Children's & Young People's Services
Proposed Changes to Secondary Selection Tests in Bexley
These are the answers to the most common questions that parents have asked so far:
Why is London Borough of Bexley proposing these changes to the selection tests?
Many London Borough of Bexleylors and Head Teachers have been concerned about the length
of time parents and children have had to wait between taking selection tests
and receiving the scores since the introduction of the Co-ordinated Admissions
Scheme in 2004, and local authorities have not been allowed to publish the
results of selection tests before the closing date for secondary application
forms even if they wanted to. This has now changed with the publication by
the Government of a new School Admissions Code earlier this year, which recommends
that the results of selection tests should be available before
secondary school applications are made.
As the closing date for secondary school application forms is normally in
the second half of October, the only way to publish test results in advance
is to bring the testing dates forward. In order to be able to mark and check
the tests quickly, the Council believes that using two tests is the best way
forward. It is also hoped that an overall reduction in the number of tests
that children have to take at school will cause less pressure and anxiety for children.
Does the Council have to publish the results of tests earlier?
The recommendation in the School Admissions Code is not obligatory, but the
Council wishes to make the change because it believes that earlier results
will make the whole application process and subsequent transition to secondary
school easier for both children and their parents and carers.
Other selective schools and authorities may decide not to
publish results before the closing date for secondary application forms. Parents
and carers who wish their child to sit other selection tests, for example in
Kent or Bromley, should make their own checks to find out the relevant timetables.
Why can’t the test results be made available before the secondary school open evenings?
Ideally the test results would be available before families begin to view
prospective schools, but this would mean that children would have to sit the
tests right at the beginning of term and there would be very little time to
mark the papers and check the accuracy of the results. The only alternative
would be to test in the summer term of Year 5, but most Head Teachers are not
in favour of this option.
Please remember that a child who is deemed selective is not guaranteed a
selective place at a Bexley school unless he or she achieves one of the top
180 scores. The admissions criteria for selective schools can be found in the ‘Admission
to Secondary Schools in Bexley’ booklet, but in most cases home to school
distance will be the deciding factor. Unless you live very close to your preferred
selective school, you are strongly advised to include preferences for more
than one selective school and for non-selective schools on your application
form. Please see the booklet for a guide to the distance from schools of offered
places in previous years.
This means that many families would still need to visit a number of schools
before making their final preferences.
Could the closing date for secondary school applications be later in the autumn, to give more time for the selection tests?
The closing date for submission of secondary school application forms is the
same for all authorities in and around London that participate in the statutory
Pan London Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme, and it would not be possible for
Bexley to have a different closing date from the other authorities.
The closing date is set for October in order to allow time for the necessary
exchange of information between admissions authorities.
Will children have had time to settle back in to school after the summer holidays when they have to sit the tests?
As explained above, the tests must be held quite early in the autumn term
if results are to be available before secondary school applications are submitted.
We are proposing that the tests should be in the third week of the term, as
this gives the longest time possible back at school that still enables the
publication of test results in October.
Why has the Council decided to use Verbal Reasoning and Non Verbal Reasoning as the two tests?
Verbal Reasoning (VR) and Non Verbal Reasoning (NVR) are ability tests, and
are used to show an all-round potential in a child.
The Admissions Forum asked all Bexley Head Teachers for their views on which
two tests should be used. There was general agreement that one test should
be VR, and opinion was divided on whether the second test should be NVR or
Maths. Therefore the Admissions Forum is following the advice of the National
Foundation for Educational Research that VR and NVR tests are the most reliable
tests to use for the selection of children into grammar schools, and that Maths
should only be used in conjunction with these tests, and not in place of one of them.
Which tests do other authorities use?
There is no standard number or combination of tests used by selective authorities
and schools. However most authorities do include a VR test, and many no longer
set multiple-choice English tests.
What about familiarisation?
The Council is still considering the best way to ensure that all children
are familiar with the type of questions that will be used in the tests. There
would not be sufficient time to hold the usual familiarisation sessions for
out-borough children in the autumn term if the test dates are brought forward,
but whatever familiarisation arrangements are made, they will offer the same
opportunities to all applicants, irrespective of where they live.
When will parents know the final decision on whether the changes will take place?
Consultation ends on 28 September 2007, and then the Council will consider
all the responses and make its decision in October or November. Parents will
be informed of the arrangements for next year as soon as possible.
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