Transfer Test AQE 2015-2016 *NEW THREAD*

Citizen_Erased_2

Cherryscone I went through this last year and will again next year. I know the grammar you're talking about as my DD went there last September. I can only tell you to talk to as many parents as you can. For what its worth I was worried sick about the merger but the school have worked really hard to get it right and my DD couldn't be happier. Sport is fantastic there and she is thriving away from the really pushed and driven children fromher PS who went to the other grammar.... she chose this one. Have a good think and let him choose.... just my opinion.

Cherryscone

BOBS wrote: »

Yes k4s - its an expensive carry on.
Check your pm !

Bobs PM me too would love to know what all they need so I can be prepared :cool:

BOBS

Citizen_Erased wrote: »

Cherryscone I went through this last year and will again next year. I know the grammar you're talking about as my DD went there last September. I can only tell you to talk to as many parents as you can. For what its worth I was worried sick about the merger but the school have worked really hard to get it right and my DD couldn't be happier. Sport is fantastic there and she is thriving away from the really pushed and driven children fromher PS who went to the other grammar.... she chose this one. Have a good think and let him choose.... just my opinion.

I have two girls further up the school who worried themselves sick about what the merger would mean for them and to be fair it has went really well so far. Some of teachers moral a bit low with lack of information but they seem to be working well through teething problems and they are getting lots of continuous assessments to make sure standards dont fall.

k4s_2

MiaMam wrote: »

DD a her heart set on Sullivan and some of her friends are putting it down as first choice too although they got higher scores -116+.

However someone told me today they heard that Sullivan turned away 109 last year! I'm
really worried now! What are the chances the scores could jump that much? She'll be gutted if she doesn't get it! :eek:

I'm going to phone them tomorrow and find out what's the lowest score they accepted last year before applying criteria. This bloody system!! Argh! :mad:

http://www.thetransfertest.com/schools/sullivan-upper-school

Not according to that link if it helps

sitcs

I had 20 minutes discussion with one of the Grammar school principal today about the preferences, admissions and movement of applications to next preferred schools etc.,
The process is like this,

During Round 1 : A school X receives 225 applications as 1st preference (where as they have only 175 seats), all the 225 applications will be sorted on score ranking order, last 25 will not secure a place in X, will be passed to their respective schools (Y,Z…).

During Round 2 : X may receive further 15 applications (from Y, Z etc.,) as a 2nd preferred school. All 15 will be added into the existing 200, which will make their count as 215, rank order again, final 15 will be eliminated and send to the next preferred schools and so on…

This process will repeat until they receive no further applications from any other schools, cut off is 20th May 2016.

Approximately 4-5 rounds (last 3 years avg) will happen until 20th May 2016. 21-25th all schools will be finalizing their list and send notifications to EA, and placement letters will be issued.
Apologies, if you are already aware of this process, I am new to this entire setup hence keen to understand and share the details. Feel free to correct anything wrong or have any additional information which you may aware of, will help everyone.

Thanks

k4s_2

sitcs wrote: »

I had 20 minutes discussion with one of the Grammar school principal today about the preferences, admissions and movement of applications to next preferred schools etc.,
The process is like this,

During Round 1 : A school X receives 225 applications as 1st preference (where as they have only 175 seats), all the 225 applications will be sorted on score ranking order, last 25 will not secure a place in X, will be passed to their respective schools (Y,Z…).

During Round 2 : X may receive further 15 applications (from Y, Z etc.,) as a 2nd preferred school. All 15 will be added into the existing 200, which will make their count as 215, rank order again, final 15 will be eliminated and send to the next preferred schools and so on…

This process will repeat until they receive no further applications from any other schools, cut off is 20th May 2016.

Approximately 4-5 rounds (last 3 years avg) will happen until 20th May 2016. 21-25th all schools will be finalizing their list and send notifications to EA, and placement letters will be issued.
Apologies, if you are already aware of this process, I am new to this entire setup hence keen to understand and share the details. Feel free to correct anything wrong or have any additional information which you may aware of, will help everyone.

Thanks

Thank you for this, I really appreciate it

flymetothemoon_2

MiaMam wrote: »

Thanks Flymetothemoon! As I understand it, Sullivan allocate their top 120 places to the applicants with the highest AQE scores then apply criteria to the final 30 spaces. This criteria is siblings, feeder schools, catchment area, etc.

It may have been the case that their 120th place was given to a score of 110 last year and that 102 score has criteria attached. Unfortunately no criteria applies to DD so she'll have to be accepted on mark alone hence my concern!

MiaMam

This is shocking, I didn't realise that Sullivan retains as many as 30 of their 150 places for a pool based on criteria which, now that I've looked it up, is obviously designed to suit their prep school - even though there is other criteria there to disguise this. They are actually retaining 20% of their places for this pool - unbelievable when compared to other grammars with preps eg Strathearn only keeps 10 of its 110 places for a pool. BRA also has a prep but has always stated that its intake of 200 pupils is based solely on rank order because they feel it is the fairest thing to do and I agree with that - their prep pupils are not given any advantage unless they are tied for the 200th place. Sullivan's criteria is very unfair. I feel for you. Hope your DD gets the place she rightfully should.

k4s_2

flymetothemoon wrote: »

MiaMam wrote: »

Thanks Flymetothemoon! As I understand it, Sullivan allocate their top 120 places to the applicants with the highest AQE scores then apply criteria to the final 30 spaces. This criteria is siblings, feeder schools, catchment area, etc.

It may have been the case that their 120th place was given to a score of 110 last year and that 102 score has criteria attached. Unfortunately no criteria applies to DD so she'll have to be accepted on mark alone hence my concern!

MiaMam

This is shocking, I didn't realise that Sullivan retains as many as 30 of their 150 places for a pool based on criteria which, now that I've looked it up, is obviously designed to suit their prep school - even though there is other criteria there to disguise this. They are actually retaining 20% of their places for this pool - unbelievable when compared to other grammars with preps eg Strathearn only keeps 10 of its 110 places for a pool. BRA also has a prep but has always stated that its intake of 200 pupils is based solely on rank order because they feel it is the fairest thing to do and I agree with that - their prep pupils are not given any advantage unless they are tied for the 200th place. Sullivan's criteria is very unfair. I feel for you. Hope your DD gets the place she rightfully should.

however, at Ben Madigan, they are 'prepped' ridiculously (pardon the pun) to make sure they get to be the highest ranking. They, along with pupils from another 2 certain schools which I wont name and shame, are unbelievably prepped, get in with great scores, then by end of 3rd year some transfer, others try to stay afloat, then end up repeating gcse's at the model schools, or ashfield etc while some from said schools take their place that didn't get high enough in the beginning as these guys took the spots......vicious circle that has been around since 11+ days.......

k4s_2

MiaMam wrote: »

Thanks Flymetothemoon, not many people actually realise this! It seems mad that they turned away 109 last year but this is why!

Hopefully I'm being hysterical and 111 will be enough. She's an eldest child so that might stand to her too. I'd love to know if the marks have risen across the board this year or if they're similar to last year's. Maybe the school principal will know, our meeting is on Thurs.

111 is a FANTASTIC score....it beggars belief that 109 could be passed up and it end up going to a 102???? what a silly criteria!! I would be so very cross if that were my child :eek:

MiaMam

When you say it like that, it does sound very unfair K4s! Cross everything for May!