How bright does a child need to be to pass entrance exams

[Aunti]

My local comprehensive is rated outstanding and I've applied for a place for DD.
I'm a little anxious about her not getting in so I'm thinking about putting her through an entrance exam for the local independent school.
I don't want to knock her confidence though by over facing her.
In her last school report she got all As. She also won an outstanding reader award for 8 feeder schools to the local outstanding comprehensive. The feeder schools are all in an expensive middle class area, 5 of sthe feeder schools are rated outstanding.
She's an August baby too so one of the youngest in her year.
Sorry to sound a little unsure I'm from a working class background, none of my family have been privately educated.

Tbh I think it depends enormously on the individual school.

Depends entirely on the school. To get into some you need to be pretty clever - grammar school standard and above. Others will take a wider range.
Suggest you look at GCSE results - are they getting 100% 5 A-c in which case probably top 20% of ability range. Or is it lowe.
Ask the school for past papers and an idea of required standard.

It will depend on the actual school and many of them have their own entrance exams and have sample papers on their websites.

Some independents are super-selective taking potentially all A*/A students but others are more mixed ability but may still test the child to see their potential, for setting and scholarships. It will also depend in which area you are as in the town I live the "fight" for indie places is high and in other places in the country it is less so.

The 2 local independents are both in top 50 independent schools for GCSE results. One is in the top 10.
We are in a city were competition for good schools is intense. House prices in areas with outstanding comprehensive are very high.
Tbh I am thinking of trying to get her a place at an independent as insurance in case she doesn't get a place at the local comprehensive.

Well, if the schools are top 50 in the country then presumably 80%+ 7-9 at GCSE? I would imagine that such schools are likely to be very competitive.

To get in there, she'd need to be very academic (say, top 10% in a decent primary, going by attainment not ofsted) and very well prepared for the exam + have sth to say for herself in the interview.

Are you worried about the distance from your chosen comp? If you live close by, you shouldn't have a problem getting in.

I think you are playing with fire. Once she has sat the exam and passed to go to the independent school, will she not be devastated that she will not actually get to go if she gets a comp place? My DCs would have hated this carrot being dangled and then withdrawn. Ask yourself if this is fair. Choose one route or the other because not going to an independent school when the place has been earned is a bit like my Aunt who was not allowed to go to the grammar school because her sister hadn't passed the 11 plus. The unfairness of that has stayed with her all her life. If she gets a place, forget the comp.

Once she has sat the exam and passed to go to the independent school, will she not be devastated that she will not actually get to go if she gets a comp place?

Not necessarily - surely it depends on the schools in question, and on the child. DD did the exam for the local independent as we weren't sure if she would get into our preferred comprehensive, and we hated the other local options.

As far as dd was concerned, the private school was only ever a last resort, and our first choice of comprehensive was infinitely more desirable. I agreed with her - despite the better facilities at the independent school, I thought the comp was a much better school.

"Once she has sat the exam and passed to go to the independent school, will she not be devastated that she will not actually get to go if she gets a comp place?"

That depends on the school, the child and the way it is presented and discussed. MN is full of children preferring comprehensive places over grammar, Dc's sixth form is stuffed with former private school students who have chosen to swap at sixth form having a ball.....

So many assumptions.

If she sees the private school place as insurance in case she doesn't get the coveted comprehensive school place, then I see no reason why she would be anything other than delighted when she gets into the comprehensive. It's very strange to think of an inconvenient, fee paying school as a carrot.

What are the schools? Someone here will know then.

Have you registered for the independent school's exam? It might be already too late to go down that route, many schools had closed the registration for this year's 11+ so check with them ASAP. Have you done any tutoring? In my area it's virtually impossible to pass the 11+ without tutoring for at least 1 year prior.