Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Tiffin's ranked mark definition

40 replies

bayesian · 02/08/2025 12:53

Hi, am trying to gauge the entry competitiveness and catchment differences (inner vs designated). According to its admission policy,

3.14 Admission to The Tiffin Girls’ School will be determined by academic ability, which is assessed by performance in the tests. Test scores are standardised and age-weighted. Then applicants are ranked in order of their combined mark within the appropriate category of selection criteria.

5.1.2 Places will then be allocated on the basis of selection by ability as demonstrated in the School’s test procedure in rank order of the combined mark in the following priority order:

  • Up to 60 girls whose combined mark is higher than or equal to the 350th ranked mark of all applicants who sat the Stage Two Test whose permanent place of residence is within the Inner Area.
  • Remaining places will all be allocated from applicants who sat the Stage Two Test in rank order of the combined mark and whose residence is within the Designated Area.

I am a bit confused about ranked mark. Say there are 450 candidates, is the highest (best) mark ranked 1 or 450? So are the 10 highest marks above the 10th ranked mark or 440th ranked mark?

https://fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com/tiffingirls.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/11120348/The-Tiffin-Girls-School-Determined-Admissions-Arrangements-for-entry-September-2026.pdf

OP posts:
SleepyRooster · 04/08/2025 17:13

It’s better if you’re on the train line

Original poster
bayesian · 04/08/2025 16:24

@SleepyRooster I find the location a bit difficult to commute to, it requires 2-3 bus rides / trip

OP posts:
SleepyRooster · 04/08/2025 14:08

My kid goes there, we are not in inner area, and the vast majority of her classmates live further afield too (tho obviously within the broader catchment postcodes). Moving close to the school is a red herring

FitnessIsTheOnlyWealth · 03/08/2025 11:00

bayesian · 02/08/2025 20:03

It says Ranked Mark and 350th mark, literally, that refers to scoring in the top 100 in the 450 candidate pool. Otherwise, all 60 spots must be gone every year and remaining 120 shared among the inner + designated pool. Can someone ask Tiffin?

Yes this is the correct interpretation. It is well known that all grammar schools with inner catchment end up with a majority of children from within that catchment. Only the very top scorers from outside inner catchment but within designated areas stand a chance of getting in.

From experience - at each mark there are dozens of girls.

TeenToTwenties · 03/08/2025 09:34

Someone said upthread that the school takes 180 students.
So imagine the top 290 are all outside the inner area, but 291-350 are within the inner area.
In that case the following get in:
Number 291...350, then numbers 1...120

If every 5th candidate is from the inner area then numbers
5, 10, 15, ......300 get in followed by 1-4, 6-9, 11-14, .... 146...149 (I think)

If only 35 inner candidates are in the top 350, then 145 others will get in.

If The top 300 are all outside, but the next 100 are inside then the following get in 301...350 then 1....130.

NewbieYou · 03/08/2025 04:37

I’m pretty sure people have said before that most Tiffin spots go to the inner catchment area. It’s one of the best schools in the country and in a very wealthy area so majority of girls there will be tutored and aimed at Tiffin.

Original poster
bayesian · 03/08/2025 00:01

Probably it is right that the 350th mark means above the 30th percentile rather 70th percentile as else inner catchment would mean nothing in a pool of 500 stage 2 candidates

OP posts:
Original poster
bayesian · 02/08/2025 20:03

It says Ranked Mark and 350th mark, literally, that refers to scoring in the top 100 in the 450 candidate pool. Otherwise, all 60 spots must be gone every year and remaining 120 shared among the inner + designated pool. Can someone ask Tiffin?

OP posts:
FitnessIsTheOnlyWealth · 02/08/2025 19:19

@bayesian unless it is explicitly said anywhere logically - ranking is always 1 onwards starting at the top. The 60 girls in the inner catchment need to have an advantage of living closer to the school. Hence they can score from the top rank holder’s score to the 350th position score and that would ‘include them on the list of eligible’ girls for that list. Within that they have to be in the top 60 to get a place - else they get a place based on their position in the ‘generic’ list (which will likely be lower).
overall - for girls in the inner catchment - they stand a greater chance of getting a seat with a comparatively lower score than the general list. They would not need to beat the super majority as this would defeat the propose of inner catchment advantage.

TeenToTwenties · 02/08/2025 19:18

bayesian · 02/08/2025 19:04

@FitnessIsTheOnlyWealth I think the highest mark is ranked nth, so the lowest mark is given a ranked mark of 1. In that case, the inner girls have to outperform the supermajority in the pool to be assigned the 60 slots rather than outperforming the minority.

Edited

That wouldn't make sense though.

450 sit the test. They are ranked from 1 (best) to 450 (worst).

The school doesn't want the 'no hopers' ranked 351-450. So they're out regardless of where they live.

It does want very local girls. So it takes the very local girls in the 1-350 range and takes the best 60 of them.
Then fills up the remaining spaces from the highest scoring (so rank 1) down to wherever to fill all the spaces.

SneakyScarves · 02/08/2025 19:17

Highest score would be ranked 1. The point is for the inner area to be given priority because they are closest to the school. Requiring those inner area applicants to score within the top 100 for a possible 60 places would not be a priority. Tiffin has a PAN of 180 so those in the top 100 would be offered places anyway, whether in the inner area or not.

Original poster
bayesian · 02/08/2025 19:04

@FitnessIsTheOnlyWealth I think the highest mark is ranked nth, so the lowest mark is given a ranked mark of 1. In that case, the inner girls have to outperform the supermajority in the pool to be assigned the 60 slots rather than outperforming the minority.

OP posts:
FitnessIsTheOnlyWealth · 02/08/2025 18:57

I would say highest scorer is ranked 1. So out of the top 350 marks to be had, top 60 that live within the inner catchment will first gain a place. The remaining girls will then be given places in the order of their ranks within the merit list.

TeenToTwenties · 02/08/2025 14:44

I'd read it as approx:

They order everyone.
A line is drawn at the 350th place.
They then identify up to 60 girls from that list working from the best downwards that live very close. They get places.
Then remaining places are filled top down from the list provided you are in the wide area they are willing to take from.

It basically means that 60 bright girls living very close are guaranteed a place even if not in the (say) top 200 if that is how many places there are in total.

Original poster
bayesian · 02/08/2025 13:10

My impression is that the wording is ranked mark rather than ranked order, so (assume 450 stage 2 sitters) those 60 inner catchment places only go to girls achieving the top 100 marks. Therefore, it is unlikely all those 60 places to be taken up every year.

OP posts: