How many of us have DS or DD going into year 6 and so having secondary transfer this year?

[RTKangaMummy]

How many of us have DS or DD going into year 6 and so having secondary transfer this year?

How do you feel about it?

DS goes back to school next Monday into class 6.

He has been at same school since Jan 1999, so sort of 7 years this year.

There is one class per year and they are a very close class, have got 26 children.

How do you feel about them entering into their last year at Junior school?

I feel sad that he is going to be leaving.

Is there anybody else who is going through this especially for the first time?

DS doesn't have any younger siblings so when he leaves primary school that will be the end for the family as well. IYSWIM.

Added to this is the secondary transfer issues.

I am sure when it comes to next summer he will be ready to leave as will probably grown up alot by then.

I was just wondering if others were thinking the same as me or whether it is just me being a silly neurotic mother again

.

We are doing online forms too.

Have your DD and DS been doing the CAT tests today?

Can I join this thread? dd1 now in year 6. We went to our first open evening today. I didn't like it! we live in greenwich and you have to list 6 schools. these can include schools in the next borough - bexley. She is going to sit the 11+ and will hopefully pass, we then have a choice of 3 really good grammar schools, but what if she doesn't? the other options aren't great. The nearest comp is huge etc etc help!!!!!!!!

toomanypushchairs hello

Hope she does well in the 11+

What was open evening like?

We went round our catchment secondary school during the day yesterday (the Head does tours throughout September, with one or two other families) really, really recommend you do this - it gives you a real feel for how the school operates - observed lessons and pupils throughout the school - it really helped us with our choice as we were very impressed

That sounds better than going to open day or evening.

Good idea will enquire if we can do that with Grammar school

The open day is in a couple of weeks but is on a saturday

Did the open evening last year in dd year 5 - different feel about the school altogether - not 'manufactured' event iyswim - saw the way all the pupils we observed related to each other, Head, teachers, school (and dd, which they were very kind to)

Put my mind at rest - esp as Glos LEA will only give you your first choice and State Schools have to be included - rules out any Grammar school choices (in our case) as we are not prepared to gamble her chance to get into good, oversubscribed State Secondary (which is a 2 minute walk from our house)

Comments relate to tour not Open Evening!
(Came away from tour feeling quite dispondent over - pupils messing around over the science testing, that sort of thing)

The tour gave me a much more positive feel (and was a more geninue reflection of of how it operates day to day imo)

Comments relate to tour not Open Evening!

(Came away from open evening feeling quite dispondent - pupils messing around over the science testing, that sort of thing)

The tour gave me a much more positive feel (and was a more geninue reflection of of how it operates day to day imo)

That is interesting about the differences

DS is very stressed and upset atm about leaving primary {he has been there since 1999 and so will be 7 years when he leaves}

Everyone is talking about secondary transfer etc.

we have a meeting this evening at his school to explain more about it

How do yours feel about leaving primary?

Esp. if they don't have older siblings already there iyswim

Anybody else doing open days? Dd1 would go into Y7 right now if they'd have her...

This is a few years off for us (thank goodness) but I am still interested. What questions do you ask/do you want answered at Open Evenings/Days/Tours?

We have open day at grammar school on saturday and then on tues evening open evening at comp.

We had meeting at DS primary school to explain the 11+ exam and application system

DS will do the same 11+ exam for comp and grammar school in November

There is also a musical test in November for entry under different category

One of the schools wants a info pack showing the children's strengths with certificates and evidence of their best work etc etc.

I've mainly been keeping eyes and ears open. I have found that I've wanted to ask different questions this year than last, now that I can actually envisage dd1 going to a secondary school, and have a better idea of what would be important to us. Eg. I've been asking the pupil guides, "What kind of things are the school strict about?", as my aim is to avoid the kind of school that hands out detention for having the wrong colour socks.

Interestingly, one school we looked at as a third choice was possibly more impressive this year than last (and I liked it then, too), whereas the superpowered grammar school that we though might well be our first choice made a less good impression this time round. One more school to look at before we fill in the forms...

We were told by parents who looked round the grammar school that it wasn't very good on open day because they didn't need to try because they were so oversubcribed 700 applications for 180 places.

I meant last year when they looked round last year

What are your opinions on setting and streaming? And do you know what the schools' policies are on setting and streaming for different subjects or everything?

Hee hee, round here it's more like 1200 applications for 90 places. And boy are there some scary pushy parents. Not sure we fancy joining the scrum, tbh.

frogs

and sounds awful

Rosin That is good idea for question, thanks

I think setting and streaming is good as long as they are flexible and let them move around if in wrong group iyswim

So is that school central london frogs???

The one we looked at today is a league-table topping girls' grammar school in North London. There's also a mixed grammar school with a similar ratio of applicants to places that we didn't even bother with, because I didn't like the vibe they gave off on the phone, and heard too many horror stories about how pushy they are.

I think setting and streaming is a good idea in principle, but it depends on how wide the school's ability range is. If it's a truly comprehensive intake they I would have though some kind of setting is the only feasible way to make sure everyone can achieve their potential. Some schools stream from Y7, some don't start until they've got everyone's measure in Y8. Some do it for all subjects, some just for English and maths. I wouldn't read too much into it, myself, if overall academic standards are good.

Yes, that's true I don't think it's very important for a selective school.

My school has a very comprehensive intake. (There are no selective state schools here.) And yr7s and 8s are in completely mixed ability classes for most subjects, including English. As a policy it makes sense from certain perspectives, but not all.

So is it entry done on maths, english and non verbal or verbal reasoning

then interview

or do you have to produce a info pack on DD?

The really selective grammar schools have two tranches of testing: first they test everybody on Verbal and Non-Verbal reasoning, then the top X per cent get called back for English and Maths tests. They're not allowed to interview.

Seriously questioning whether we're going to go this route, though. I'm not sure that incredibly over-subscribed schools are necessarily that motivated to try and do the best for individuals if their face doesn't fit. We may well go for a less over-subscribed school that is a bit more rounded. After all, if you've got two schools in the top 50 or so of the league tables, and one of them takes the top 1-2% of the ability range while the other has the top 30%, or even a banded comprehensive intake, which one is actually doing better for the individual children?

Wow! I never knew there were schools that were that selective.