Trafford Grammar schools

[Poppysocks111]

Does anyone else live in Stretford near Lostock High and can give advice on this?

Our NDN just told us they’re moving because we don’t live in a good postcode for grammar schools. I don’t have to worry about it right now but have assumed it would be ok in a couple of years. She seemed to be suggesting that we don’t live close to enough grammar schools to be in for a chance as M32 postcode would only be useful for Stretford Grammar and we’re too far away if it’s oversubscribed.

The grammars have large catchments, a lot of Stretford Grammar pupils commute from Sale (and Sale Grammar has kids from Stretford/Gorse Hill and even Altrincham).
I think the current Y5 are the end of a baby boom anyway, so catchments should increase further in a couple of years anyway.

M32 is only in catchment for Stretford, though you always stand a chance of an outside place at Alty Boys.
AGSB: WA13, WA14, WA15, M23, M33
AGSG: 8 miles but the last few years have been filled within 6miles.
Sale: WA14, WA15, M23, M33
Stretford: M15, M16, M21, M32, M33, M41 plus the top 20 scorers
Urmston: M31, M41 plus the top 20 scorers

Im afraid your neighbour is right.

Don't forget the push of private school VAT and very likely continuous high number of immigrants. I will dobut if grammar schools will be easier to get in down the years.

But surely as long as you score high you'll be fine? Kids travel into stretford for the grammar

No Stretford and urmston only award 20places to the top scorers irrespective of distance. For the rest, the mark is irrelevant - it’s a) have they passed? b) where do they live?

If your postcode is M32 you'll be fine for Stretford. They take a huge number of children from Sale and Timperley and other parts of Trafford. My son is at Stretford and there are children from the far side of Stockport there.

Even if it's oversubscribed I don't think you have anything to worry about if your postcode is actually M32.

Well I know a few DC who had offered or went who are much further away.., not in highest score bracket so you should be fine

There is SO MUCH misinformation about Trafford Grammars and I hear so much rubbish spouted.

You are a priority postcode for Stretford and you are also very likely to get in on distance at Urmston as they don't solely fill from M41 (and Partington).

Look at the facts on the admission outcomes for all Trafford schools including the grammars here:

www.trafford.gov.uk/residents/schools/school-admissions/Secondary/secondary-admission-outcomes-2024.aspx

www.trafford.gov.uk/residents/schools/school-admissions/Secondary/secondary-admission-outcomes-2023.aspx

If anything the grammars suffer from people applying from very wide distances (even Yorkshire!) and it pushes the overall mark up, disadvantaging local kids.

In summary, where you are it's extremely likely you would get into one of the grammars, but getting the pass mark is more of the worry tbh. We've just been through it and several kids I expected to pass didn't.

Hi just trying to get my head around the scoring for trafford entrance exam, would appreciate if you could shed some light? I understand its age standardised, does this mean the more pupils that sit the exam the harder it is to achieve the pass mark of 334? Thanks in advance!

Hey, I could be wrong but the way I understand it is that the age standardisation and the standardisation based on the number of children sitting the test are two separate things.

I think (but could be wrong, happy to be corrected!) the age standardisation works by giving a couple of extra marks to those born in the summer and maybe a couple less to those born at the start of the academic year. I don't think it's much (maybe 2 or 3 points). So children born in, say, March (middle of the academic year) will get their actual result with 0 marks added or removed, while those born in the autumn will get a couple of marks less and those born in August will get a couple of marks more (and it probably works on a continuum so those born in August will get more added than those born in May, for example).

In terms of the numbers sitting the exam - I find this harder to get my head around! I guess the schools allow a certain amount of results to be passes but the answer to your question would depend on whether they do this as a % or as an actual number. If they allow, say, the top 20% to pass then in theory this will just increase the number of passes regardless of how many children take it (eg if 5000 kids take it and they always 'pass' the top 20% then 1000 would pass; if 8000 kids took it then 1600 would pass. But if they always only let the top, say, 1000 scores pass regardless of the number taking it, then your chances of passing will decrease with the higher the number of children. Maybe someone else here knows which they go with!

I think there was a big increase in people sitting the Trafford 11+ last year (I'm sure on the local Facebook group it said something like 12-13%!) and it is very competitive with people tutoring, especially out of catchment where you need a top 20 score to be sure of a place.

It's a stupid system.
Are you happy with your local high school (Lostock?) If so, you're fine. Fewer people pass than is expected, but don't dispair. A girl from primary didn't get into the grammar but still got straight 9s at high school this year. The grammars aren't everything!!

I think you’d be fine if your dc pass. But make sure you’re within catchment/likely to get into one of the better comprehensives if your dc doesn’t. A friend regrets not moving as her dc decided he didn’t want to do the grammar and her DCs ended up at less than ideal comprehensives

its very competitive, not helped by huge numbers of Hong Kong Chinese arriving in recent years

I was visiting a friend in Sale and and it just amazed me the number of tutoring agencies around for 11+.
Lovely place to live though.