11 plus support thread 2022

[PalindromemordnilaP]

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.

My older dd is in year 8 now and loving it. More pressure for the second child though. Been stressful. Hope you did something nice this evening to celebrate

Is anyone else in Trafford? DS sat on 20th September but so far we've only been told the results will be available "before 31st October" 🤷🏻‍♀️
DS is autistic, he's hugely bright but also very impressionable and lacks social skills. Our catchment non-selective is genuinely dire - only 50% pass English and Maths, and I would be so worried about him going there as he needs peers who will be a positive influence.
So I feel very stressed about it all!

I think its only around 50% who get a grade 5 pass in maths and english nationally....

I was a bit shocked when I looked at local stats but that is representative.

It's only 34% get a 'strong' pass (level 5?) at our local high school. 50% get just a regular pass and only 10% get the ebacc.

The pass rates don't actually scare me that much, it's inevitable a grammar will have much better scores as they are creaming off the top students in the first place where the other schools have to take everyone, I guess the progress 8 scores are the more interesting bit, plus other provision. But the other provision bit is even more annoying, surely if you are having to take kids of all abilities then if anything the provision level should be greater or how can you possibly help level the playing field, and it's not like the state grammars get any more funding or whatever to provide it either 🤷‍♀️

@wejammin we're in Trafford and sat on 20th too. Same boat. Non-selective is dire. It's the all boys school and DS is adamant he doesn't want to go there and I can't blame him. We will probably move out of Trafford if he doesn't get any of the Grammars here.

@jessieminto it's so bad isn't it! Our catchment school is Lostock. I've asked every single parent of a high school student I know and most didn't even put it as an option, the one parent I know who's child attends is being really badly bullied. You'd think a school of only 300 pupils could at least manage bullying.
Lots of my son's parents are considering Knutsford which is a 45 minute bus, but my DS wouldn't manage that every day and if he misses the only bus at 7:30 I can't take him as it's the opposite direction to my office.
@ElvenDreamer the progress 8 score is -0.82, but I don't actually know what that means.

Do any of you know when the 2022 data will be added to the government school comparison website.?

With the pandemic, 2019 is the most up to date, but that was 3 years ago.

@wejammin our catchment school was offered to a friends DS last year who lives 8 miles out of catchment and had only listed 1 grammar but failed to get in by 3 marks. Bullying is also rife, as is racism and local parents have complained online of segregation by race in the playground. The alternative is really not an option.

My DS is on the spectrum and struggles with the nuance needed to steer clear of the bullies, and he's also very bright but a bit lazy. If the school don't push him, he will put the minimum effort in. I know he'd achieve more in a school with higher standards.

Sorry I don't know about the data I did think it was January but could be wrong. Someone posted on here that the schools would have data by now so could share it?
I have an extra complication with results day, it was supposed to be while DS was on residential, which would have been OK, I just wasn't going to let him know the date IYSWIM. But school arranged to move the residential back 2 days, so now its literally the day before he goes. I haven't told anyone in my family the date, hoping DS won't find out at school (its a very rough school so kids less likely to be talking about results day), then if hasn't passed I am not planning on telling him until he comes back. I don't really feel right about it, but telling him the night before he goes on residential wouldn't be great either.

I think that's sensible @starpatch . If it's bad news and he'll be upset, it could taint what would otherwise be a brilliant residential. I get what you mean about it not feeling 'right' though. It's tough.

I've been thinking over how I would tell DD, if the news isn't good. Do I go in all breezy like "you haven't been selected this time, but don't worry, look at all of this fun stuff at second choice school" or do I dwell on it a bit longer and allow her more opportunity to get her feelings out and be upset, as I know she will be. I can't bear the thought of her feeling 'not good enough'.

Thanks yes this is the worst bit about it, and something I wasn't enough aware of before how they would feel about not passing. This has really made me feel so strongly that its not a good system. Its difficult to know what to say but I know my son would take it to heart and need lots of hugs. We have talked about the second choice school and it has the advantage of being mixed, so that is one definite positive that the grammar doesn't have.

