Southend RSS Feed Send your news, pictures & videos


Today's Echo: Southend grammar schools admissions shake-up

8:20am Tuesday 7th February 2012 in Southend

YOUNGSTERS who pass their 11-plus exams in Southend could lose their guaranteed right to a grammar school education, opening up opportunities for youngsters from further afield.

Comments(15)

CaPPsiE says...
8:37am Tue 7 Feb 12

Could we read a little more about this story? Otherwise it seems a rather pointless article.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

clairebartlett says...
8:39am Tue 7 Feb 12

Agree with CaPPsiE.. Why can't the Echo print the whole story? This is useless information as there are no facts!

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

fletch12107 says...
8:43am Tue 7 Feb 12

I always thought that certain things were what made up a community. Things like schools,libraries, police stations,fire stations..you get my drift here. So having started to close police stations and libraries and fire stations across the country it now seems that local children that pass the 11+ are to be deprived of a guaranteed place at their "local" grammar school. I assume that people want to send their children to our "local" grammar schools from far afield because ours are better than their "local" grammar school or that their council dont provide one. Either way when our "local" grammar school is full of outsiders, we would then be expected to send our children past our "local" good performing grammar school to an underperforming one miles away. So much for community spirit.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

sjreynolds143 says...
9:03am Tue 7 Feb 12

The grammars have an agreement with Southend Council that of the 150 places each has, something like 115 are reserved for Southend pupils who pass the 11+. I am guessing that they want to change or remove this limit, because a) they are now academies and have more freedom to do so; and b) because in recent years the Southend pupils haven't filled all of their allocation.

Either way, I don't see any call for it really. If Southend pupils are good enough to pass the 11+, they should go to the local grammar schools. Do they really need more people from (say) Upminster and Danbury just because they might go up the league tables a little bit?

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Michael Vincent says...
9:46am Tue 7 Feb 12

clairebartlett wrote:
Agree with CaPPsiE.. Why can't the Echo print the whole story? This is useless information as there are no facts!
Because the ECHO charges people to buy the paper. You wouldn't see Tesco handing out food for free would you? It's a company and needs to make money. If you want to read it and it affects you, you can go out and buy it!

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Doughnut says...
9:48am Tue 7 Feb 12

I'm afraid, the days of everyone attending their local school has gone. It's a competitive world out there.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

whynoaction says...
9:54am Tue 7 Feb 12

Chelmsford grammar schools are currently undergoing a consultation process to implement a 12.5 mile priority admissions area because of the high ratio of out of area current students & applicants.

Further information on the admissions changes for Southend & Chelmsford grammar schools is available from the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex http://www.csse.org.
uk/

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

alimac69 says...
12:54pm Tue 7 Feb 12

Why do people come from Upminster when they have their own schools that have the 11+ for entry. Maybe limit the number of children from fee paying primary schools so more state school children get in or throw a bit more money at the state schools so their brighter students pass their 11+. My daughter failed her 11+ but did her maths and English GCSEs in year 9 and the rest of her exams in year 10. She's now in year 11 and doing AS levels at a local state school in Southend (that was in special measures when she started).

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Nebs says...
2:16pm Tue 7 Feb 12

Local schools for local people.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

live in westcliff says...
2:34pm Tue 7 Feb 12

It has been said in the Echo that Southend Primary school children will not get a priority over children who live miles away - If that is going to be the case then I'm not sure what actual benefit there is to local people to have grammar schools.

Us LOCAL people are paying from our council tax to have these four advantaged schools running for the benefit of everyone else.

If other areas want to send their child to a grammar school either move nearer to one or maybe another should be built in Rayleigh etc to ease the pressure on the Southend schools or get rid of them entirely and improve the standard of the local comprehensives!

This announcement has come only 6 days after year 5 parents have found out the exam will be brought forward two months - it all seems a little unfair.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

jolllyboy says...
3:49pm Tue 7 Feb 12

It is a ridiculous situation when local children cannot go to their local school (if they choose to) Otherwise this creates the problem for parents where children in the same family are going to several different schools, some nearer than others. If grammar schools are themselves wishing to take more from outside the area that would be because there are not enough of the right calibre students in southend to keep the standard up. if it is the council trying to - then hands off.
It is still the case that those who learn faster than others will do better at a grammar, that is nothing against the other secondary schools.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

sjreynolds143 says...
8:52pm Tue 7 Feb 12

OK, more info...

Up to now, the qualification for local priority to grammar school was attending a local primary school. Didn't matter where you lived, if you went to a local primary school you got priority.

Now they are *consulting* on having a distance based criteria instead. Should mean that most children in Southend will still get to go to a local grammar school if they pass the 11+.

They will also be doing the 11+ earlier, so that you will know if you have passed before you have to send in your application form for secondary school. So fewer disappointed people, because you will at least know if you are in with a fighting chance before you apply.

So unless I've missed something important, sounds like a storm in a teacup to me.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

heartbeat says...
11:51pm Tue 7 Feb 12

Has something changed? I was always under the impression you didn't actually "pass" or "fail" the 11+, but rather it was a case of a certain number of applicants being offered a grammar school place and if you were the next one on the list after the places were all filled, then tough luck! I was told there was no actual mark for pass or failure, just pot-luck as to how many people did better or worse than you. I think until now students from outside the Southend catchment have had to score 25% higher than Southend students to be given an equivalent mark. Not certain if that's correct but if not it was something like that.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

roses says...
1:53pm Wed 8 Feb 12

Firstly I don't think children should travel miles to go to school, this affects after school clubs, friends being in different areas, time spent travelling - added pressures.
Currently if you don't live in Southend you have to get a higher percentage pass mark in the 11+ which is debatable but what i don't agree with is if a Southend child doesn't pass their 11+ and also does the King John Entrance Exam because their local schools are not performing they don't have to get a higher Percentage pass than a Castle point child although if the same mark is achieved distance is considered - this is unfair.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Soobooo says...
7:15pm Fri 10 Feb 12

There are a number of misleading comments above and a lot of confusion.
Although Southend students largely get first pick of which grammar school they want under the current system the new system would allow people from Castle Point or Hockley to gain piority if their children got a higher score in the 11+.
It is perfectly possible that although you may have one child already at say, Southend Boys, there is a strong possibility, that your second child may not get a high enough score (although they pass the 11+) to secure a place at this popular school - the second child would almost certainly get into Westcliff but would have there place at Southend taken by people from Rochford or Canvey.
So Southend folk would gain nothing from this change - only have a narrower choice of grammar school - if they manage to pass. This would not be a 'storm in a teacup' if you want your children to go to be guaranteed to go to the same local school if they pass the 11+ and not be 'gazumped' by those living further afield and thus not attending a local school!!
Why not increase the number of priority places to 120 or 125 in order to reduce the chances of this happening??

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

click2find

Most popular


About cookies

We want you to enjoy your visit to our website. That's why we use cookies to enhance your experience. By staying on our website you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more about the cookies we use.

I agree