Is anyone else waiting for 11+ results?

[rollonthesummer]

6 days to go and starting to get anxious...!

RabbitOfNegativeEuphoria Mum - it's one of the ones with very few posts. do you mean recent posts or at any time?

How are you feeling about it Avon?

I was just coming back to say that Slightlyjaded. Think we need and

There are so many threads which debate the whole Grammar and tutoring thing that it's a shame for this one to go the same way. The OP started it for support and I think it would be good if we all respected that.

Mum - I agree with you, I don't think it is possible to fluke a place. One of my teacher friends once said to me she is never surprised at the kids who get in, she is sometimes surprised and saddened at the kids who don't (she works in a fully selective county, not kent). Anyone who gets in will be good enough, I reckon. We don't have enough places, is the problem, not that people who shouldn't get in are getting in. I really don't think that happens. I do think that people who should get in aren't even applying in some areas because they wrongly believe they have no chance because they can't afford tutoring. I think if schools were allowed to tell parents their kids could do this, and should try, that would be a better system. It would possibly only benefit a few, but it would be worth it for those kids who are otherwise let down by the current system.

Mum if you want me to tell you where I live why not say so? Would you like my post code too? Recently AND over time.

Where do you live, Rabbit? It sounds like a state school paradise.

RabbitOfNegativeEuphoria Mum if you want me to tell you where I live why not say so? Would you like my post code too? Recently AND over time. No, the reason I asked is a lot of the areas are quite on there at the moment as people are awaiting results. Once the next lot of results are out there will likely be more activity (not saying that will be the case with your area btw).

Is anyone else from Trafford on this thread?

Mrsmcruff as I said, our primary school has been in special measures. So, not really paradise, no.

Mum - a handful of posts over the last several years, it looks like. And none of them about tutoring. A flurry of 'hooray' posts around results day back in March.

and are definitely required SugarPlumTree! In greater and greater quantities as next Friday approaches!!

RabbitOfNegativeEuphoria Mum - a handful of posts over the last several years, it looks like. And none of them about tutoring. A flurry of 'hooray' posts around results day back in March. Fair enough, fingers crossed it stays that way :-)

SlightlyJadedJack - Feeling OK ish about it. 5 weeks has been long enough for me to sway between being sure he's passed to thinking he could have not passed. Generally I'm v optimistic about this sort of thing and will deal with it if it's not the result we're hoping for next Friday. Have definitely upped my intake of and . Not sure how useful it was to go round the schools again this time round, as DS is v sure he wants to go to the boys school and that would be mine and DH's choice too, but felt quite jittery after going around the other week, knowing that teh decision is out of our hands effectively now.

Mum - we only know one kid who took it this time round here (I have relatives who have taken the 11+ in kent though). He really should get in, he's astoundingly bright. However his English isn't on a par with his maths so his parents are a bit concerned. It's a truly horrible time waiting, this time last year I couldn't sleep and was sick with worry (far more so than with DD1, that time round I was more willing to believe all those who told me she was a dead cert). I do hope that everyone on this thread gets good news but I will remain concerned about the tutoring culture, not least because it gives a ready made weapon to those who seek to abolish grammar schools (something that I think would be a terrible mistake).

Yes I was very relieved after he had done it. DS came home happy saying it was easier than he thought it would be and I was OK until everyone else said the same thing! My pessimistic train of thought decided that if everyone found it 'easy' then the pass mark would be really high and therefore perhaps we might better start looking at the secondaries!

We have been around a couple of the local secondaries as well as the grammars now and the good news is that he seems happy to go to either. I think he will initially be gutted if he doesn't pass but he's a very laid back child and hopefully will be fine about wherever he goes.

The hardest part for me is seeing the huge difference in results between the grammars (99-100%) and our catchment secondary (between 50-60% over the last couple of years).

"The hardest part for me is seeing the huge difference in results between the grammars (99-100%) and our catchment secondary (between 50-60% over the last couple of years)."

But if that wasn't the case, then the grammar school would be failing massively- they only have top set children -of course there's a huge difference! See if you can find out what the top set at your local secondary get. Look at the "high attainers" bit of the league table.

Another one waiting for the brown envelope next Friday - hideously long time to wait. DS so wants to pass and goes to the boys school. The only positive is that he did quite like our local secondary (which is in the process of hauling itself out of special measures...) que sera sera

InMySpareTime, yes Trafford for me too. Just wish they'd get on with it so I can get this list in to the LEA, before I forget all about it.

Yes, they do cut it fine between results and the admissions form deadline, don't they?

Slightly if the top 20% in your area (pretty much certs for 5 As to Cs) are going to the grammar, then in reality your local secondary is doing the equivalent of 70 to 80%. Not too shabby at all.

Hi Avon and SlightlyjadedJack!

Because there's no pressure on dd - her school is good; she's said she doesn't want to go to the grammar ... so am not worried. Either way is fine (though it would be good for her self-esteem to know she has passed).

Hak, I think you're missing my point. I know why both schools get what they get but the stark figures makes it look terrible - although saying that the two secondaries that we have viewed over the past couple of weeks (just slightly out of our catchment) have 75% and 80% pass rates this year which is fab in a grammar school area I think. I just wish the catchment school here was doing as well (recently had an Ofsted inspection and got a 3 / needs improvement). With regard to the high attainers info that's quite interesting, do you know how one would find that info?

Cocktail, I'm glad she's not worried, and that she has a good school! DS doesn't seem that worried and we have had a very mature chat about what school he might go to in either case.

I'm sorry but not all and probably not even most state schools cover level 6 maths at year 5. My DD was not challenged to level 6 maths until Xmas of year 6 - none of her year were, it simply wasn't taught, they were doing level 5 maths and getting in the high 90's from year 5 but level 6 was not even touched until halfway through year 6 and yes, she did pass it. The school had plenty of extremely bright children, 10 of her class went on to super selective independent schools but they had to be tutored in maths because the school wasn't particularly interested in their level 6's. They knew they would get children to pass it with minimal help. This was a so called good state primary. We are not in a grammar area but I'm fairly sure DD would have easily got into a non super selective grammar but she would have needed tutoring to cover the curriculum.In her first term at an excellent comprehensive she's in the top maths set bringing home level 7 worksheets.

I think that people giving anecdotal evidence of kids who were deemed not ready for L6 until various points during Y6 doesn't actually negate the fact that in many schools those who are ready for L6 earlier are taught at L6 when they are ready to be taught at L6. This is something that is being pushed very hard by OFSTED (obviously given the close involvement of inspectors with our primary school there was plenty of input from them about how the highest achievers should be being stretched). I think there are a lot of vested interests - the tutoring industry and those who wish to put other people off applying for selective schools and also those who have invested in tutoring and don't want it to turn out to have been a bit of a waste of money included - who want to push the agenda that state primaries do not differentiate learning enough or push the kids. I actually agree that they don't differentiate learning enough - but only beyond L6 (which sadly our school refused to even contemplate, although I know another local school did). Up to L6 the differentiation was there and indeed it was a key focus of the many many inspections we had.

And most 11+ exams only include material up to L5 anyway. And it sounds as though your DD and her friends were comfortably smashing that level for up to a year before they would have sat the exam. Without tutoring. Which was kind of my point.

Slightlyjadedjack- here

Look at cohort information.

Re levels covered in schools - DD is now a 6c in maths and English, at start of Year 6, and they did quite a lot of level 6 maths last year.