What has changed?

It has recently been confirmed that the 11+ entrance exam date (for children wishing to start Year 7 in September 2013) is now on Saturday 8^th September, 2012 (with a supplementary date on Sunday 9^th September for those children unable to take the test due to religious reasons). In previous years the test has been held in early to mid November. Another difference, which is most likely the reason for the change of date, is that the results of the test will be given out between early to mid October 2012. This is so that your Local Authority Preference Forms can be filled out with a realistic view of your child’s chances as apposed to basing your preferences on guess work.

When you are given the results you will also be given the cut-off points used for the previous 2 to 3 years to help you evaluate your child’s chance of being accepted into that school (this is only a guideline, the actual cut-off points will not be available). This system is similar to the way the 11+ Entrance Exams operate in Kent.

This change of date has no real impact on the content of the test itself and the admission process will function as usual (all the relevant steps and forms remain the same but may have different deadlines and admissions will be based on test scores and ranking as usual). Appeals are also available as usual (i.e., any personal circumstances that may affect performance, however, illness may not always be a viable reason and evidence will be required for all appeals).

This change applies to all the schools in the Birmingham Consortium; Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School, King Edward VI Aston School, King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys, King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls, King Edward VI Five Ways (Boys & Girls), King Edward VI Handsworth School, Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls. However, this change is still ‘under consultation’ within the Warwickshire Authority, meaning that it is not yet certain and we have been informed that it will not be confirmed until February, 2012. The change has also been proposed within Handsworth Grammar for Boys and the Walsall Borough Council (Queen Mary’s Grammar for Boys and Queen Mary’s High School for Girls) but has not yet been confirmed.

What impact does this have on KSOL and parents?

We consider this, overall, as a positive change in the fact that it allows parents to make more realistic choices when completing their Local Authority forms and it reduces the long wait between the date the children take the exam to the date they receive the results. As our programs are already tailored to suit each child and works at a pace that suits them whilst covering all the necessary material, it will not have a big impact on how we teach. As it is so early on in the course you can be confident that we will make the relevant changes in order to cover all the relevant content before the September exam and you can be assured that we have started this process already.

This change of date reduces the preparation time by around 8 weeks (as the exam has been brought forward by approximately 8 weeks) so any parents wishing to take the 11+ route (for September 2012) through KSOL should consider starting their children on our course as soon as possible. This earlier start also applies to those wishing to start preparations for children starting in September 2013 as we would like to ensure that they cover all the material on the Early Starter Course (aimed at Year 4 children) in plenty of time for their preparations in Year 5.

What should you do now?

Keep calm! Our only suggestions for you now are to be aware the changes and ensure your child is sufficiently prepared, as previous mentioned. We do recommend that you wait for more information, that we have been assured will be released to all Primary Schools, the general press and the radio, in due course.

You will find a table of important dates on the following page (taken from the King Edward the Sixth Website). All you can do now is to make sure you keep up to date with any other changes, keep a track of these dates and get all the relevant forms in on time.

 

FURTHER READING
King Edward the Sixth Foundation – www.kingedwardthesixth.org

 

Admissions Timetable	Date
Admission Packs and Test Registration Forms available from the Foundation Office and on the website each year.	Tuesday 1st May, 2012
Disability If your child has a disability and/or requires special resources to sit the test you should contact us (KE Foundation) for a form and return it by no later than:	Friday 20th June, 2012
Closing Date for receipt of test registration forms All registration forms will be acknowledged in writing within 14 days of receipt. If forms or photographs are sent within 14 days of closing date it is advisable to hand deliver or post them by recorded delivery. Applications received after this date cannot be accepted and children will not be able to take the test.	Friday 13th July, 2012
Grammar Schools Entrance Test Date *Supplementary date is available for those children unable to attend the Saturday test due to religious reasons.	Saturday 8th September, 2012  *Sunday 9th September, 2012
Grammar School Test Results This is not an offer of place.	Early-Mid October, 2012
Local Authority Preference Form Deadlines All parents must complete a preference form in addition to applying for the test. These are distributed through primary schools or available through the LA.	Wednesday 31st October, 2012
Offers School places will be communicated in writing via your Local Authority.	Friday 1st March, 2013