Transfer Test AQE 2014-2015

Busy_mum_3

Intake scores for all NI grammars is available on the Transfer NI website - just scroll down to the bottom of the page and hit "schools intake information".

3Mum

Thank you Busymum!
The site for the information on schools intake is:

thetransfertest.com/schools-intake-information

Just copy and paste into your browser. The site gives information for each school (GL & AQE) for the last four years.

RikM

Is not as much help as it sounds, as the scores can change from year to year just based on the number of people who apply and the overall scores in the population...

The best advice I've seen is to ignore the previous years' scores and just select based on your preferences, because the "lowest scores" tend to fall into the area where there are most kids scores concentrated anyway.

3Mum

Fully agree RikM!
They're only a guide on what has happened previously and no guarantee of what may happen in future.
Follow your instinct, knowing your own child best and opt for your preferred school. The only certainty is that if you don't apply, your child has no chance of gaining a place.

Veggie_Northern_Ireland

What have you all thought about the open days you have been to so far? Have they changed any minds about the schools that are interested in yet? We've only been to BRA and Methody so far.

Mrs_mum

Thanks Veggie Northern Ireland for the scores, much appreciated.

We were at BRA on wed night, found the pupils and staff to be very nice and very helpful. Didn't go to Ballyclare High open night, we checked it out last year, didn't feel we needed to see it again, last year , again, pupils and staff were very pleasant but you can only go by the feel you get from the school and perhaps their exam results as open nights are when everyone is on their best behaviour! 😜. Have been to look at a few non grammar schools and they too have seemed fine, maybe not just as high exam results, but again they were fine. So apart from daughter knowing her first choice, if she gets a high enough score,we are no further on!

Mr_Bun

My daughter wants to go to a school that has a non grammar stream.
We were told that because we don't live in the town where the school is,that priority would be given to local pupils,which is understandable,so that is why she did the GL test as well as the AQE.
Can we still apply to the school via both streams or if she doesn't get the necessary grade in the GL is her chance of getting in through the normal stream null and void?
Any help would be appreciated:beer:

3Mum

Hi Mr Bun
Your best bet is to check the information given in the transfer booklet provided by the ELB for your area. The schools will list the criteria they apply to select pupils and it will vary from school to school. Slemish College in Ballymena, for example, automatically consider your child for selection to the non-grammar stream if they are unsuccessful in the grammar stream application, but schools may vary in this.

Mr_Bun

Hi 3Mum,actually it is Slemish that she wants to go to!!!
We had been told that her chances of getting in to the non grammar stream were pretty hard because we live in Antrim,so that's why she did the GL exam.
She had been getting good marks in her practise papers so hopefully she will get a good score.
Slemish only has about 40 grammar places and is always over subscribed,but we don't care how she gets in,as long as she does,it really is a fantastic school and it would be ideal for her

3Mum

Slemish College is a great school!
Your daughter won't be disadvantaged by living in Antrim as distance from the school isn't one of the criteria used for selection. The tie break for Slemish is based on the initial letter of your surname. This year preference is given to surnames beginning with letters as follows:
Mac P Z Q K O T J F X M U G A I R L E W D Mc Y N V S H C B

Hope this helps and good luck