH COUNCIL
SCHOOL ADMISSION FORUM MINUTES – 5 OCTOBER 2005

AGREED:
(1) That the draft Admission Code of Practice be noted;
(2) That the Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided schools’ be asked to add
looked after children to their over-subscription criteria;
(3) That the Head of Planning and Strategy be authorised to write on
behalf of the Forum to:
(i) Reading School and Kendrick Grammar School to draw their
attention to the revised Code’s advice that it would be good
practice for parents to know the outcome of selective tests
before expressing their preferences under the coordinated
scheme and seeking views on the practicality of achieving this
outcome;
KEMum

Post by KEMum »

There used to be a file in PDF format on the birmingham city council website that gave all these details. I considered changing one of my choices of 6 after the form had been handed in and reading this timetable enabled me to make the decision to stick with my original choice. I believe that if you change your choice, your form then is considered to be a late entry and is put to the bottom of the pile!
Dibble
Posts: 125
Joined: Sat Nov 04, 2006 5:23 pm
Location: Dudley, West Midlands

Post by Dibble »

stevew61 wrote:....

Hope for the future,

[snipped]
(i) Reading School and Kendrick Grammar School to draw their
attention to the revised Code’s advice that it would be good
practice for parents to know the outcome of selective tests
before expressing their preferences under the coordinated
scheme and seeking views on the practicality of achieving this
outcome;
Wow. That really caught my attention.
A little Googling on the “ revised Code’s advice” led me to here;
(perhaps you already new this wasn't just your LEAs 'Code's advice'? I didn't)

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations/co ... ionId=1418
and this;
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations/do ... nsCode.pdf

One of the things it says is;
“2.76 Grammar schools and other schools, or their admission authorities, which are permitted to
use selection by ability or aptitude, should ensure that parents are informed of the outcome
of entry tests before they make their applications for other schools.”
Which would see our kids tested... when?

Over here in Dudley forms don't have to be in till early November – still very difficult to produce results from a test taken in that term – impossible with the Birmingham October deadline.

Testing in Year 5 or the summer break?
Computerized testing with 'instant' results?

Surely the whole admissions calendar would have to change? I'd really love it if it didn't take LEAs three months to resolve the allocation of places and we could hand over preference forms in February and get places back on March 1st!


My first impression of the new code is that it would make grammar places even more competitive; both because of paragraph 2.76 and the effective prohibition of “first preference first” schools - which can attract students who would be grammar candidates, but don't want to g-a-m-b-l-e.
jah

Post by jah »

Birmingham's closing date is a long time before that of the neighbouring authorities (if you are submitting a paper application). One can only assume that it takes them all that time to get the forms to a central point and loaded onto a computer!

My daughter's class feels it keenly that they are divided into 'knows' and 'don't knows' depending on whether they've done the 11+; are eldest children; or following an older sibling to a comp.

When we find out for Year 6 daughter, it's back to the starting line with Year 4 son!!! If she doesn't get a grammar school place, I am almost certainly just going to let him follow her to the comp. If only to avoid this hiatus of not knowing!!
stevew61

Post by stevew61 »

Dibble,

Reading is a small island, only two Grammar schools, and results are known and passed to LEA by 16th December 'Other Admission Authorities in Reading to inform Reading Borough Council of allocated places and waiting list ' but we have to wait till 1st March.

Tempted to play the Freedom of Information card.

stevew61
jah

Post by jah »

You can't use Freedom of Information Act to get info that is in process of preparation.
Alex
Posts: 1097
Joined: Thu Nov 02, 2006 10:10 pm
Location: Lincolnshire

Post by Alex »

Hi Dibble,

The revised Code of Practice is still at consultation stage and due to come in in February 2007 and I gather from those in the know that it is likely to go through with very few changes.

In Lincolnshire the new code as regards to grammar school selection was actually put into force this year - the 11 plus examinations were brought forward to September and results were posted on 13th October well before the closing date for application to schools which was on October 24th.

