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Original poster

Wilsons, Wallington, Tiffin, Sutton – why so many applications? Are parents kidding themselves?

111 replies

TheWomanOnTheBus · 27/06/2012 13:41

I went to the Wilsons open day last night, and in relation to admissions the Head at his talk said basically the following:

Yes, there are 1400 applicants. And yes Wilsons have 150 places. However, the chances of entereing is not as bad as that sounds since each of those 1400 applicants is also likely to apply for all the Sutton grammars and also Tiffin. (And some will no doubt also be applying to/preferring indies - my point not his). In total, throughout those 4 schools there are 510 places. He encouraged anyone to apply whose DS was likely to get a good 5 in KS2 (ie 5a and 5b).

Now it is true that some DSs will have a bad day. But if they take 4 tests, and they were at the level the Head said they need to be to get in, then the chances of them having a bad day (if they are at the right level) at all of them is minimal.

So are 900 or so of the parents kidding themselves (nowhere near predicted to get "good 5")? Are their DSs nowhere near that level and they are applying anyway? That many?

Or is the Head being disingenuous and in fact you need DSs at a much higher level?

IYSWIM.

OP posts:
Greythorne · 27/06/2012 15:46

I don't think the parents are kidding themselves.

Imagine 1500 take the test. There are 500 places.

The top 200 are way above everybody else and get a place easily.

That leaves 300 places up for grabs.

So 1300 children are fighting for those places. Imagine the bottom 200 are not up to the mark. Perhaps theirparents are a bit optimistic. That leaves 1100 kids for 300 places.

Then imagine 100 don't perform on the day due to nerves, sickness, etc.

So, you have 1000 kids after 300 places who are all in the Goldilocks zone. Not very, very good, not very, very bad, but just right. and still 700 will be disappointed.

mumwithtwokids · 27/06/2012 15:39

Just to confirm, only Tiffins operate a no catchment policy, the remaining three apply a distance criteria when a one or more boys achieve the same score. I was surprised to see that many of the kids go gained a place at our grammar were local kids. Very few children where from further afield got in.

Agree with the above posters however with boys the numbers who pass are relatively lower. I believer Wallington, Sutton and Wilsons had roughly the same number of applicants however the pass rate varied from 365 to I believe 461.

tiggytape · 27/06/2012 15:33

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Original poster
TheWomanOnTheBus · 27/06/2012 15:24

Thanks. I didn't understand the Head to mean: if you are high level 5, you will "pass" (ie be of a mythical GS standard with no guarantee of a place) and so do try, you might be lucky on the day in getting in the top whatever percentile you need to be to get in.

I understood him to mean: if you are high level 5, and you perform at that level then you will get in.

Perhaps - I wanted to hear the latter (DS is (predicted to be) at that level).... :)

OP posts:
tiggytape · 27/06/2012 15:21

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tiggytape · 27/06/2012 15:16

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drivinmecrazy · 27/06/2012 15:15

would totally agree with what tiggytape hasd said. DD sat 11 plus for super selective in Essex. She is easily a level 5/6, but so were the other 900 girls sitting the test. The actual pass/fail rate was less than 1 whole point, seperating those who got a place and those who didn't. Hard to swallow but those are the odds you agree to when you sit the test.
DD didn't get a place. one of her class mates did. class mate is operating below DD in yr6, but those are the odds you play with. Really tough, but |I would say we have no regrets her sitting the test cos she learnt so much (more about not being complacent than anything. A valuable, but costly mistake on her part.

tiggytape · 27/06/2012 15:08

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mumwithtwokids · 27/06/2012 15:05

Thanks!

My advice - just go for it. I found out the week before my DS was due to sit the exam that children had been tutored for months beforehand. I honestly thought we didn't have a hope in hell but thankfully I was proved wrong.

Original poster
TheWomanOnTheBus · 27/06/2012 14:15

Thank you. And well done to your DS.

OP posts:
mumwithtwokids · 27/06/2012 14:10

Hi TheWomanOnTheBus - my DS will be starting at one of the school's menthioned above in September. The same was said by all school heads last year and our DS was working at the level required so decided to put him forward for the exams.

There are children who sit the earlier entrance exams as practice for their preferred school and have no intention of listing the school in the CAF. I know this was happening last year so guess this will also be happening again this year. What percentage this equates to though is something that I don't know.