Bum. Bumety bum bum bum. All children who sat the local grammar school entrance exam have to resit!

[Havenamechangedtostayanonymous]

Just a rant really!

As a tutor had a copy of the paper and they can't tell how many children might have seen it. DD was nervous enough before the first one and she will have to miss my sister's wedding. I am not happy!

(but I suppose its fairer than doing nothing...)

That's pretty dreadful. Mind you, she'll have done it in exam conditions now and this time it might be easier?

OMG I would be livid

This happned last year, and our local girls grammer, (its not in North London is it)girl came out and said mummy that was easy I done that paper yesterday with my tuter, they all had to resit and the paper was much harder. the apeals went mad after, Im sorry for you and your dd as its not fair but it does prove what I thought along that its a pure farce, how many times has this happned without being found out, the system is just not fair its alot to do with what tuter you have been too that has been a well known fact in my area for years.

Which area is that OP?

Dont really want to say just north London will have to do.

That'll do, thanks. Just concerned it might've been my area, but it's not. I'm sorry for you and your Dc though.

mdrooney, are you the op?

no sorry thought you meant me,

no worries!

I'm the OP, its stoke-on-trent, St Joseph's College!

what a pain
So sorry for your dd.

Really!!!!!!!!!!

Has this hit the Sentinel yet, between that and Edensor's Marbella trip Stoke schools are really doing well arn't they?????

Do tell your dd not to panic though. The exam for St Jo's isn;t as hard as for other grammars and they don't go by order. They set a pass rate and anyone who gets above that is then chosen by the normal criteria with being Catholic pretty high.

Ooerr, Could easily have been DS3 sitting that this year.

Hope she goes on ok when she resits.

Not seen anything in the Sentinel Islands.

Me either, but I get the Newcastle edition.

What a farce. To be honest I didn;t even realise they tutored for the St Jo's test. I know the prep and St Teresa's prepare the kids for the exam but apparently only about half the prep kids get in.

I have a cousin there and another hoping to go soon. Actually thinking about it, she may be affected.

Would imagine she will be.

DS1 and DS2 both have friends there.

One of DS3's friends and her parents were considering St Jo's, so she may have sat the paper last weekend. Will have to ask tomorrow. Don't know of any others this year.

This sounds awful but I can't remember her age. Her sister started there 2 years ago so she either started there last month (if she got in) or it is next year. I'll have to ask when I next see them.

My own dd is only 7 but I know she hasn't got a hope in satisfying the Catholic criteria so we probably shan't bother when the time comes although I guess I could use it as practice as the entrance exam is a lot earlier than the other she will sit.

We looked at the school with DS1 and although not catholic, had a good chance of getting in, but we don't think the school would suit DS2, so chose against it.

DS1 may consider it when he goes on to A levels, some from his current school seem to transfer at 16.

Are you looking at DD staying where she is now?

I think they changed the time the exam was sat the year after DS1 could have applied - it used to be January, two months after the LEA forms had to be submitted, so you could really screw your chances of where you got if your child didn't pass.

yeah, you find out if you've passed before you have to apply now, we're c of e but go to church most weeks, at the moment dd is at a prep which sends most kids to Newcastle, tbh I'm not particularly worried about her passing it's the missing my sister's wedding I'm upset about! Dh might ring and ask if she can sit it on the Thursday... Wedding is in Barbados so dd and dh not going isn't really an option, having bought flights/accomodation etc!

Yes, I'd be upset about that too.

Good luck in sorting it out.