Support thread for parents of chilldren sitting the transfer test in 2011

molly68

hi flymetothemmon,
Do you know if the lowest score of 96 for Ballyclare high included the 5% pool? my ds got a score of 94, I'm torn between trying for the high school (where his sister goes) or putting the secondary school as first choice.

dprovan

Have been awake most of the night. Read dd messages on mobile phone and she has been too ashamed to tell anyone her scores, as she hears that everyone bar a few got As. I am sitting typing this and I feel so sad for her. We are heading out for a celebratory meal tonight and I hope she wll begin to feel more proud of her achievement.

I don't know what to do re schools. We have our meeting with principal tomorrow and are meant to choose. Ballymena academy will be first choice but I dont rate our chances very high. 226 got in last year and I assume that is likely to go up following the bad publicity re Cambridge House. Therefore 224 (b2) is likely to be just shy. That then leaves 2nd choice between slemish college and cambridge house. Dd is clear that her preference is cambridge house, mainly because she thinks that a few of her friends will end up there. I am really concerned by the bad inspection, the fact they have yet to appoint a replacement principal and the general uncertainty. There are rumours of a potential merge with another secondary should they not improve. Slemish on the other hand impressed me during their open night but she would be unlikley to know anyone, there were 1/2 parents from our primary school at the open night, and whilst I know she would make friends what impact would that have on dd?

It is times like this that being a parent is so hard. I can see that my dd is hurting and I am not sure that anything we say is making thing much better. You know what is really difficult I don't think this process has much to do with measuring intelligence, I think it has more to do with a child's ability to negotiate/manage a process/system and I may be wrong but I am convinced that the 3 months that have passed since the test haave been 3 months in which my dd view attitude to learning has changed so much. Back in Aug-Oct our dd seemed to make careless mistakes, missed questions out did the hard bit and then wrote the wrong answer down. It is hard to explain, but she didn't seem to have much responsibility for her work (not hat I necessarily expected her to at 10 years of age) And I have talked to so many parents who said the same. Now, less than 3 months on, she goes up to her room does her homework and pretty much comes down with it correct first time. Not sure if that is just because they are getting older or what...

Anyway I know I am rambling, but my head is a mess. I hate that my dd now feels labelled, I hate that she feels in the minority, I hate that she is ashamed to tell her friends what she got, I hate that she/we now face months of uncertainty and that because of a score in a test she is in all likelyhood going to have a lesser education than her friends. I am old and ugly enough to know that life can be a b***h i just wish my dd did not have to face it.

Daisy11_2

Hi Dprovan,

My DD last year was possibly expected to score a B2 or a B1 at best but unfortunately got a D, Slemish was always her first choice, and she was so lucky to get into it via the non academic route, wow, what a first 5 months she has had there, in her Christmas tests she was at the top of the class in most subjects and is really flourishing, some of the teachers are even talking about her moving and prgressing into the higher stream in the nxt year or two, all in all Slemish has been a wonderful experience for her and she is really enjoying it, i understand your worries about your child but it seems a lovely place and i'm sure she'll fit in fine.

dprovan

Daisy11, thanks for this. I was impressed with slemish and I am delighted that your DD is loving it. Cambridge house is my DD clear favourite of the two and despite my concerns I am currently thinking I would struggle to forgive myself if I went against her choice. Strange, because i always thought id make the choice i thought was best for education but im now trying to juggle so many factors.

BallyclareMum4

flymetothemoon wrote: »

Hey BallyclareMum4

Glad to hear that Ballyclare High is holding this info evening again this year (for the 3rd year in a row). I can honestly say it was the only thing that brought some sanity to this whole situation last year for parents who were really confused. I went along last yr after hearing v positive feedback from parents who'd gone to it the previous yr. The school had done a lot of number crunching and were able to show breakdowns of scores across NI and within the NEELNB area etc. which is really what parents need, especially if their child has a score in the 90s. The Head indicated exactly how low he thought they would go with their intake (ie: 95) and they ended up accepting a lowest score of 96 so he was quite accurate. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is able to make it. It might just help some parents to make their final decision. Best of luck.

This is very helpful. Sounds like the evening would be beneficial no matter which school you're considering. Thanks.

confused_mummy_3

My ds got his results yesterday he got 102 in aqe in an ideal situation it would have been enough to get him into his chosen school as the lowest excepted score was 95 the past few years. But unfortunately my ds sitting the transfer test was only a guide for ourselves to see if he was capable of a grammar school as he has a statement on the grounds of a physical disability which prevents the chosen school using his marks when they are allocating him a place. We had to chose our schools back in October when we hadnt even seen around them. We run the risk that the board decide that they wont let him into a grammar school. We feel let down by the system.

