Music and Language aptitude

[ElvenDreamer]

Hi, does anyone have any recent experience of music aptitude tests for Herts and Essex and music and language at Hockerill? DD sits for both in the next couple of weeks. My question is how do you find out what their result means? We are told they will get a score shortly after sitting the test, but in the absence of any previous years data of scores of children who got in, this is meaningless. I've scoured the website and asked google all kinds of questions but can't find any historical information at all, does anyone have any insight?

Bump

They give you this info with your results so you can assess the chances of getting in before the deadline.

Ah, perfect, thank you!

My daughter is also taking the aptitude. I want to find out the pass mark or percentage which would give you the opportunity to apply for a day place for Hockerill xx

@Loops1981 when we went to the open day at Hockerill a lad showing us round said no one got in on aptitude unless they got around 95 % All seems very like a very stressful long shot but I guess someone has to get the places!

Its fairly easy to know if you are likely to get a place. Hockerill tell you your score and their website shows the scores required to get a place the previous year (music 95% and language 93% - although that is down on previous years). It is very competitive though and their tests are unlike most aptitude tests in the locality.

With Herts and Essex they tell you your score along with the lowest score that has secured a place over the last 3 years so if you are significantly above or below you know where you stand. DD was 10 percentage points above the lowest required so we knew she was likely to get a place (but this was for Sport, not language).

@Loops1981

My daughter is also taking the aptitude. I want to find out the pass mark or percentage which would give you the opportunity to apply for a day place for Hockerill xx

It changes every year but last year was 96% for language and 92% for music. Information is on their website (albeit hidden away a bit).

Look at the year 7 allocation information in admissions. The scores are fairly consistent though they have been inching up slowly. The lowest was for combined language and music at 90% but it will also come down to distance if your dc hits the minimum level needed ie maybe someone else with same score living nearer.

My Dd did both Hockerill and H&e tests a few yrs ago but got a much higher score for the Hockerill ones . The H&e music one can be practised for in theory but not the Hockerill one.

Thank you! She got 87.7% she did so well but not enough for day xxx

Well done to your DD @Loops1981 , music out for us too here with only low 80s , still super proud of her for giving it a try and she thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Language she was really close with just above 95 but going on previous years even that won't be enough sadly! Still, as I say, she had great fun doing them and the joy of trying out for all these places is she's had fun seeing in lots of different schools and is really positive about the idea of secondary which a few months ago we were in full denial about 🤣

My dd has just gone to Hockerill for 6th Form, after being at Leventhorpe y7-11 & aceing her GCSEs. She sat the Hockerill language aptitude test for y7 & got a score in the 90s which was below the cut off. It all works out in the end! I know kids flourishing at all the different Stortford schools & there really are no bad choices. IB is a lot more work than A levels tho!!

elevendreamer, if it came down to it would you choose hockerill or the grammar as 1st choice. 95% is really good (last year required a little over 93%) so you are in with a shout definitely so a decision to be made what order to put schools on your CAF.

Elevendreamer, it may still be worth putting it 1st if that's what you want. Last year was 95.9% language but in previous few years it was around 94% so it could return to that this year. Also in previous years combined music/lang has varied between 87-91%. Good luck x

Thanks guys, it will still go on the list as a choice as language there is a possibility of, but grammar is going to be the 1st choice and scores there suggest we may be ok. Nothing known until March however, constant anxious waiting! Herts and Essex results not back until next week but can't imagine if Hockerill music result was on the low side that H&E is likely to be much better.

Wow your DD did amazing too! Xx

This is good to know too thank you. Leventhorpe is still one of our choices did your child enjoy it there?

Yes she did. Great facilities & good teaching.

The results are out today for the Herts & Essex music aptitude test. They give your childs score and then the lowest average score that secured a place over the last three years. Does anyone know what the actual cut off scores have been in 2020, 2019 or 2018? Or how many girls actually take the test?

Yes I'd like to know that too. Had DDs score today and it was well above the last 3 yrs average but would be very interesting to know what the highest lowest score to get in has been in the last few years if you know what I mean!

In my experience (DD took them 4 years ago) the numbers don't move hugely (not more than 2-3%) so if you are well above the average then I would say you are in with a very good shout. Another decision to make !

Thank you for the information Hersetta. Yes, another desicion! When we applied to the 2 aptitude school plus 2 grammar I think I really expected maybe to end up with 1 possibility, which I would have been happy with as we liked all 4. Now results are showing all 4 as very real chances we actually have to come up with a preference order, daughter is no help as all as she'd like to go to all of them 🤣. We have made our final choices based a little bit on how easy it is to get to each one, as liking them all means things like journey times etc become quite important. Feeling very fortunate to be in a position of choice, but also wracked with angst over making good decisions. Of course, there is also still the possibility that come March we discover that every school has just been ridiculously high scoring this year so we also have a very good local back up we are happy with. Even that is technically not our catchment school though, but we are equidistant between it and our (definitely not prefferred) catchment school, which is frustrating. March now seems a long while to wait.

Your DD has done exceptionally well ElvenDreamer to have so many to choose from!
I’m still trying to discover the ACTUAL cut off marks for H&E music aptitude in the last three years as my DD score is right on the cusp. So if this year is a ‘low’ year she will just scrape in and if it’s a ‘high’ year she will just miss out. So still lots of uncertainty for us here! I did find out that 160 girls took the test and they always look to fill the 9 places available.

Tinytee, just put your choices in genuine order of preference. If you like h&e best, put it first. If doesn't effect the the chances of getting your second or third choices if you don't get a place at h&e as everything is done in an equal preference system. My daughter is in yr 10 if you have any questions.

Hello again. Now that the school allocations are out I wondered how everyone on this thread got on? My daughter has been fortunate to have been offered a place at Herts and Essex after taking the aptitude test. I hope you all received the offers you were hoping for?

@TinyTee that's lovely to hear your DD got her Herts place, we put down Chelmsford grammar as 1st choice in the end and DD got in so very happy here!