11 plus support thread

[user153876909]

Hi folks,

My DS is sitting the 11 plus for some of the superselective grammar schools in London next month. We did a mock test today and got the results back, which have put me in a bit of a panic mode. I thought we were almost there with the prep but it seems we still have quite some work to do.

Anyone else have DC taking the 11+ next month and what last minute prep are you doing?

Thanks @Meredusoleil 👍

Got results this morning - dd got a good score and we are in catchment so am very hopeful we will get an offer in March. Delighted as it is my dd’s preferred school. Good luck to others getting results this morning.

@Lockdowndramaqueen

Got results this morning - dd got a good score and we are in catchment so am very hopeful we will get an offer in March. Delighted as it is my dd’s preferred school. Good luck to others getting results this morning.

So pleased for you - us too! I cannot wait to tell DD her score - she is going to absolutely buzzing!

Congrats @BumbledBee - now our Dds can celebrate and relax and get on with lots of fun stuff in year six.

@Lockdowndramaqueen

Got results this morning - dd got a good score and we are in catchment so am very hopeful we will get an offer in March. Delighted as it is my dd’s preferred school. Good luck to others getting results this morning.

Good news! Now you can relax. I've told my girls they need at least a score of 300 based on previous years cut off, as they are OOC. Fingers crossed for them 🤞

@meredosoleil I hope they get what they need. 🤞🤞🤞

Kent Test people - is the KCC portal showing for your child
Status:
LA Has Received the Registration

There’s nothing to indicate that it’s actually been taken. Presuming info will be updated later, but this is our first time so a bit apprehensive of the system.

Thank you and good luck to all others still waiting.

Oh, I think I’ve misunderstood how this works. Do KCC send an email?
Good thing it wasn’t me sitting the test!

KCC do send an email, they normally seem to start late morning (though they say after 4pm). Then at some point today if you log back in to the portal, your results will show there too. Good luck everyone!

Email it is - we’ve had it, and it’s a very good pass. Phew!

Congratulations!

Congrats to everyone for the nice results. Regardless of whether the kids met the criteria, as a result of the 11+ preparation, they'll certainly be ahead of their peers and all this effort will not have gone to waste. Overall it's been a positive experience for DS, he actually quite enjoyed giving the exams (despite the nerves) and has come out of the whole thing feeling much more confident in himself.

DS met the criteria for the Sutton grammars but since they don't give the scores and we're well out of catchment I'm not sure what our chances are and we'll have to wait till March, which is annoying.

@user153876909

Congrats to everyone for the nice results. Regardless of whether the kids met the criteria, as a result of the 11+ preparation, they'll certainly be ahead of their peers and all this effort will not have gone to waste. Overall it's been a positive experience for DS, he actually quite enjoyed giving the exams (despite the nerves) and has come out of the whole thing feeling much more confident in himself.

DS met the criteria for the Sutton grammars but since they don't give the scores and we're well out of catchment I'm not sure what our chances are and we'll have to wait till March, which is annoying.

Hi @user153876909 Well done! Did he pass all three? If he passed all three, the chances of getting a place if you lost on the CAF are very good.

*list them
Sorry, typing on my phone!

@BumbledBee yes, he passed for all three, so fingers crossed for at least one - though Wilson's is our top choice by far. A long wait till March.....
congrats to your DD too!

[quote user153876909]@BumbledBee yes, he passed for all three, so fingers crossed for at least one - though Wilson's is our top choice by far. A long wait till March.....
congrats to your DD too![/quote]
I hadn't realised until now that Sutton Grammar and Wallington have oversubscription criteria that include catchment areas. So that makes it a bit tougher.

Wallington boys just ring-fence 15 places for certain postcodes I think, unless that's changed?

DS is at Wilson's and I remember the frustration of having to wait until March. Girls get their scores and while it is lovely knowing DD has a place already, there's something nice about the boys starting not knowing. 6 girls in DD's class passed, but with very different scores, which are obviously being discussed.

Ah yes, just looked more into Wallington criteria and you're right it seems to be around 15 places. I think Sutton grammar have quite a bit more.

Planning to add all 3 to CAF form in our order of preference. I know that you should put the schools in your order of preference but what happens if you're waitlisted for your top school. Sometimes you won't know until September whether you get a place so in the interim do you not have a confirmed place at any of the schools?

@BumbledBee I agree that it's nice for the boys to begin secondary school on an even keel, without any preconceptions of where they stand with respect to their peers. So I understand and quite like the idea of not giving out the actual scores. Would have been nice to have a coarse banding system though, to help the decision making for parents.

@user153876909

Ah yes, just looked more into Wallington criteria and you're right it seems to be around 15 places. I think Sutton grammar have quite a bit more.

Planning to add all 3 to CAF form in our order of preference. I know that you should put the schools in your order of preference but what happens if you're waitlisted for your top school. Sometimes you won't know until September whether you get a place so in the interim do you not have a confirmed place at any of the schools?

You'll get allocated the school highest in your preferences that you're eligible for, and get put on the waiting list for any higher preferences (in Sutton borough at least). There is usually a bit of movement in April.

Sorry, I'm not sure if I answered the question there - you should accept your allocated school even if you're hoping for another place from the waiting list.

Yes, thanks. That makes sense!

Hello hope all your DC are doing well. I am a yr 5 mum starting to go on the 11+ journey.

On refelection, now you have been through it, what pieces of advice could you give me and what do you know now that you wish you'd known a year ago?

Thanks in advance

It’s all about the maths - I underestimated this until we did our first mock. It’s way more competitive than you think even though you know it is. Make sure your child has realistic expectations and have some good back up options that they feel good about too. I should say we were trying for SW London/ Surrey super selective state grammars so maybe less fraught elsewhere. Having said all this my child seemed mostly quite calm about it all and we got the result we wanted so I don’t want to put you off but it was definitely eye opening.

When I say it’s all about the maths I mean that seems to be the dividing line - they have to be great at English too.