BallyclareMum4

dprovan wrote: »

Have been awake most of the night. Read dd messages on mobile phone and she has been too ashamed to tell anyone her scores, as she hears that everyone bar a few got As. I am sitting typing this and I feel so sad for her. We are heading out for a celebratory meal tonight and I hope she wll begin to feel more proud of her achievement.

I don't know what to do re schools. We have our meeting with principal tomorrow and are meant to choose. Ballymena academy will be first choice but I dont rate our chances very high. 226 got in last year and I assume that is likely to go up following the bad publicity re Cambridge House. Therefore 224 (b2) is likely to be just shy. That then leaves 2nd choice between slemish college and cambridge house. Dd is clear that her preference is cambridge house, mainly because she thinks that a few of her friends will end up there. I am really concerned by the bad inspection, the fact they have yet to appoint a replacement principal and the general uncertainty. There are rumours of a potential merge with another secondary should they not improve. Slemish on the other hand impressed me during their open night but she would be unlikley to know anyone, there were 1/2 parents from our primary school at the open night, and whilst I know she would make friends what impact would that have on dd?

It is times like this that being a parent is so hard. I can see that my dd is hurting and I am not sure that anything we say is making thing much better. You know what is really difficult I don't think this process has much to do with measuring intelligence, I think it has more to do with a child's ability to negotiate/manage a process/system and I may be wrong but I am convinced that the 3 months that have passed since the test haave been 3 months in which my dd view attitude to learning has changed so much. Back in Aug-Oct our dd seemed to make careless mistakes, missed questions out did the hard bit and then wrote the wrong answer down. It is hard to explain, but she didn't seem to have much responsibility for her work (not hat I necessarily expected her to at 10 years of age) And I have talked to so many parents who said the same. Now, less than 3 months on, she goes up to her room does her homework and pretty much comes down with it correct first time. Not sure if that is just because they are getting older or what...

Anyway I know I am rambling, but my head is a mess. I hate that my dd now feels labelled, I hate that she feels in the minority, I hate that she is ashamed to tell her friends what she got, I hate that she/we now face months of uncertainty and that because of a score in a test she is in all likelyhood going to have a lesser education than her friends. I am old and ugly enough to know that life can be a b***h i just wish my dd did not have to face it.

My heart is with you. The reminder that these kids are only 10 years old brings it all back down to earth. They're still babes and so many don't have the emotional maturity to deal with either scoring lower than their friends and, indeed, with scoring higher than their friends.
We have told our DS that he is not to discuss scores with anyone at school. We are very proud of the effort he has made and reasoned with him that some people will have scored higher and some lower - those at the high end may want to show off and those at the lower end may be upset and therefore it is better to say nothing and avoid all the silliness that goes with these things!
My sons attitude has also changed since the tests ended. I feel that because the pressure is off at school, he is more relaxed and better able to concentrate without the concern that everything they are doing is focused on this aspect of their education journey. Our primary school didn't do a very good job at preparing the children. I believe they had enough kids at the high achieving end to keep their record looking good that they made little effort with the ones that needed a little more help. There should be some sort of provision to equip children with the emotional tools to deal with whatever score they receive.
I really hope your daughter feels better soon and that she will realize that her friends' scores are no reflection on her ability or the effort she made.
Good luck and best wishes for her future and I hope that whichever school she goes to she will be happy and content x

BallyclareMum4

Does anyone know if there is any kind of streaming in terms of ability in first year at Ballyclare Secondary or do all classes reflect all ability levels?

weemocky

Hi all dd done both tests, we got the gl results first, she received c2. We were quite anxious awaiting aqe as we new she needed around 100. Well her aqe result was 112, she worked so hard for months n we were jus so relieved that her score reflected her hard work! We hav been told she can have her pick of schools now. Tho we will still b nervous waitin on the school confirmation in may. She's hopin for grosvenor all being well. I think this year is so tough for the children. Jus wondering if the average score changes? Last year average was 100. And b1 was up 106-112 and an A was 113 upwards. Is it the same this year?? When will we know? And wot was the highest grade attained this year? And how do u find out???

BallyclareMum4

molly68 wrote: »

hi flymetothemmon,
Do you know if the lowest score of 96 for Ballyclare high included the 5% pool? my ds got a score of 94, I'm torn between trying for the high school (where his sister goes) or putting the secondary school as first choice.

My ds got 96, so I've the same dilemma as you. Worried that he won't get into secondary if we take a chance.
Torn between belief (misguided or otherwise) that grammar school offers best opportunities and the hope that he would be at higher end of secondary and perhaps be better off than at the lower end of grammar.

Such a difficult decision. Good luck.