Education
www.familiesbirmingham.co.uk
11plus exams brought forwar
T
he 11 plus grammar school entrance exams for Birmingham, Warwickshire and Walsall have been moved forward to September just as pupils return to school after the long summer break. Parents of year 5 pupils need to register NOW if they want their child to sit the exam.
The change in the timetable is designed to let parents know how their child has fared at the 11 plus before they need to submit their local authority school preference forms. A place at a grammar school will not be confirmed in October but parents will be told the score their child has achieved in the exam and can compare it with the scores needed to win places at the grammar schools in the previous 2 years. This should give parents an indication of whether their child is likely to be offered a place or not, and the information can guide parents in filling out their secondary school preference forms.
Last year there were 4,250 applications for 869 places at the Birmingham Consortium of Grammar Schools - King Edward VI: Aston, Camp Hill Girls, Camp Hill Boys, Handsworth Girls, and Five Ways; Sutton Coldfield, and Bishop Vessey grammar schools. The schools are open to pupils from any local authority area and they share a common 11 plus exam which this year is brought forward to Saturday, September 8. The only Birmingham Grammar school not in the consortium is Handsworth Grammar School for Boys who run their own exam, but this too is being brought forward - to Saturday, September 15. Registration forms are available from the King Edward Foundation and the Sutton schools or they can be downloaded from school websites. The closing date for applications is 4pm on Friday, 13 July, and it is a strict deadline. If your application arrives late, your child will not be allowed to sit the test. Heather Evans from the Grammar Schools of Birmingham Consortium cannot emphasise this enough. “Registration forms do need to get here on time. Every year we have a lot of parents upset that they have missed the deadline, but we do need to adhere to it and we can’t make exceptions.” This is echoed by KSOL’s (Keystage Learning Online) Anita Dhunna who has seen parents focused on preparing their children for the exam, only to forget to return the registration form. So if you want your child to sit the 11 plus, make sure the closing date of Friday the 13th of July is not unlucky for you. Take Anita’s advice: “Don’t leave it until July, register now.” Unlike Birmingham, the Warwickshire Grammar schools have catchment areas. To be eligible for one of the 240 spaces available at Alcester or Stratford on Avon grammar schools, you need to live within a 17 mile radius of the clock tower in Stratford on Avon. This takes in areas around Knowle, Dorridge, Earlswood, Tanworth in Arden, Shirely, Solihull, Hollywood, Wythall and Barnt Green. You can check out a map showing the designated area on www.warwickshire.gov.uk/elevenplus. Registration forms will be available from May 28 onwards and the deadline for returning your
Mock exams KSOL is running two mock exams on May 19 and July 7 which mirror the exam hall environment children will actually face when sitting the 11 plus. The mock exams can help make the real exam feel less daunting for a child, but it can also give parents useful information about how a child is likely to perform. KSOL will give post exam feedback outlining the areas a child needs to work on so they can use their time efficiently. They also provide online 11 plus-style practice papers and have centres based in Solihull, Handsworth and Sutton Coldfield. Call 0121 733 6558 or www.ksol.co.uk
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Issue 9