Altrincham grammar for boys

[Parent2012]

Hi there.
I am asking anyone who may have the knowledge of this to help calm our mind. Our boy has achieved 375 pass mark for Altrincham grammar for boys. We live out of catchment are about 10 to 15 miles away from the school. Do we stand the chance?

this tool says 6.7 miles, sorry
www.locrating.com/school_catchment_areas.aspx?schoolid=urn136458&schooltype=0

That's a fantastic result! He should be fine getting in from out of catchment (OOC) with that result. The selection for OOC boys is based on their scores and he would rank very highly. Please ignore the previous poster who is wrong. The girls' school uses distance solely for selection. The boys' school uses distance for in catchment applicants but ranks scores of OOC applicants and uses scores for OOC selection and your son's score is safe. Good luck.

Congrats on the high score! Sorry I don't have answer to your question however can you please share how did he prepare? Thanks!!

Catchment places for Alty Boys are based on applicants falling within a number of postcodes, hence distance is relevant. Every year there have been boys from outside catchment getting in and that's decided by where they rank based on their scores and your son has done very well so hopefully my post has reassured you. If you have any questions please ask. Congratulations.

To prepare, you need CEM preparation material. CGP and Eleven plus exams do these and there are sample materials on the Admissions page. Nearer the exams you could do some mock exams as CEM is fast paced so having experience of time management while keeping calm is important. Develop good vocabulary, comprehension and numerical skills.

Thank you very much ' OneMorePiece'. Also your answer on preparation was spot on. So, 'HonestLove' you've got good reply there, Good luck.

You need to have a look at the Trafford council secondary admissions page which has details of the outcomes for the last two years.

www.trafford.gov.uk/residents/schools/school-admissions/2023/2022-Admission-Outcomes.aspx

This suggest OOC places only went up to 5 miles in distance last year.

Best to check with Alty Boys' Admissions tomorrow if you're still unsure given the last poster's comments. Is that 5 mile distance referred to in the last poster's comment how far away the OOC boy with the lowest OOC score lived? I mean a successful OOC boy with a higher score than the lowest OOC score could potentially live further away? Unless it's changed in the last year, OOC boys (Category 5) were always ranked on their scores.

I believe 3frame may be wrong in saying that OOC places went up to only 5 miles in distance as the Trafford Council Admissions document is specifically referring to the lowest scoring OOC boy who got in. Bear in mind if there is only one OOC place left after ranking of scores is used for selection and a number of boys get the same score, the one nearest the school gets that last place. The document refers to that last place applicant. 375 is a high score so is highly unlikely to be a last place OOC applicant. Please check with Admissions if you're still uncertain or need some guidance.

Ah I see what you are saying OneMorePiece. The document isn't entirely clear is it?

I know there is a lot of discussion on the 11 plus forums so perhaps the OP could check on there in case anyone has a definite answer.

I don't have personal knowledge of AGSB but just recalled reading that mileage distance when looking on the document.

Yes, the Trafford section of the 11 plus forum may be useful. However, I do believe I am correct so if anyone suggests anything different, please check the 2023 admissions policy which is on the school website. Read the detail in the policy carefully and contact the school for clarification if necessary. 375 is a great score and if your son likes the school and it is a fantastic school, it would be a shame not to apply due to a misinterpretation of the admissions policy or the Trafford Council booklet. Bear in mind when reading the 11 plus forum that cut off scores prior to last year were based on GL assessment (some years with fewer classes) so for CEM assessment, only the 2022 admissions score is a helpful indicator.

Just to help anyone who may be following this threat. Also to add to a very informative advice from OneMorePiece. My wife did write to admission office and the reply was very good so we have put Altrincham grammar for boys as first choice. We are hopeful after reading the reply from the school.

That's excellent news. I'm glad they have clarified it for you.

Happy to hear you managed to clarify everything with the school Admissions department. Good luck with the school allocation! Congratulations once again to your son on a great result!

@OneMorePiece you sound very knowledgeable about this area, I'm just starting to learn about it as we have a yr 4. Could I ask you please, what is the 11 plus forum you refer to? Tia

The forum is on an eleven plus website at www.elevenplusexams.co.uk
It's quite useful as there is a section for each borough. We've been through the process twice and I did consult it from time to time. If you have a yr 4 child you have loads of time to prepare - start of year 5 will give you ample time.

Given that Cambridge CEM is dropping paper-based entrance exams from next year's sitting, the exam for 2024 entry may well be back to GL, unless the sxhools decide to write their own exam papers.

Hence the comment up front on the AGSB admissions page re being assured that the standard won't drop, whatever arrangements are to be put in place.

@RelentlessForwardProgress peachypops has answered your question. Keep an eye on the various school websites for any changes on admissions policy or changes in test type eg CEM to GL. Some will start updating their admissions pages in November for 2024 entry. CGP books are available for Year 4 ( CEM and GL) though most prepare their DCs from Year 5. You can practise Maths and Reading (including vocabulary) skills now as these are essential regardless of the 11 plus but don't apply too much pressure in Year 4.

Many thanks for your help @peacypops and @OneMorePiece

I would agree - big focus on reading and vocab in year 4. It really does help with the comprehension and verbal reasoning sections (and is great for kids regardless of whether they are doing 11+or not)

Thanks @peacypops , DC already has a reading age of 16 (assessed at school) and is a voracious reader, so I'm not really worried about the verbal reasoning.

I think his handwriting is going to be the real battle. Its often quite hard to decipher what he's written so even if he understands the question, you'd struggle to know.

Handwriting isn't really an issue for the CEM exam as they answer all the questions by marking the answers in boxes.

Thank you! Hopefully that means is a less uphill battle than I thought!

OP can only add that 375 would have been good enough in all but 1 year I think in the last few years for an OOC place. Bear in mind however that living 10-15 miles away means a long journey to and from school for your son, particularly if he wants to get involved in school life outside of the normal school day (sports / music / clubs / friends).

Yes, there was one year when the score was higher but the test type was GL and that year there were 6 classes instead of 7. The school has increased capacity since then and there are now 7 classes each year and a new test (CEM) hence the lower cut off. As for the issue of distance, Africa2go has a point. However, hopefully OP has given consideration to that. Boys from OOC travel to and from school by tram, train and bus. For DCs that play sport for the school, I believe training is normally 3.30pm to 4.30pm and matches on Saturdays.