Reading School entry?

[Mumtogremlins]

Hi

Recently started looking into secondary school for my DS. Looked on the 11+ forum but a bit confused and they are a bit scary! We are in catchment for Reading school and DS would probably be borderline for passing the tests, so will probably give him a chance.

My question is about how they allocate places. Do they rank all the scores and then offer to the top 100 places or so in catchment? Or do they set a pass mark and then offer to the nearest 100 that pass the test?

We are not really close to Reading so don't want to get DS excited about going if we have no chance due to distance, even though he's in catchment

Thanks

They set a pass mark, then above that anyone who passes can put Reading as their choice on the CAF form, but only the top 100 get in, so actual cut off will be higher than pass mark, how much higher you won't know til the March after you sit the exam in October. The standardized scores are also adjusted for age.

So last year for example the pass mark was a standardized score of 336 but only those 100 above 343 made the first cut - any one below 343 who passed had to go on the waiting list. This year the pass mark is the same but the actual cut off may be different as it will depend on where the 100th boy comes.

These are further admissions FAQ on Reading School's website - I think approx. 700 applied this year for 100 places (i think there are also about 12 boarding places and they can be out of catchment). As long as you are catchment, I think distance only comes into it if there is a dead heat for say the 100th place - very rare I suspect as the standardized scores go to two decimal places but I am no expert so best to check website for that up to date info.

If you are applying there, would be good to have a plan B (ours was private) and not to pile pressure on a child that it's the be all and end all or that they failed in any sense. We know some v. bright boys who did not pass ..... some of it may even be down to how a boy does on the day. They may do very well but just not enough to make the top 100.

That's great, thanks for explaining it all to me. As he is borderline, I wouldn't be expecting him to get in, more a case of you never know until you try. Good to know distance wouldn't really come into it. Plan B would be the local secondary or private. Just trying to assess all options. How he'd get to Reading is another issue!