Common Entrance Exam

[hydromanbj]

Hi,
My DD is applying several secondary private schools for 2019 entry at Y7.
I was told to pick one "first choice" and one "second choice" school and put them on the CE application paper. The exam paper will be marked by the "first choice" school. If she fails the first choice, then the paper will be forwarded to the second choice school.
My question is: if she fails both school, if and how can we obtain the paper and send to some other schools for consideration?
Many thanks!

I don’t know if it is the same everywhere but here you need to apply for the schools you are interested in at the start of the process. If you wait until you are looking at 3rd/later schools then you will be at the back of the queue of people who have already applied IYSWIM. I don’t know if the exam papers will then also be shared - ‘late’ application may mean a separate assessment test is required for that school for your child.

Are you sure it’s not 13+ common entrance you’re talking about,? That’s for entry into year 9. Private schools don’t have any ‘common entrance’ into year 7. For yr 7 each school has its own entry exam, except if you are applying to schools that are part of a consortium? Eg NCLS and Habs are part of one, but in that case you usually would be applying to all the schools within that consortium which is more than just two.

That’s true...I missed the bit about y7.

Do you mean the pre-test taken in Year 6 for Year 9 entry?

Yup - I too think you have crossed wires. At 11+ you apply to as many schools as you want individually and choose where to go from your offers. If your dc doesnt get into them then she don’t have a place - the process is over. Some schools, particularly in London are in consortia so the child doesn’t have to take endless exams it I don’t think you have to rank the schools. Not sure how it is decided where you take the test though.

The stuff about exam papers being handed on is for 13+ common entrance. It is annoying that the same name is used for both exams.

Thanks a lot. It's now clear to me. We simply do have only two "choices". It seems unrealistic to count on 3rd or 4th choice.

Thanks all for the help! Even at 11+, the competition is so fierce that we as parents can barely cope with! More schools are adopting their 13+ admission procedures into 11+ now.

Yes, a pre-test at 11+ is a normal part of deciding who to make a conditional offer to (other possible elements being reference, interview, taster day etc). You then choose one 'first choice' option for the actual CE exam, but you do not have to do this until spring before the exams (taken the June before entry)

Does your DD actually have conditional offers to choose between? Or is this a consortia of schools using ISEB papers in a competitive exam?

You can apply for non-CE and non-ISEB schools as well, so although it might only be two free participant school, it is not two full stop.

And do remember that CE is. qualifying exam, not a competitive one. It is pretty rare for anyone to fail (unless destination school has mucked up numbers, in which case they will be warning prep heads before the time formal First Choice is made.

So unless you have chosen a school where the pass mark really is going to be a struggle (and your head should make it very plain to you if they think it's unrealistic), you really can expect your DC to meet the conditions of the offer. It's all set up for success (but that never stopped anyone fretting!)