Grammar School - contextual offer time?

[Keepyourkidsafe]

In light of recent changes to make & increase use of contextual offers in order to level the playing field for Oxbridge entry, I am at a cross roads as I am considering what many public school parents have been contemplating for some time......stopping the endless struggle & sacrifices to pay school fees and divert the funds to buying a house in an eye watering expensive grammar catchment area.

This way we will not be affected by the impact of contextual offers and still have a higher disproportionate chance of securing a top/Oxbridge university.....we can spend the saved cash on luxuries like cars, holidays, regular visits to restaurants, designer clothes, etc....

It seems like an obvious choice, right?
However, I am in a moral dilemma as it feels wrong to potential take places from other less fortunate kids that would otherwise have got our places (which we would have secured via additional support of paid tuition).

Is it fair that I and many others like me can buy our way to grammar schools by paying through our teeth for houses in the right catchment areas and extra tuition?
This isn't a new phenomenon but there are many like me about to join the grammar system, making it even more competitive, so we do not suffer from the impact of contextual offers.

My question is should grammar schools also be treated in the same way as independent schools and have quotas applied as they are now more disproportionately represented at Oxbridge and leading universities.

@Wingdefender
I am talking about my area. You drive round and there’s posters everywhere for tutoring, there’s summer camps, Easter camps. Summer is full of schools open for mock 11+ Exams.

Three - Four years ago it wasn’t this way here. I don’t know what happened, but something did and now competition is fierce which pushes the pass mark up. It is cost prohibitive here.

On another disadvantaged children note. The practice papers are only able to be taught at home if a parent is engaged and understands them, themselves. So the child with natural ability but not involved parents don’t stand a chance and surely they are the ones grammar is for?

How old are your DC OP?

What you actually need to do if you want to find a school which will suit your DC, which might be an independent a grammar or a good state school, but you won’t really know until your DC are in year 3/4 at primary.

If you can work from anywhere, why don’t you find an area with good independents, grammars and state schools, so that you have the choice.

Whether it is prepping at home or hiring a tutor, it is all tutoring,. I agree there is no need to tutor intensively for years but work is needed. You need to have motivated parents to find out about the schools, the tests, cover the syllabus, find and buy the papers, go through the questions at the very least. In non-grammar areas the topics are not covered by state primaries, while some state primaries run 11+ school clubs, most don't.

Not all grammars are the same, some are easier to pass, the others hugely competitive. I know people who sat 11+ in various areas passing some but not getting through to 2nd stage in the others. It is not as simple as being bright, as everyone sitting the test is bright, no one I know who is sitting the 11+ is not in the top set,. It is not the brightest who gets highest marks, Ii is the bright enough and well prepped. And even then you need to pray and hope they don't have a bad day.

If you look at contextual offers at Oxford, I don't think that attending a grammar school in a desirable area is going to give you any advantage.

www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/decisions/contextual-data

I also don't think the contextual offers are all that great: it just means they accept AAA instead of AA*A.

Apologies but the post doesn’t read as genuine, more like the synopsis for an article in the daily Mail or similar. You can’t buy a place at grammar school your kids have to pass an exam, tuition is no guarantee. You made errors in the introductory post then corrected / denied them “ I’m not saying I’d get a contextual offer from a grammar” but that’s what your 1st post implies.