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Original poster

How bright do DCs need to be to get into Grammar school?

82 replies

completelydazed · 21/02/2011 21:22

I'm sure this has been asked a hundred times before so I apologize in advance!

How bright does a child need to be to get a place at a Grammar school and should it be prioritized when deciding where to live?

Reading MN, I get the impression that children have to be either super bright or very well tutored to get in to a Grammar school. If my DCs turn out to be super bright then ok but I'm not sure about having my DCs intensively coached at such an early age. I also worry how they would fare later on if tutoring was the only reason they had been accepted.

My family (DH and two DC's) are currently living in SW London. Changes in my DH's job have opened up the option to move out to the Home counties. We're looking at a number of possible areas; some contain grammar schools and others don't. We're keen to maximize schooling options for our young DCs since we have no idea of their character or aptitude at this age. However, we're also keen not to have to move house for another 10+ years since the whole process of finding a house is incredibly tedious!

If we look at only areas that don't contain Grammar schools, we'd have a much wider range of places to live but be left with only private schools or good state comprehensives. If we look at only areas that contain Grammar schools, we'd reduce our choice of places to live substantially. If our DCs have no chance to get in anyway without heavy tutoring, we'd be back to private schools or comprehensives again.

So how valuable is the Grammar school option when deciding where to live and you have no idea how your DCs will turn out?

OP posts:
TalkinPeace2 · 21/02/2011 23:13

I am against state funded selective schools because I believe that my taxes should be used to give every child equal opportunities.

If people want selective schools they should be willing to pay for them.

In state schools, every child should have access to the same standards of teaching.
Which is why I'm also against Bliar's faith schools as they are divisive and discriminatory.

CointreauVersial · 21/02/2011 23:09

We live in Surrey, but within reach of the grammar schools in Sutton and Kingston.

They are HUGELY competetive, particularly if you aren't actually in the boroughs. But the advantage of living here is that I can put dd1 in for the exams, but there's no pressure. If she doesn't get in, she can go to a nearby non-selective Surrey school instead.

She is bright, but not amazingly so. But I think she has to be in the top 80 to get a place, and they get around 1200 applicants! However, she would thrive in that kind of environment so it's worth a shot; ds1, on the other hand, would hate it, so we wouldn't consider grammar school for him.

On balance, I would rather live in an area with non-selective schools. I think the grammar system is horrid if you are forced to be part of it.

TalkinPeace2 · 21/02/2011 23:01

Bucks league tables
www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/education/school_tables/secondary/10/html/bacc_825.stm?compare=
great for those who get into the grammars
heaven help the rest.

GRW · 21/02/2011 22:55

In Bucks about 30% go to grammar schools, but only about 24% of state school educated kids. In my experience tutoring is the norm, but not necessarily paid tutoring as lots of people home tutor. My daughter passed the 11+ with extra pracice papers at home. the familiarisation sessions in school don't give enough pratcie to answer the questions quickly enough.
Some of the areas in Bucks have good upper schools and others don't, so you'd need to look at options if your children don't pass.
The website elevenplus forum has lots of information on the system in different areas.

BelligerentGhoul · 21/02/2011 22:45

Well, dd1 has just got A* on all subjects bar one in her mocks - but she didn't get into grammar school. It really depends on where you are etc etc. Around here there were something like 1200 girls going for around 120 places.

TalkinPeace2 · 21/02/2011 22:42

There are only 164 Grammar schools in the whole of England.
Only three counties (Kent, Buckinghamshire and Lincolnshire) run a full grammar school system.
The rest of the country - luckily - does not HAVE to put up with divisive tutored selection.
Many counties do not have it at all.

Pluto · 21/02/2011 21:25

It depends where you end up moving to. Kent has lots of grammars and at least 25% of the 11 year olds go to grammar. If you move somewhere like Essex it's much more competitive.