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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

11 plus support thread 2022

623 replies

PalindromemordnilaP · 23/09/2022 20:35

Anyone else have a DC sitting 11+ this Autumn?

If so, would you like to chat on a support thread?

DD is sitting her exam tomorrow.

Anyone else? Waiting for the results will be nail-biting.

OP posts:
Aethelfleda · 20/10/2022 19:13

Sorry to hear that @jessieminto , and yes the exam tourism phenomenon is deeply, deeply annoying. We live 0.3 miles from the grammar DS didn’t get into and seeing lots of children walking to and fro in the nice uniform my DS can’t have makes it harder as it’s not their fault the system is flawed and gamed by so many people.

Yeah, the 11 plus forum is great but at the same time oh so annoying as people constantly post “how can I move in twenty seconds next to the faberoony Grammar, oh and what’s it like? we didn’t actually visit” type queries. the only reason I post on there is for the smaller proportion of very genuine queries from normal folk who are tying to understand and work through the system rather than manipulate it.

Aethelfleda · 20/10/2022 19:14

good luck for all Trafford people, btw!…

Original poster
PalindromemordnilaP · 20/10/2022 21:30

Wow! I'm obviously naïve as I had no idea that that level of exam tourism was going on. Who would subject their child to that? What if they move to some totally un-researched area and the school isn't a good fit?

I knew some kids traveled a long way to go the grammar that DD applied for, but the furthest travel distance I heard was 1.5 hours.

Congratulations to those who have got the results that they wanted.

I'm having mixed feelings at the moment. Elated for DD, but also hearing about the upset, disappointment and feeling of not being 'good enough' that my friends' DCs are experiencing has been awful.

OP posts:
Pearfacebanana · 20/10/2022 23:07

The exam tourism thing.... a lot use the school we want as "practise." The school we want is not grammar but has part entrance exam (weird set up - state boarding with day places) so basically lots of kids from Nearby cities use ours as a back up / practise for grammar. They don't actually want to come to ours as there is some fee to pay and they can potentially go to Birmingham for free.

This then means if they rank it causes a delay to people like us lower down the list who may actually still get in... but we have to wait until they manage to get in where they really want. So frustrating.

ElvenDreamer · 21/10/2022 09:43

@Pearfacebanana that really sucks. Something I'm thinking on this thread is that it may well run a while, so many counties places are not guaranteed by good results, so many if us will be nail biting through until March st the earliest, then potentially even longer if we have to sit on waiting lists. I'm already fed up, been reading most recent govenment data on other local schools and it really doesn't make pretty reading, I know results are not the be and end all but frankly most don't have a whole lot else going for them either, and any that do are so oversubscribed it's virtually impossible to get in.

Aethelfleda · 21/10/2022 15:12

Well, my review application for DS is in… so I can relax knowing we’ve tried, and if a place doesn’t materialise then we’ll make the best of it, as the alternative is being bitter and twisted for 6 years and I’m not going there. Far better to think positive and support my DC.

Coops1988 · 21/10/2022 19:46

@Aethelfleda You're doing your best, but yes, if it doesn't happen moving on is the best thing to do. I have a friend who is still upset and making comments over the 11+ in regards to her son who is now Year 8 at a great non-grammar. He's doing well, he's fine, but she's still upset over the school he's not at. It even caused issues in her marriage because she was upset over the non-hiring of a tutor/her husband not doing more prep with the son.

Aethelfleda · 21/10/2022 21:47

@Coops1988 that sounds really difficult, yes it’s hard. I’ve been here before as while DD1 is at grammar, DD2 missed the exam again due to dyslexia slowing her down and dropping spellings, so him not getting there is a rerun ( but without the review bit as she was a bit further short so we decided better not to). The schools are fab but the system is unforgiving and uses a very crude sorting system to decide what’s “grammar suitable”.

Aethelfleda · 21/10/2022 21:50

and we do have a very good comp as our backup which definitely helps. The approach I’ve taken with all the DC is to say “look at these schools, if you like them then let’s have a try and see what happens”. Relatively few kids at our school are through, which means most will go to the comp, including other bright and motivated ones.

Coops1988 · 21/10/2022 22:21

Aethelfleda · 21/10/2022 21:50

and we do have a very good comp as our backup which definitely helps. The approach I’ve taken with all the DC is to say “look at these schools, if you like them then let’s have a try and see what happens”. Relatively few kids at our school are through, which means most will go to the comp, including other bright and motivated ones.

Our area is a mixed bag if you don't get the grammars. Some in DDs class took it as a try and see. If you live the right side of the city you can get a good comp, but in the centre or south side the options are a Catholic school, two not great schools or travelling out of the city. As far as I can tell DD is the only girl I her class with a good ranking, one girl I'd borderline and the rest haven't met the qualifying standards to apply. 3 boys have hit qualifying standards for 3 different schools. Out of the class 4 boys and 8 girls sat the test. At least one "bright kid" didn't sit it because he doesn't like the idea of the grammars at all. We went out of area for primary school to have her in a more diverse school that we loved. If she was at our nearest nearly everyone in the class would have sat it.