I know mine will be really upset as she has said so. She's also worried all her friends will go to grammar and not her 😔.

I've come up with the theory that Trafford results will be out next Friday. It's also the middle of the month and will then give the weekend for parents to get a grip before schools and the council are open again to answer questions.

Ours in the south come out next Friday. Or rather they are posted then! So it will be eagerly waiting on Saturday and hoping it's not delayed in the post!

I havent found out exactly if we can appeal based in their usual standard of working. Online when Ive googled Ive seen others appeal but that's different areas where you can appeal if you're a mark or two away.

I've not even thought about the appeals process. I'm not very good at all that. It's marked by a computer so unlikely to be wrong, where a remark would give a different result. I think it just is what it is now. I'm trying so hard not to think about it.

Yes marked by a computer here too but lurking on the elevenplus forum there's a whole section for appeals where people have not obtained the mark they expected. I suspect in my area appeals would only be for disruption on exam/awful event at home etc but I kind of want to know if it's "a thing" or possible!

I've been told disruption on the day affects everyone in the room, therefore unlikely to be reason to appeal. Nor is them not being well on the day. We were warned not to take him in for the exam if he wasn't well enough. I was under the impression that 'problems at home' would fall under that too, that parents should not take them and do the alternative test date instead, then cite issues at home if they were still affected by the 2nd test date. Eg losing a grandparent 2 days before the exam, don't take them. Wait 2 weeks. Still put in reasons for why performance may be impacted and then appeal will be more favourable than taking them for the first exam date.

I can't imagine many appeals being successful, as pp's have said, you are usually told that presenting them for examination means they are fit to take it etc, and any disruption on the day would affect all of them anyway. I suspect again this is something that may differ from area to area too, I don't think any appeals have ever been successful in our area. One week to results now, then obviously potentially 5 more months of nail biting until March 1st. 😬

Hi, can I join? My DS sat the 11+ on 17th Sept. We are Birmingham area and already have a DS at one of the harder to get in grammar schools so I’m checking my email box every 5 minutes in case they release the results early. My boy needs to achieve priority score to go to the school his brother attends. If he gets in between qualifying (205) and priority (224) then I’ve got a nail biting decision about whether to put down a different grammar for him.

I have previously lurked but first time posting in this thread.

Our area is releasing the results TODAY!

I have never refreshed me emails as often as I have this morning. Refresh 986 and counting. It's horrible.

I'm pretty sure DS didn't pass as he ran out of time and guessed quite a few so am hoping he just got lucky!

Well done to your son @Roomba my DS is there and loving it. He’ll be in year 10 by the time your DS joins which is terrifying!

@JoshLymanIsHotterThanSam and @MavisMonkey

I can't imagine what it's like to be waiting on the second DCs result, knowing that the 1st DC is already in the first choice GS. It may be us in 3 years. Good luck to you.

Huge good luck today @MavisMonkey . I'd be just like you if our results were coming by email. As it is, I think I'll be stalking our postie.

@PalindromemordnilaP its not such a worry for me. I have 4 DC. DC1 and DC3 did not pass and went to local comps. DC1 has left her comp now but DC3 is in year 8 so DC4 will join him if he doesn’t get into DC2s school.

DS2 was desperate to get into LRGS as DS1 is currently there (Y12 now and has thrived during his years there, despite his hatred of rugby!). He keeps joking that he plans to join DS1's after school D&D club - DS1 is decidedly unimpressed with that idea 😀

I am so relieved for him, as the maths work he is doing at school seems to be so far behind what DS1 was covering by Y6 (thanks to COVID), plus I couldn't afford tutoring and he is one of the youngest in his year. He looked really tiny next to most of the other boys that sat the test with him - I know scores are age adjusted, but I felt bad putting him through it all when he only turned ten a couple of weeks prior!