Anyone got experience of in-year admissions grammar schools?

[SpoonsAndForks]

DS1 is at our local selective grammar and doing very well there. DS2 was 0.25 marks under the pass mark so is due to go elsewhere in September, but lots of his friends are going to the grammar and he's not feeling positive about his alternative.

I've found out that places do sometimes come up in years 7,8 & 9 and that approximately 30-40 boys sit an 11+ style test for each place that comes up.

I'm considering DS sitting these tests but recognise it could be a route to misery as only one of the 30-40 can get the top grade each time.

Anyone's DSs ever done this? Any success? Any bad reactions from DSs? Any idea if the children sitting are moving in from other areas or others like me who were near misses and want to have another go?

Not a DS, but a DD; at the end of year 7, three places came up at a local grammar, 24 sat and she was one of the successful ones. Of the other two who were offered places, I know that one was new to the area, not sure about the other. I have no idea of the split between 'movers in' and 'second timers' like DD in the group as a whole.

Not sure whether she would have stayed on the CI list if she hadn't been successful, but despite the poor opinion of Ofsted and the local press of the school where she had spent the year, we were all happy with it and she was (obviously) doing very well there. So for her, failure for a second time would have been disappointing but not a disaster.

Thanks that's interesting, glad it worked out for her.

Realise I meant to put DCs not DSs!

I did this. I failed my 11+ and ended up on an assisted place at a local private school. The government then changed the rules about assisted places so I sat a 12 or 13+ exam and moved to grammar school in the spring term of year 8. I had never thought before that other people might have been contesting for the place so that makes me feel happy! My parents didn’t make the same mistake with my sister of assuming she was bright so would pass - she was tutored!!
I loved my time at grammar school, the only disappoint was that they didn’t do Latin which I had been enjoying at the private school.

If he is unsuccessful this time would u keep trying? My main concern would be whether he would end up with a complex if he kept ‘failing’- particularly if his older brother is already there.

It's a risk and one that may not pay off. And you may run the risk of your DS never fully feeling 'settled' in the school he's going to, if you're both banking on him getting into a grammar school at some stage.

At DS's super-selective there were probably about four places that came up in his year group over the course of Yrs 7-11.

And the issue of friendship groups is a bit of a red herring. Youngsters quickly move on and make new friends. DS, as with much of his single form entry primary school cohort, went to his secondary school alone. After the first day it wasn't a problem that he'd not gone with friends.

Good luck to your DS.

Thanks both, good to hear your views and experiences.

I definitely think there's a risk to my son's self esteem if he tries and fails again so I'll think very carefully on whether to go this route.

I would say that allowing your DS to have 'one bite at the cherry' would be fine, OP, but no more for fear of potentially impacting on his self-esteem.

OP Are children actually allowed to do another test later if they've already done the 11+ but not scored high enough for grammar school ? That's not allowed in our area.

Well it depends what type of area you're in. With super-selectives, it's not necessarily a case of pass: fail but the score. So someone might not get in but still be of the required level.

Missingthesea yes they're allowed to register and sit new tests for any in year spaces that come up in years 7,8 & 9, regardless of results of their initial entry test. I was very surprised to discover this.

SpoonsAndForks Thanks for explaining. That's quite a good idea. Here, the children get one chance and that's yer lot!