It certainly makes the whole process a lot simpler knowing results before having to commit to choosing schools. However, the equal preference system which the LA sought to introduce countywide was successfully opposed by a group of schools (mainly not in the selective schools area of the county) and so we had a strange mish mash of systems to contend with, equal preference in some areas and first preference oversubscription criteria in others. Also the appeals system remains unchanged in that it is still not possible to appeal against failure to reach the required standard inthe 11 plus until after school places are allocated on March 1st.

At least when the new code of practice comes in the system will become more uniform!
KenR
Posts: 1506
Joined: Fri Mar 17, 2006 6:12 pm
Location: Birmingham

Post by KenR »

I wasn't aware of the revised Code of Practice consultations until this forum thread. This is a very interesting development and certainly one in the right direction. Well spotted Dibble, Steve & Co

I'm sure there are a lot of high ability children around the country whose parents are discouraged from putting a grammar school as first choice in case this miss out on a place at their good local comp.

The situation in Birmingham is interesting and certainly not clear cut even if the Code of Practice is ratified. The KE Foundation and B/Ham LEA will certainly still have to make some decisions and changes regarding the various exams and the scores.

At the moment the pass score for individual KE (and B/Ham) Grammars is actually determined statistically by the popularity of the school according to the preferences on the LEA. That the reason last year why different KE grammars had different pass marks - viz. 341 for Camp Hill boys and 327 for KEFW etc.

My understanding and reading of the Draft Code of Practice is that that will have to change. So the question is:
(a) do the grammars allocate different pass marks for each grammar school?
(b) and/or do they allocated a fixed higher pass mark for grmmar school and then apply separate over subscription criteria (viz. distance)
(c) or do they do (a) and then implement a separate review system for those who have marginally failed.

The dilema for the grammars in B/Ham is that quite a high proportion of offers are not taken up (e.g parents hedge their bets and apply to say a number of grammars in the region as well as independent schools.

I guess the true picture won't emerge until round about March next year when the KE Foundation and B/Ham LEA decide how to implement the Code of Practice.

The relevant sections of the Code of practice are:-
Grammar schools
2.52 Grammar schools are permitted to select their pupils on the basis of high academic ability, and to leave places unfilled if they have insufficient applicants of the required standard.

Most assess ability by means of a test, but they may apply any fair and objective means of assessing ability they consider appropriate. Admission authorities should ensure that parents are aware that meeting the academic requirements for entry to a grammar school is not, in itself, a
guarantee of a grammar school place.

2.53 Methods of allocating places for oversubscribed grammar schools vary. Some admission authorities allocate available places in rank order of performance in the entrance test; others set a pass mark and then apply other oversubscription criteria to determine which of the
candidates who have passed should be offered a place.

2.54 Some admission authorities for grammar schools use a review system to consider whether children who have marginally failed to reach the required standard in the entrance test should be deemed as being of grammar school ability. This is not a statutory process, and does not
replace a parent’s formal right of appeal. In view of the need to co-ordinate allocation of places such reviews must be completed before places are allocated, so that children who are deemed as being of grammar school ability as a result of the review can be considered for
allocation of places at the same time as others.
Pi

Post by Pi »

KenR and Dibble, not quite sure that I have understood your response, but here's my take. We live in the LEA under Solihull borough in Knowle, and we are informed by their official literature that we have to list 5 schools. We chose 2 grammar and theree local comp schools. We are told that if we miss the opportunties on the two grammar schools, the 3rd school becomes "first" choice and so on. I was under the impresssion that since the third choice is our "first" choice than we are not gambling or risking the opportunity of having that school alloacted to us. The only gamble is the rules on catchment, which in itself is a nightmare and totally unfair. So, please clarify my disconnect in understanding. Now, any information that contradicts the literature on "catchment" would be a good debate to be had.

Thanks

Pi
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