12+ and 13+ exams

[poonamrenu]

Dear Mums,
I am new to this country and my son will be starting secondary school in Sep-2023. As I have just moved to this country my child could not appear for the 11 plus exam and so has missed chance to be part of grammar school. I see options on internet for 12+ and 13+ exams. But I am not sure how many schools do offer the option for kids to appear for 12+ and 13+ exams. I will be living in Harrow, Middlesex. But as I am new to this country I am ok to move areas and move next to a school which offers 12+ or 13+ exams
Kindly guide me on schools which offer around London offer 12+ and 13+ exams

There are no state grammar schools in Harrow. Nearest are in Bucks. You need to contact the local authority to see if they allow another sitting and when to register if so, but even if he "passed" there is no guarantee of a place being available and there may already be a waiting list. Distance may well be an issue too. Private schools may intake at 12/13+ but you need to contact each individually for their assessment process. What do you plan to do in the meantime?

Well, all grammar schools will have some way of admitting in-year. Some will test on application and then put on a waiting list, others operate a list but then only test when a place comes up.

The problem is that it is unlikely that there will be any vacancies as for a state grammar, there is not a standard entry point at 12+ or 13+, so the schools will be full from the start of Year 7. There is a Bucks vacancy tracker on the Bucks LA website, which currently shows no vacancies in Year 8 or 9 for any Bucks grammars I think.

Your Local authority will have an obligation to find you a school once you are resident, but it will be in a school with space, not necessarily one of your preferences. You can go on waiting lists for other schools, or appeal at that point.

Thanks Patricia,
So one liner answer is if you are super duper lucky then maybe 12+, 13+ entry in grammar school will happen else it is very unlikely. To continue on this point what about 6th form. Do grammar schools allow admissions for sixth form? I mean do they have extra places created for kids outside the grammar school to apply? Is this entrance to sixth form again selective based on GCSE results etc. If you know anything please let me know.

Thanks Liz
Of course in the mean time I will go with whatever option I have on hands. But still want to plan the path for future entry to grammar schools. Is sixth form another point where entry to grammar schools may be possible? Do grammar schools have extra places created for sixth form which allows other children to apply. Would you know?

There will be an entry point for external candidates at 6th form, yes. Tiffin Boys in Sutton take in at least 60 for example. Candidates have to meet the entry criteria in terms of GCSEs - for Tiffin it is 8 GCSEs from a set list with a combined grade score of 56 (so an average of 7s). It will be the same process for other state grammars though entry criteria might differ a little; some operate catchment areas for admissions too, where residents get priority - Tiffins do. You would need to check nearer the time, as admissions policies do change!