AQE Exam Results

Stanjnr

Its because of my remark I'm very keen to make sure that the other 2 in the class with the same score get treated the same as my son - any differences and I'll not be too afraid to test the appeals process for us as well! When we got the remark the application forms had already gone off to the 1st choice schools. I wrote to the 3 grammar schools on our application form, and only the headmistress from our 1st choice school took the time to write back to me to confirm receipt of the letter and to assure me they would use the new score in the applications process, so not confident of what score is actually attached to our form by the time it made it down our list of schools!

kingston_2730

beccasmum wrote: »

Kingston, I think you have misunderstood my post, I certainly wasn't calling anyone ignorant and I am sorry if you were offended. I was merely pointing out that we need to ask for grades and scores as this will be the only fair way of allocating places. If we go back to the old grades system then schools can hide giving out places to preferred kids with the same grade but not the same score. As a parent with a child about to go through this whole process in a years time and one that has just come through it, I for one would like scores and grades and I would like schools to stop trying to please both the minister of education and people in favour of academic selection by giving out a percentage of scores on other criteria. They need to go one way or another and not sit on the fence. You lot in the Belfast area don't know how lucky you are to have such a selection of good schools. In our area we have 2 schools and only 245 places to go round so the competition is fierce. It has already been leaked that our local grammar is not taking any score under 104.

Beccasmum, I wasn't offended at all, just my feeble attempt at humour. I'm really not myself at moment so just ignore everything I say, please!! I do actually agree with you that the best way forward would be for them to issue a grade and a score but most importantly to select on strict rank order and none of the other 'social criteria' but just my opinion. OMG :eek:I seriously hope the rumour re your local grammar is false! Which grammar is it? xo

Belfast_Mum_2

What a busy forum tonight. Good to see so many people posting. Ex-spend, seriously worried about your post as I haven't heard of anyone getting a call from education board. I thought your son had a good score so hope rumour about grammar school cutting off at 104 isn't true.

Ex-Spendaholic

Belfast Mum, I will be totally gutted if he misses out by 1 point or something. It would be just sods law.

10DaystoGo..AHHHHHHHHH

Just thought I would post one of my favorite songs

God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With Love and strength for each new day
He will make a way
God will make a way

By a road way in the wilderness he leads me
And Rivers in the desert I will see

God will make a way

kingston_2730

Ex-Spendaholic wrote: »

Hello and welcome to Violinski and Facingthefuture.

I can't take this any more, I seriously am ready to explode with it all. If someone could give me an anaesthetic now so that I didn't wake until Saturday I honestly think I'd take it.

I had been feeling very positive of late having had a conversation with our first choice school and also with hearing the various rumours about it eg. "every one who listed it as first choice got in", "people with higher scores didn't apply so they ended up taking lower scores" etc etc.

Well this morning I was talking to a guy who told me that his nephew who had put down Grosvenor, Wellington, Regent and Nendrum (not sure in which order) with a score of 99 (may have been 95 but it was 1 or other of those) got a call last week saying that he hadn't been placed in any of those schools and they were asked to nominate somewhere else. I didn't hear where they asked for then as I was close to passing out. I am now really scared that we will end up with Inst or Campbell. Before anyone has a go, I'm not dissing either of those but they just aren't what we want. I'm beginning to think there will be no tie buying on Saturday but I'll be working on an appeal. :mad:

Sorry I don't want to scaremonger anyone and I know that there are so many rumours about at the minute that they should all be taken with a pinch of salt.

Exspendaholic, apart from grosvenor have the other schools been hard to get into in the past? I really hope that it was 95, is there any way you'll be talking to him again? I'm beginning to think I've been living in a fantasy world. I can cope with son going to any of the top three choices but will be gutted if its the 4th or even worse 5th. I really feel physically ill now. I can't sleep, can't venture further away than ten feet from a toilet and just don't know how I'm going to get through 2 more busy days at work (my own fault, thought it would help but its clearly not!). I would love to call in sick and go to the chemist to get some antihistamines...they make you drowsy...that way I really could sleep til Sat morn...only son is having BBQ on sat evening for class and the house is a tip...I'm rambling now!! :rotfl:

Ex-Spendaholic

Unfortunately not Kingston, it was a random person I met at a work event. Thats the problem you talk to so many people, hear loads of rumours and be happy about the ones that sound good and then fret about the rest.

Belfast Mum, I hope I haven't stressed you out too.

