WTF even IS a 'super selective' grammar school?

[PittTheYounger]

or is it just an A level in advance bragging?

[FeministStar]

Ours applies the rules for internal and external candidates, they all have to have an interview as well.

[FeministStar]

Our local school is non-selective, non-faith and selects 6th form students based on academic ability. Consequently it's the top achieving 6th form in the county.

[Frikadellen]

A super selective means that they require above " just " passing the 11+

Using Kent Sevenoaks/Tonbridge/Tunbridge Wells area there are 6 grammar schools and 1 Academy with a grammar stream.

Of the 7 schools.

1 (the Academy) takes children who either passed with low pass (so around 360 for pass make) and children who just missed out (so down to about 350)

2 takes girls/boys *one is boys only one is girls only who passed the 11+

1 Has 14 Governors' places that went to girls scoring 411 or above. Most girls offered places at this school qualified on distance grounds - and a score above 410 (this school uses inner and outer circle I think inner is 3 miles radius)

1 takes girls who passed 11+ with those who lived in their " inner area" (from memory this is a 3 mile radios) needing a score above 408, except for one who came in with 407. The 40 places offered to girls living outside the local area required an aggregate score of 415

1 takes boys who passed 11+with a score above 411

Of the schools 4 will be viewed super selective and 2 will be viewed a selective.. The last is brand new and only started the grammar steam last year at the moment I do not know if people will call it selective or luck I have heard both claimed grin

1 takes boys who passed 11+ with a score above 418 (some got in with a score of 417 but not all)


As for scores the school who takes boys who passed 11+ and then on distance/parish in 2013 scored higher in their A levels than the school who takes above 411 so even with a super selective it is not a guaranty that there is a A plus A level.

[MumTryingHerBest]

TheWordFactory And then the spaces are given to the highest achievers with no regard for faith...which does make a mockery of the whole 'chirstian ethos' that it bangs on about for year 7 I don't know the school so I don't doubt what you are saying. However, perhaps more of a point for a separate discussion I think unless you feel having the faith criteria or subsequently removing it makes the school a super selective.

[TheWordFactory]

Of course mum...

But this cull goes beyond that. And then the spaces are given to the highest achievers with no regard for faith...which does make a mockery of the whole 'chirstian ethos' that it bangs on about for year 7.

[MumTryingHerBest]

TheWordFactory Our local outstanding faith school, that insists all the year 7 arrivals have been going to church religiously, cheerfully throws out the low achieving christians after GCSE I think it is pretty standard practice with the majority of schools to insist on minimum GCSE grades to do subjects at A level.

[SorryForTheTypos]

This is not a grammar school area.

The choices are:

1 super selective which has no catchment area or boundaries - children from all over the region apply. It doesn't have a pass mark - it takes the highest scoring students. No sibling priotity. Because of the numbers applying it is highly unlikley that anyone other than the absolutley most able children will get in. There are literally thousands of children applying each year, all of whom are probably among the brightest in their class as there'd be no point applying otherwise.
A number of faith schools which are all over subscribed.

A few which have the "fair banding" process - so an exam but they take so many from each band and not just the best (but this makes it almost impossible to predict whether your child will have a good chance of going there).

Normal comps and academies. The ok ones are ridiculously oversubscibed. The poor ones undersubscribed.

[RabbitOfNegativeEuphoria]

The DDs' superselective does not cull at 6th form. Some people choose to leave because they don't fancy it, but pretty much everyone stays.

[smokepole]

Unless I had not sent her to her Dads..

[smokepole]

The four local 'Modern schools' that DD1 could have attended ( unless I had sent her to her Dad) have 4,4,6,9 % high attainers respectively . The school DD1 went to was not exactly filled either with high ability students either with just 15 %.

The the four local schools for the first time in 2013 all attained over 40% at GCSE ,hardly stellar results. However, DD1s school despite its 'average' reputation (52% GCSE) really helped DD1 achieve her potential.

[Hakluyt]

"MrsZiegler what perplexes me though is given that such a tiny percentage of the very bright are creamed off why are all the other (comprehensive) schools in our LA so very bad?"

Define "bad"

[TheWordFactory]

It's not only superselectives that cull.

Our local outstanding faith school, that insists all the year 7 arrivals have been going to church religiously, cheerfully throws out the low achieving christians after GCSE and takes in non-believeing high achievers at A level ...

[Hakluyt]

In Kent the top 23%ish go to grammar- the pass mark is slightly adjusted every year to ensure that 23% of the kids taking the test =the number of grammar places available. There are also a few super selectives that have their own entry exams- I think you have to be top 2% ish to get into those.

[Doobydoo]

We are fortunate in that the secondaries in super selective area and not super selective area with grammars ,are very good secondaries

[Doobydoo]

In my neck of the woods there are grammars....super selective seems to mean that if you get a pass you are not automatically guaranteed a place at the school I am on about.They have no catchment area and take from the highest score down until places are filled.So one year you get in with 225 another 239 as lowest score.

[MrsZiegler]

oh 'Bad as in way "below national average"' ... but more than just the results considering that they should have a full mix of abilities there is poor provision for more academic students, moral is low, facilities aren't great, not happy schools etc :/

[smokepole]

The general thinking ( especially on here) is that super- selective's have less of an effect than top 25-30% grammar schools on neighbouring schools.
DD2s grammar make up is almost like an 'academic' comprehensive, with a 68/32% high/ middle ability students, DS's grammar has very similar statistics. However, because of the relative low level of the students abilities the effect is multiplied on the Kent coast and the non selective schools really suffer. DD2 would not have passed for 'Super selective' DS would probably have passed.

The other problem that was created was that DD1 had to live with her dad 25 miles away, to attend the best 'Secondary' that was available .