Transfer Test AQE 2015-2016 *NEW THREAD*

Mrs_Mac_1

MiaMam wrote: »

In the latest NI school league tables, the top 67 (highest GCSE scoring) schools are Grammar schools. And you wonder why parents are keen to secure our kids a place?

And your point is???

MiaMam

How is everyone doing today?

My daughter got 75% in a past aqe paper in school today so happy with that.

I'd highly recommend the CEA revision packs. I've been working my way through them with DD and she tells me a lot of the stuff is coming up in the papers. X

BOBS

MiaMam wrote: »

How is everyone doing today?

My daughter got 75% in a past aqe paper in school today so happy with that.

I'd highly recommend the CEA revision packs. I've been working my way through them with DD and she tells me a lot of the stuff is coming up in the papers. X

thats fab MiaMam !! - our PS does them tues and thursdays so fingers and toes crossed that mark starts to go up at this stage - and then peak by November !!
We have been going over practice papers at home together at weekend to try and show the bits where not fully reading drops silly marks. Will see if that has made any difference !!

MiaMam

Hi BOBS, I think going over the papers with them is really helpful, my DD gains a lot from this. When I notice her repeating the same mistakes, we revise that particular topic the next time she's revising. Good luck to your child in this week's papers!��

Flashfriend

That's a pleasing score MiaMam! We don't get a score until tomorrow. We spent the summer going through the CEA tests so hopefully my DD has learnt something and the scores start to steady up now that we are nearly at the end of September!

RikM

Hmmm. I'm kind of a fan of academic selection. I'm not convinced the present system is the best way to do it, however. But it's currently the only game.

You have to take the school results with a generous pinch of salt however. If a school is selecting the better pupils, damn right they should be getting above average results. Or they're actually hindering the pupils. So "good results" aren't a reason to choose a grammar school (though average to poor results would be a reason to avoid one).

Personally, our son is at a grammar because (a) it's the school he wanted, (b) the principal appears to have a good attitude, (c) I think it's good for him to have some competition, which he's more likely to get at a selective school.

flymetothemoon_2

Hi RikM - I agree with all you have just said.

Anyone who thinks that any school will meet a child's needs must be from another planet!

Schools can only achieve this where behavioural standards are high and it is public knowledge that my local secondaries have so many behavioural issues, problems, so much bullying etc. (yes kids are regularly leaving to go to other farther away schools) that they are effectively prevented from meeting the standard that interested parents would want for their child. As a result, very few kids do well in their GCSEs and most leave straight afterwards. Then the few eager and keen kids who want to do A levels often have to try and get transferred to a grammar school to get the subject choices that their secondary couldn't offer due to lack of interest !

Where i live, most families have no interest in these schools, so most of our kids go to grammars. In fact, I feel sorry for the studious kids that are stuck in our local secondaries because they are battling against the odds to try and do well. For what it's worth, these schools also continuously languish near the bottom of all league tables.

Of course, NI has some good secondaries but there are none near me. The gulf between some schools is massive and can be clearly seen and experienced even at open nights.

So, yes, I am definitely pro selection even though the current selection system is not perfect. But hey, in life you have to pick up the ball and run with it. Life is a competition after all and kids need to be prepared for that.

Good luck to everyone that is trying to achieve what they believe will be the best route for their child ::)

neveranymoney

I can come at this from the other side as my first child is now sitting her A levels at grammar school, she was the first year the AQE was brought in, I still have nightmares about the whole darn thing and I'll be going through it all again next year with my youngest.

What I will say is that if you think your child will struggle in any way academically, you really need to think is grammar the best for them.

I can say it all with the power of hindsight, children tested at age 10/11 on maths and English really isn't fair or any indicator of intelligence, take in to account if it's a high birth rate for that year , wether the school of your choice is over subscribed that year and just thinking about it makes my head hurt!

We've been phenomenally lucky with our eldest and she thrived in grammar school but plenty didn't, at the end of third year, both child and parent are asked to meetings to help chose what subjects your child wants to take for GCSE. If your marks aren't making the grade, subjects like additional maths, triple award science and certain others will not be made open to you, it's as simple as that and you may be entered into the lower maths and sciences also. This causes a massive upset, mostly to parents who have mistakenly believed that once your child has gotten their place in grammar school, that's it.

I may sound like it's stuff you don't need to worry about but believe me, the years flew by for us and they are things you really need to consider.

My son would be as bright as my daughter but certainly wouldn't have the drive and willingness to work as she has (three hours of homework is not unheard of) and whilst we really want him to go to the same school as her (as does he) I certainly won't be putting extra pressure on him, if they are bright, they will manage it themselves or cope elsewhere although I would be lying if I said I was happy with the choice of secondary around us.

We have two friends whose children did phenomenally well in a secondary, getting better GCSE and a level results than many of my daughters friends at the grammar, the secondary schools really assist children who want to learn far more than the grammars do.

Cherryscone

MiaMam wrote: »

How is everyone doing today?

My daughter got 75% in a past aqe paper in school today so happy with that.

I'd highly recommend the CEA revision packs. I've been working my way through them with DD and she tells me a lot of the stuff is coming up in the papers. X

Mnnn my son got the same yesterday.

Cherryscone

Time will tell on us all I wont be heartbroken if my son does not get into to our local Grammer but he wanted to try and I felt he was clever enough and wanted to give him the chance my main bugbear is there are no good High schools near me ( some may argue the point) but I have two older Children one did ok and one flunked all I myself never had the chance i did my 11plus as it was and failed I learnt very little at School and left at 15 with no Gces as it was then as it was not compulsory.