Aethelfleda · 22/10/2022 21:12

a glass of vino and some solidarity for those of you still waiting!

doggodilemma · 25/10/2022 21:41

I found this video which explains how the admissions work - useful if you're unsure where to put your options with uncertain 11+ scores: mathsconcierge.co.uk/11-information/

ElvenDreamer · 26/10/2022 15:57

One of my chief irritations is how schools try and tell you you must put them first or you won't get a place, it scares people into not chancing their 1st choice in case they lose their 2nd. ALWAYS put in your true preference order, it will not jeopardise your chances at schools lower down your list if you don't get your 1st choice.

ElvenDreamer · 26/10/2022 15:59

On another thought, how many people in here are on the anxious wait until March train now? I know lots know their place automatically at this point but many counties don't work like that. I will be waiting, thinking maybe to start a new thread, or shall we just hang out in here?

Pipsquiggle · 26/10/2022 17:39

ElvenDreamer · 26/10/2022 15:59

On another thought, how many people in here are on the anxious wait until March train now? I know lots know their place automatically at this point but many counties don't work like that. I will be waiting, thinking maybe to start a new thread, or shall we just hang out in here?

@ElvenDreamer

Please could explain what other counties do?
In my area you put in priority order the schools you'd like your child to attend - you can put down up to 6 schools. If they have passed the 11+ you can include grammars.

In March we will find out if my DC has got into their 1st choice grammar (we might not get in due to distance) or 2nd choice grammar. If they are full we then move to our 3rd choice which is the local comp - however, it would be highly unlikely that would happen.

What happens in other areas?

MKDmumofflash · 26/10/2022 19:09

ElvenDreamer · 26/10/2022 15:59

On another thought, how many people in here are on the anxious wait until March train now? I know lots know their place automatically at this point but many counties don't work like that. I will be waiting, thinking maybe to start a new thread, or shall we just hang out in here?

Anxious wait here for our preferred option (distance criteria). Has a 'score order' backup but its not her preferred choice....

Neither are in full grammar school areas though @Pipsquiggle which may make a difference.

Dynamix · 26/10/2022 20:28

Also on the wait till March. North Yorkshire operate an 'equal preference' system whereby schools are not told if you have put them 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc but they simply know who has applied and have to administer their oversubscription criteria- they then send this back to county and you are matched in order of your preference.

We only have one grammar school in our area so have put this as our first choice as DD passed the 11+. If we were in catchment a place would be guaranteed, but as we are not it'll go on distance, so we have the long wait till March to see if we've made it.

Pearfacebanana · 26/10/2022 22:03

Yeah we have to wait until March now...

Pipsquiggle · 26/10/2022 22:23

But doesn't every child in the country comp or grammar have to wait until March for secondary school allocations?

Granted some might be absolute shoe-ins EG. Lives next door to the school, but they will still only get confirmation in March

MagnaQuestion · 26/10/2022 22:55

In Dorset if you're in catchment and you've passed historically that's always meant you've got a place. They set the pass mark so all in catchment get in and another class ish are available for out of catchment.

So although they don't guarantee it as such if you're in catchment and pass you're in!

LockInAtTheFeathers · 26/10/2022 23:33

Everywhere in England operates the equal preference system- that's not specific to any region. National Offers Day is also in March for the whole country. Some grammars offer places by score, some by distance/catchment if you are over a certain pass mark and some by a combination of these systems, so if you have a very high score for those schools that go by this (and I think some schools even tell you that your score is in the top X of those who took the test), or are over the pass mark and live close to the school for those who use this system, you can be pretty sure of a place, even if it won't be formally offered until March. For others, there will be a more uncertain wait until March for how low the score goes down or how far the distance goes out to see if they'll get a place at their chosen school.

ElvenDreamer · 27/10/2022 07:40

Yes, apologies if I confused everyone, we are of course all waiting until March officially, I just know that some are basically sure of their place due to things like a ridiculously high mark, or catchment places guaranteed, or having been told where their are in the mark order so know where cut off is. Where in other areas it's all a lot less clear.

MKDmumofflash · 27/10/2022 15:33

I'm having a last minute wobble filling in this LA form. I can't talk about our reasoning with anyone locally so haven't got anyone I can sanity check this with!

School A is local comp. All DDs friends going there, pass rates not great and Progress 8 below average, including brighter cohort. Bus provided but no after school clubs etc.

School B - grammar 40 mins away, no catchment so friends potentially far flung. No friends from primary going and no transport options. Good range of extra curricular.

School C - DD's favourite. Will mean boarding Mon- Fri but DD utterly desperate to go. Amazing extra curricular and results, heavily oversubscribed.

DD desperate for School C, but I've been reading too many MN threads about how the school down the road is always better and so am wobbling. I know boarding is controversial but she really wants to try it and it's close enough to home for her to continue friendship groups locally but make friends at school too.

She could try C and step back to A if it doesn't work. School B oversubscribed so a place would be difficult there later on.

I am having a final wobble over putting C first...

ButterflyBiscuit · 27/10/2022 16:14

Isn't C a lot of expense unnecessarily? Can you easily afford boarding or will it mean going without other things. Could you save those 7 years of boarding fees and have a huge deposit for a house for example!?

MKDmumofflash · 27/10/2022 16:40

It is, yes but its not on a full on private boarding scale. We can't move due to employment/tied accommodation reasons.