To ask you to explain Y6-Y7-Y8

[Floatingdownriver]

Asking for a friend who is relocating to England. She has twins in the equivalent of year 5. How does schooling work there for the 11+ and does everyone choose a secondary school? She’s currently in Scotland where kids automatically go to their nearest secondary. We’ve tried looking online but it’s tricky to grasp the standard approach with trusts and grammars etc. Thanks

Where in England is she moving too? Only a few areas still have Grammar schools so she will need to check what is around where she lives.

She will apply through the local authority at the start of year 6 naming her preferred schools (we get three but I think other areas allow more) then places are allocated based on admissions criteria which will be available via the school website.

It would be very hard to give advice around grammars/11+ without knowing the county/town she is moving to. Regarding the standard practice: there is no guarantee of getting into your nearest secondary school but in practice many people do. You fill in a form in September/October for Year 6 and you ‘express a preference’ which means you say which school you would like the child to go to first, second, third etc - exact number depends on the local area.

Places are then allocated according to each schools published admissions criteria. You can check this on the schools website and on the county website you should be able to find how over subscribed each school was (or wasn’t) over the last few years.

Look at the Admissions section of the County Council she will be moving in to. It will explain dates and also the criteria they follow for allocating a school. If the child is in Year 5 (age 9-10), applications for applying for a Year 7 space will open in the September they enter Year 6 and close around the end of October.

It will depend on where she’s moving to tbh.

In a non grammar area: she’ll need to apply by the end of October when her children are in Y6. In the vast majority of places there will be a school that she will definitely get a place at if she applies. Probably her closest school but not always. She should definitely apply to that school. She can also apply to a number of other schools on the same application (how many depend on which authority).

The schools are listed in order of preference on the application. This makes no difference to the likelihood of getting a place in any school. It just means that if the children qualify for places in more than one school they are given a place at the highest ranked school on the application and the places in the other schools are freed up for someone else.

Things to watch out for - schools that offer places by criteria other than distance (usually religious schools), distance measured by safest walking route rather than as the fire flies, local authorities that have a designated catchment area (your closest school may not be your catchment school if there are odd shaped catchments.

We applied at the start of year 5, you get a letter from your local council. We got four choices to put down but in reality they were only ever going to get into the nearest school as ours are over subscribed.

You get a place depending on the admissions criteria.

In areas where grammar is available but no
standard eg North Yorkshire areas they’ll need to sit 11+ at the school in September ready to submit applications in January
if the area is all grammar like Kent it’s a different system

Year 6 is the P7 equivalent, so is taught in Primary School.

During Y6 you apply for a secondary school.
Where you live will determine your ‘catchment’ school - you are almost certain to get a place there if you apply for it.

If you prefer a different school, then you can apply, but getting a place will be trickier and determining factors include:
Being a ‘looked after’ child (fostered or adopted or in care);
Having a sibling at the school;
Being from a ‘traveller’ family;
Having SEN that the catchment school is less able to accommodate.

Good luck!

She needs to be aware that the threshold for each year group is different to Scotland. In England, the cut off for each year group is having a birthday by the end of August. I think in Scotland the cut off is January. Just highlighting this to make sure she knows which year group they’ll be in.

Where I live they would be at middle school so no change needed until end of year 8.

As PP’s have said it depends where she’s moving to. I went to a 3 tier system so primary, middle then high school. Some areas have two tier where you go to high school from year 7. And then there’s the grammar school which you usually need to sit an exam for and pass the 11 plus. Without further detail it’s difficult to say but contact the local authority she’s moving to and they’ll help.

Standard route
In England, you school year cohort is based on your age on 1 Sept. You start Reception (year 0) on 1/9 the year that you are 4 years old, whether you were only 4 yesterday, or if you are 5 tomorrow.

Usually children move from Primary to Secondary school for Y7, ie the year they are 11 on 1 Sept.

To apply for state schools you apply to the local authority, using an online form. You put down number of schools in preference. The number of schools to put down varies across local authorities. We get 3, I’ve heard of some local authorities asking for 6 o 7.

School applications open on 1 Sept every year, and the deadline in mid Oct for secondary and early Jan for primary, but check this with the local authority. Offers are made in April.
Schools have priority criteria for admissions. You don’t necessarily go to your closest school. Proximity to the school can be very important. Faith schools can prioritise children christened in/practicing that religion.

Exceptions
Separate infants and Juniors Primary school - this is made up of Infants + Juniors. This is sometimes provided by 2 separate schools, sometimes on seperate sides, and requiring separate admissions the autumn before you want to start. Infants is reception, year 1, year 2. Juniors is Y3-6.

Some areas have first/middle/high schools. Our middle school is y6/7/8, so you apply in Y5, so you apply in the autumn of Y5.

Grammar schools - only a few grammar areas left. I’m not an expert. Some historic grammar schools retain the name, but are no longer selective.

(Sixth form is a different story all together).

Qualifying date is 31/8 not 1/9 though.

This is hugely helpful. Thank you. She’s looking to move around Yorkshire area.

Ok - I'm in Yorkshire and have a year 8 so did this not that long ago! My child did not do the 11+ but his best friend did.

In May/June of year 5 (so this May/June for the twins) your friend needs to find out what 11+ exam the grammars she is looking at do and register the twins for the exam.

In September/October secondary schools, both grammar and non-selective, will hold open days for children who have just started year 6 and will go into year 7 the following year. So she will need to look out for those for all the grammar and non-selective schools she wants to apply for.

At the same time, as the open days ( so this September/early October for the twins) they will be called to do the tests for the grammar schools they have been registered to do the tests for. During this same window they will receive information from their Education Authority about submitting their applications for Secondary school.

By late October they will have been given their 11+ results. Typically by the end of October, this form will need submitting with all their choices in order of preference. If they know their results and have passed, or they don't know their results then they can put down grammar schools first on their form.

On the first of March they will find out their allocated place. If they have passed the 11+ this may the, or one of the, grammar schools they put down. Passing the test doesn't however guarantee them a place. My child's best friend passed the 11+, put our nearest grammar school first, and didn't get in. Be aware that obviously the grammar schools want to be full, so they let more children take the test than they have places for, so the year group is still full if some children fail. However of course this means that if more pass than they were expecting, some of the passing kids won't get a place.

Thank you!

There are only 6 true selective grammar schools in Yorkshire (it’s a big place). This website seems to summarise them, and the application process. There are others eg: Prince Henry's Grammar School in Otley, and Penistone Grammar School, that are “Grammar” in name and history only, but are no longer selective (they don’t do the 11+).Yorkshire Grammar Schools

In most counties year 6 is last year of junior (primary) school.
Year 7 and 8 are secondary school.

I don’t think that’s correct. I’m a teacher and the child goes to their catchment school and if you’d like to send them to another school, you send a placing request.

edit: I thought you were referring to Scotland. Apologies!

It's impossible to draw direct comparisons between school years. As you know, our intake in Scotland is 1 March - 28 February, in England it's 1 September - 31 August. So there is a 6 month mismatch. It will depend when their birthdays are, and from what I understand there is less flexibility in England around putting children in out of year groups.

There is a mix of the tier schools with middle schools and two tier schools in Yorkshire - so she will need to look closely as schools where she is planning to live.

We live in a 3 tier first/middle/high school area in W Yorks and have had excellent experience (and excellent GCSE results for dc1 last summer). I’m happy to discuss if you/your friend are interested. I really like the three tier system.