Transfer Test AQE 2015-2016 *NEW THREAD*

emanlu

Cherryscone wrote: »

My son is not sold on the Grammar School and we have our meeting tomorrow I do not know what to do my head is fried I would hate him to give up a Grammar school place for High School but again I want him to be Happy .

DS isn't sold on it either but I will try my best for him as I think it would suit him better than our third choice which is a secondary (I still plan on putting our first choice first and the grammar second).

DD did the transfer last year and did much worse than expected so had no chance of a grammar place - she ended up in her third choice school but is thriving there - her only complaint so far is that they don't offer spanish as a language!

We had a lot of soul searching last year as to what to put down as her choices and I think we ended up with 3 meetings before we filled in the forms - we actually chose the non - selective grammar as her first choice but they used the majority of their spaces up with siblings and then the rest went to oldest child (she is the middle one).

It is highly unlikely that the secondary choice will be oversubscribed so you could apply to the grammar and if he is accepted but really really doesn't want to go there is always the possibility you could change before they start in Sept.

k4s_2

I have my meeting with the headmistress at 11am, where we will fill out the forms. we know what were putting and she'll get her first choice grammer easily with her score but there again, it was a very high birth rate year and a record number sitting it so even with 104 and them never being above 99 minimum, you still have that niggling worry until May.....I refuse to let it monopolize me until then though....the results wait was bad enough!!


I hope they all get to where they want to be x

flymetothemoon_2

k4s wrote: »

I have my meeting with the headmistress at 11am, where we will fill out the forms. we know what were putting and she'll get her first choice grammer easily with her score but there again, it was a very high birth rate year and a record number sitting it so even with 104 and them never being above 99 minimum, you still have that niggling worry until May.....I refuse to let it monopolize me until then though....the results wait was bad enough!!


I hope they all get to where they want to be x

k4s
You have nothing to worry about at all. Even the Headmaster in BRA has said he does not envisage their cut off score ever going above 99 ish because it has such a large intake of 200 kids.

The very few schools with higher cut offs are only higher because their intake is much lower eg Friends School usually has a cut off around 106/107 but it only takes in 140 kids, Strathearn was 104 last year but only takes in 110 kids. If all schools were able to accommodate 200 kids there would be virtually no cut offs above 99 most years.

Also, a friend of mine who is a tutor rang AQE on Saturday to ask what impact the higher number of entrants this year may have had. AQE advised him that the outcomes were similar to other years so they would not expect to see any great changes in school cut offs. So hopefully that will be good news for those of you who are, understandably, concerned about this making things more difficult - not so.

k4s_2

thankyou flymetothemoon, and that's very informative re the impact and outcomes!


I guess I should start saving for an overpriced uniform then!! lol


my eldest gets the exact same brand of blazer, same colour and woollen too, but different badge. hers is £55 and the bra one is £75! I don't even want to know the price of everything else if that's one item.....I might change my mind about school choice in the morning if I did ..........

flymetothemoon_2

dismum wrote: »

Hi,
Just encourage everyone to please check all the prospectus' before making your choices. Ballyclare highs def says it takes no one with a score of less than 94. Also Ballyclare secondary only consider you if it's your first or second choice which is difficult if you want to try for two grammars.

Yes, I noticed that in Ballyclare High's criteria this year. I don't think it was in their criteria previously and I can't understand why they included it at all because their previous cut off has always been in the 90s and it could easily happen that they don't receive enough applications with a score of 94 + in any year so I wonder how they would fill their places in that situation - this is a very strange criterion.

flymetothemoon_2

k4s wrote: »

thankyou flymetothemoon, and that's very informative re the impact and outcomes!


I guess I should start saving for an overpriced uniform then!! lol


my eldest gets the exact same brand of blazer, same colour and woollen too, but different badge. hers is £55 and the bra one is £75! I don't even want to know the price of everything else if that's one item.....I might change my mind about school choice in the morning if I did ..........

k4S
The uniform plus sports gear will indeed set you back about £400 +

Top Tip - last year Gilmores Menswear on Antrim Rd gave 20% off the uniform until end of July which is a great saving - but if they are doing it again this year - you need to get in quick. Don't leave it until July as they sold out of blazers so quickly last year that they had to stop the offer.

k4s_2

flymetothemoon wrote: »

k4S
The uniform plus sports gear will indeed set you back about £400 +

Top Tip - last year Gilmores Menswear on Antrim Rd gave 20% off the uniform until end of July which is a great saving - but if they are doing it again this year - you need to get in quick. Don't leave it until July as they sold out of blazers so quickly last year that they had to stop the offer.

good to know!! apparently they don't stock the games kit though? it has to be bought from the school or a sport shop (cant remember its name). £400 is ridiculous for a school uniform but I guess we're all in the same boat re that one!!

BOBS

k4s wrote: »

good to know!! apparently they don't stock the games kit though? it has to be bought from the school or a sport shop (cant remember its name). £400 is ridiculous for a school uniform but I guess we're all in the same boat re that one!!

Our local grammar uniform expensive too and then we have to order the games kit which is Under Armour which isnt cheap

k4s_2

BOBS wrote: »

Our local grammar uniform expensive too and then we have to order the games kit which is Under Armour which isnt cheap

BOBS
Are you actually being serious? they specify under armour? wow, that's expensive! Do you mind me asking what school that is? I was reading over some school fees to see if theres much in it, and mostly they were £140 per annum mandatory...then I read Campbell College's fees ........ there are no words except to say I had to sit down haha

BOBS

Yes k4s - its an expensive carry on.
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