Anyone with experience of FSCE for the Gloucestershire 11 plus?

[Reluctantadult]

Gloucestershire is swapping to FSCE for the 11+ and my child is in the first year that will sit this (current year 4). It sounds quite good to me as they say it will be fairer and less about tutoring. Just wondered if anyone had any experiences of this board or any wisdoms to share?

I believe it's relatively new, but some areas/schools used it last year - maybe earlier. You can find a bit more conversation about it on the 11 plus forum.

Of course, the test may be a little different from region to region, depending on what that region has requested / specified with FSCE.

I believe Essex uses FSCE, and maybe a few other areas, and I understand a few more are switching to it for this year.

www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/11plus/

This link contains someone's review:
www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/11plus/viewtopic.php?t=66139&hilit=fsce

Dd will be sitting the FCSE in September. From my understanding it is supposed to fairer. I did sign dd up for tutoring but they didn’t know much about the new exam so we stopped that.

I like the principle of FSCE, it sounds good that it is based on yr5 learning rather than things they've not been taught in class yet, and that the exam is before the summer. But annoyingly for me I felt like I had my head around GL! I'm not sure how DS will do with creative writing, if Gloucestershire include this element. He's only 8 and his written work needs to ripen! This element would have suited my older Dc very well, we didn't go down 11+ route for them as GL would have been a nightmare.

It's not Essex in its entirety- it's Chelmsford County High School for Girls- who only a few years back were singing the praises of the gen newly introduced CEM test in terms of the girls it delivered, vs the test written in house for the other grammar schools, which had remained in the CSSE.

(The 'CRGS' referenced in that thread is the Clitheroe Royal Grammar School, not the Colchester Royal Grammar School- which is a member of the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex - CSSE - and certainly doesn't share an exam with grammar schools in Lancashire).

I hate the lies about it not needing tutoring.

My DD sat last year for FSCE (we’re in Essex though) and it was mostly multiple choice, there is a writing paper, we went with a local company who had a great reputation for FSCE. I follow them on Facebook and actually saw they advertised for Gloucestershire and reading so I assume it’s all the same.

the exam is different and I do think you’re unlikely to pass if you don’t look at some past papers / mocks, even if the exam changes each year, it’s just such a weird exam. My DD did pass thankfully and starts September

Re tutoring I sort of see if as outsourcing stress. Some of the folks I know who have DIY'd prep have ended up having big arguments and it's been a source of conflict getting DC to put the work in. Ds is generally quite willing, but I'd like it to stay that way!

It's meant to be "un-tutorable" as it's so much broader than just maths/English (and maybe VR/NVR). It can cover geography, history, music etc. That said, it doesn't mean you can't prepare for it. I'd recommend prioritising the basics: maths, English, keeping up with school work and reading as much as possible outside.

My daughter did FSCE and GL last September. The schools usually have one test, but one of the schools switched to FSCE a year in advance of the others in the area a few months before the exam.

She passed and was offered places for both, but a few observations.

Firstly, we kept focused on GL as it was at a higher level including year 6 content. We then did some mock FSCE papers (albeit not true mock papers, but published look-a-likes) which helped with the format preparation.

My DD found the FSCE much easier in terms of difficulty on the day. The challenge with FSCE was sheer volume of questions. The mock papers were punchy in terms of questions and time. The actual paper had about 25% more questions with a couple of minutes less time to do them in.

The other main difference was that GL was all multiple choice, whereas FSCE had multiple choice and write the answer sections. It didn't feel like it would help kids with dyslexia, as a couple of kids in her exam had some extra support and came out saying they struggled.

DD's feedback was that GL was a tougher paper that tested your knowledge. FSCE was easy, but a test of how quickly you could answer questions.

The idea that FSCE can't be prepared or tutored for is not realistic based on our experience. A child who hasn't been prepped on exam technique, quickly answering and moving on etc, is going to struggle. There was nothing in the FSCE exam wasn't already covered in the GL Exam prep, so her work for the other entrance exam definitely helped a lot.

Finally, there are different versions of FSCE format in different areas. Where we are, it was two papers covering maths, English and some verbal reasoning.

Hi, I've tutored for this spec for quite a while. It's been used by Reading for 6 years, then Trafford Consortium adopted it. Colyton in Devon changed and now Glos.

I've got mixed feelings tbh. It's absolutely NOT tutor-proof. In fact, I'd say the opposite. It's also quite discriminatory (in my opinion) and penalises children on the spectrum particularly.

I do think Glos has to do something - we've become the victim of 11+ tourism and the effect on local kids is brutal. I'd have preferred more ring-fenced places for in-county applications rather than changing providers again. We've not long switched from CEM to GL.

The grammar schools in Glos are saying that they won't include creative writing, for anyone who's interested.

Thanks to pp's, very interesting! I definitely think my DC will find the time pressure an issue. That's the main thing I have in mind to work on with him.

@SweetDreamsAreMadeOfFizz I feel a bit conflicted about ring fenced places. As Gloucestershire residents it would mean more places that my kids could potentially occupy! But I also think the grammars have a detrimental effect on the non selective schools already, so creaming off even more local kids would make that worse.

I think you could cap it at 25% or thereabouts to still allow a meaningful local presence. Not sure the 10% offered up by Pate's and Denmark Road is anything other than a performative gesture. I feel so sorry for my students who on any other year would have achieved places - but really struggled last year.

Also - I'm really worried that anxious parents and unscrupulous tuition centres are going to try to hothouse kids from an earlier age. I had more than EIGHTY enquiries on the day the news came out about the G7 change. Some of these were for littlies in Year 2. 😳 I won't do it, but some tutors will.

That's crazy!!

The good thing is there are amazing comprehensive schools in Gloucestershire, if they don’t get a place at a Grammar school….

@cotswoldsgal1234 Gloucestershire is a big county, it very much depends where you are. Eg Tewkesbury academy has had 50 teachers on strike for 6 weeks or something, over poor pupil behaviour.

FSCE can be a bit tricky to prep for because the papers aren’t as predictable year to year. With some other 11+ exams you can spot patterns, but that’s less the case here.

Personally, I wouldn’t focus too heavily on teaching or tutoring just to the test anyway – it can box children in a bit. Building strong maths and English skills and exposing them to a range of question types tends to help more.

Also, there’s no harm in being slightly ahead content-wise. If they’re secure in the fundamentals, they usually cope much better with anything unfamiliar.

I would definitely recommend using the typical 11+ resources already available and SATs papers.