Chip_9691

Not sure if your concerns over age standardisation are valid-my sons birthday is in August and he scored 122 and an A grade in the GL. A girl who has always been top in his class since P1 scored 116 and A in GL. Her birthday is in June. We felt that my son being a almost a full year older was able to cope better with the whole process and explained the higher score. Best wishes to all on Saturday.:beer:

10DaystoGo..AHHHHHHHHH

Once there was an old man who lived in a tiny village. Although poor, he was envied by all, for he owned a beautiful white horse. Even the king coveted his treasure. A horse like this had never been seen before—such was its splendor, its majesty, its strength.

People offered fabulous prices for the steed, but the old man always refused. “This horse is not a horse to me,” he would tell them. “It is a person. How could you sell a person? He is a friend, not a possession. How could you sell a friend?” The man was poor and the temptation was great. But he never sold the horse.

One morning he found that the horse was not in the stable. All the village came to see him. “You old fool,” they scoffed, “we told you that someone would steal your horse. We warned you that you would be robbed. You are so poor. How could you ever hope to protect such a valuable animal? It would have been better to have sold him. You could have gotten whatever price you wanted. No amount would have been too high. Now the horse is gone, and you’ve been cursed with misfortune.” The old man responded, “Don’t speak too quickly. Say only that the horse is not in the stable. That is all we know; the rest is judgment. If I’ve been cursed or not, how can you know? How can you
judge?”

The people contested, “Don’t make us out to be fools! We may not be philosophers, but great philosophy is not needed. The simple fact that your horse is gone is a curse.” The old man spoke again. “All I know is that the stable is empty, and the horse is gone. The rest I don’t know. Whether it be a curse or a blessing, I can’t say. All we can see is a fragment. Who can say
what will come next?”

The people of the village laughed. They thought that the man was crazy. They had always thought he was fool; if he wasn’t, he would have sold the horse and lived off the money. But instead, he was a poor woodcutter, an old man still cutting firewood and dragging it out of the forest and selling it. He lived hand to mouth in the misery of poverty. Now he had proven that he was, indeed, a fool.

After fifteen days, the horse returned. He hadn’t been stolen; he had run away into the forest. Not only had he returned, he had brought a dozen wild horses with him. Once again the village people gathered around the woodcutter and spoke. “Old man, you were right and we were wrong. What we thought was a curse was a blessing. Please forgive us.”

The man responded, “Once again, you go too far. Say only that the horse is back. State only that a dozen horses returned with him, but don’t judge. How do you know if this is a blessing or not? You see only a fragment. Unless you know the whole story, how can you judge? You read only one page of a book. Can you judge the whole book? You read only one word of a phrase. Can you understand the entire phrase?
“Life is so vast, yet you judge all of life with one page or one word. All you have is a fragment! Don’t say that this is a blessing. No one knows. I am content with what I know. I am not perturbed by what I don’t.”

“Maybe the old man is right,” they said to one another. So they said little. But down deep, they knew he was wrong. They knew it was a blessing. Twelve wild horses had returned with one horse. With a little bit of work, the animals could be broken and trained and sold for much money. The old man had a son, an only son. The young man began to break the wild horses. After a few days, he fell from one of the horses and broke both legs. Once again the villagers gathered around the old man and cast their judgements. “You were right,” they said. “You proved you were right. The dozen horses were not a blessing.
They were a curse. Your only son has broken his legs, and now in your old age you have no one to help you. Now you are poorer than ever.”
The old man spoke again. “You people are obsessed with judging. Don’t go so far. Say only that my son broke his legs. Who knows if it is a blessing or a curse? No one knows. We only have a fragment. Life comes in fragments.”

It so happened that a few weeks later the country engaged in war against a neighboring country. All the young men of the village were required to join the army. Only the son of the old man was excluded, because he was injured. Once again the people gathered around the old man, crying and screaming because their sons had been taken. There was little chance that they would return. The enemy was strong, and the war would be a losing struggle. They would never see their sons again.

“You were right, old man,” they wept. “God knows you were right. This proves it. Yours son’s accident was a blessing. His legs may be broken, but at least he is with you. Our sons are gone forever.”The old man spoke again. “It is impossible to talk with you. You always draw conclusions. No one knows. Say only this: Your sons had to go to war, and mine did not. No one knows if it is a blessing or a curse. No one is wise enough to know. Only God knows.”

Ex-Spendaholic

10Days, have you been on the vodka? :rotfl::rotfl:

Look what this is doing to us all, its nearly midnight and we are all on here instead of in our beds. :eek: