Frequently Asked Questions
about Admission into
Year 7 in 2009
Admission to Other Year Groups
Admission to the Sixth Form.
FAQ for Admission into Year 7 in September 2009
When is Open Day?
Open Day will always be on the first Thursday in July 3.30 – 8.00 p.m. Keep an eye on our website and the local press. We also organise daytime tours after results for parents who miss the Open Day in the summer and whose sons have passed the test. The school will work as a ‘normal school day’, but parents will still be able to look around and will have a formal presentation by the Headmaster.
What are the School’s Admission Criteria?
Admissions Criteria
The School admits 120 boys on the basis of their ability. Boys will be regarded as of selective ability according to their performance in the selection tests established by the school.
a) Pupils who have reached the pass mark who are Looked After Children, then those who have special medical or social grounds for admission supported by appropriate professional evidence.
b) In rank order of performance.
Boys born between 1st September 1997 & 31st August 1998 are eligible for admission in September 2009.
These criteria are very straightforward and easy to understand.
How do we apply for a place?
The School uses a Supplementary Form to administer the entrance examination which will take place on Saturday, 13th September. All applicants to Wallington County Grammar School must complete a Supplementary Form and supply a passport-sized photograph for examination security reasons. Supplementary Forms are available from the school or are downloadable from our website.
The closing date for the receipt of the Supplementary Form is usually about a week before the exam but of course it would be prefered if it could be received as early as possible. Send it NOW! (This Supplementary Form must be returned to the School).
Once received parents will receive a letter confirming its receipt and instructions and information about the day of the test.
What format will the test take?
The selection test will consist of an English paper, a Mathematics paper and a short Verbal Reasoning paper. A satisfactory performance is required in the English paper. All the examination papers are prepared by the school. We do NOT use NFER papers.
The English paper
40 minutes duration representing 40% of the final mark.
This comprises comprehension exercises and a 20 minute "essay".
This is not an NFER paper and is NOT multiple choice.
The Mathematics paper
30 minutes duration representing 40% of the final mark.
Questions are broadly in line with National Curriculum Key Stage 2 tests. Pupils must write their answers directly onto the test paper and show all their working.
This is not an NFER paper and is NOT multiple choice.
The Verbal Reasoning paper
20 minutes duration representing 20% of the final mark.
Boys will write their answers directly onto the question paper.
They write words, underline words or circle letters to give their answers.
This is not an NFER paper and is NOT multiple choice.
So you can see that the entire test takes no longer than one and a half hours although boys are usually here for about two hours because we include a short break.
We do not supply practice papers because as explained above 80% of the test is work your son should be familiar with (English and Mathematics). Practice Verbal Reasoning papers can be obtained very easily from WH Smith. We do produce a familiarisation paper. Please see separate article on this site.
We do not use NFER multiple choice papers.
What is the pass mark?
The pass mark is always 326. The School uses a standardised system of scoring examination papers. Each paper is standardised to a score of 100, a bit like an IQ test, where 100 is an average score. Over the three papers, English, Mathematics and Verbal reasoning an average child should score 300 (although our papers are weighted after standardisation, 40%, 40%, 20% respectively). So you can see that a pass mark of 326 would usually mean a pupil scoring above average on each paper. Of course some pupils will score a good average on one paper but a well above average on the other two, thus making a higher total score.
The maximum score attainable is 420. The minimum score attainable is 150.
The pass mark is not raised or lowered according to the number of applicants and the system of scoring pupils always remains the same each year.
For entry in September 2008 1,539 pupils were tested for entry into Year 7 and 474 were successful.
For entry in September 2009 1,496 pupils were tested (September test) and 457 were successful.
What about age weighting?
Zero marks are added to the scores of children born September - November.
One mark is added to the scores of children born December - February.
Two marks are added to the scores of children born March - May.
Three marks are added to the scores of children born June - August.
When do we find out the result of the entrance examination?
Entrance Test Results will be sent by first class post on Friday, 3rd October to all those candidates who applied by the closing date in September. Late applicants will receive their results as soon as practicable, probably in early January, but of course this will be after they have listed their preferences on their LEA Common Application Form..
The new Admissions Code of Practice states:
‘Grammar schools and other schools, or their admission authorities, which are permitted to use selection by ability or aptitude, should ensure that parents are informed of the outcome of entry tests before they make their applications for other schools.’
The school has decided to follow the Code’s recommendations and, therefore, results of the entry tests will be posted by first class post in the first week of October. This will enable parents to make a more informed choice of school preferences when they make applications to secondary schools on the Common Application Form for their Local Authority.
What is the Common Application Form?
The Common Application Form is the form you use to make an application to secondary schools. You must use the Common Application Form provided by your own Local Authority. You can apply to any school on this one form regardless of the Local Authority in which the school resides. You can only apply for a place at Wallington by using the Common Application Form. The Supplementary Form is only an application to undertake the entrance examination.
The closing date for the receipt of the Common Application Form is: ususally about the third week in October. This Common Application Form must be sent to your own Local Authority listing your school preferences.
The School takes part in Sutton's co-ordinated scheme for secondary admissions. In order to make a valid application to the School parents must name the School on their Home Local Authority's Common Application Form. Parents must also complete the School's Supplementary Form, which is an application to sit the test. The deadline for completion of the Common Application Form for many Local Authorities is about the third week in October, but parents/guardians should check with their Home Local Authority for details of closing dates and their Home Local Authority scheme. Common Application Forms received after the closing date will be considered in accordance with the Home Local Authority's co-ordinated scheme. All 33 London Boroughs and 8 Local Authorities that border London have agreed to co-ordinate admissions. This means that they will share details of potential offers and will eliminate multiple offers to ensure that more parents receive an offer of a school place on the offer day, 2nd March 2009.
Should a child be successful in the entrance examination, parents must, include Wallington on the Common Application Form to be eligible for consideration. The School's DfES Number is 319 5407.
It is important for parents to note that success in the entrance examination does not automatically mean that a place will be offered in March. All those who are successful in the test are placed in rank order according to the School's admission criteria. On the 1st of March successful applicants are allocated places using the Pan London Register and the Coordinated Admissions Arrangements in accordance with the order of preference listed on the Common Application Form which will have been completed by parents.
What happens if my son misses the test in September?
Parents who apply late for their child to be tested, will be offered a test date in the Autumn Term (probably in December). Late applicants will not know test results before making school preferences on the Common Application form and results of the late entrance examination will be sent as soon as they are available probably in January. The final marks of late applicants will be adjusted according to age to ensure there is a parity with those tested in September. There is no advantage for late applicants. All schools will be written to to ensure they inform parents of the early test date.
What about where we place Wallington on the Common Application Form?
If you know that your son has been successful in the entrance examination then of course you can make an informed choice of where to place Wallington on the Common Application Form. Schools do not know where you have placed them on the application form and as such, you will not disadvantage an application for a lower preference school by naming another more preferred school higher.
What is the Equal Preference Scheme?
Please look at the flow chart below:
THE EQUAL PREFERENCE SCHEME
This preference system means that applications for lower preference schools are not disadvantaged if parents higher preference schools cannot be offered.
This allows parents to apply for a preferred option (a grammar school) as a higher preference, knowing that if their child is unsuccessful in a test or have not met the criteria, they will not get overlooked for lower preference schools.
|
Example
Parental
School Preferences |
è
Schools look on the Pan London Register and download a list of all those students who have placed them as a preference.
The schools do not know the preference order.
è
|
è
Schools apply their admission criteria equally to all the students listed on the register.
è
|
è
Schools send a list of all the students to whom they would like to make an offer, to the Pan London Register.
è
|
è
The Pan London Register sorts out which schools can offer a place according to the parental preference and using the school’s criteria.
è
|
Preferences List after criteria have been applied. This list shows which schools are able to make an offer and if not – why. |
New Preference List |
School
Offered |
|
Parent 1 |
Parent 1 |
|
|
|
|
1 School A |
1 School A |
No Oversubscribed |
|
|
|
2 School B |
2 School B |
Yes – passed exam |
1 School B |
OFFERED B |
|
3 School C |
3 School C |
No Distance criteria |
|
|
|
4 School D |
4 School D |
Yes |
2 School D |
|
|
5 School E |
5 School E |
Yes |
3 School E |
|
|
6 School F |
6 School F |
Yes |
4 School F |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Parent 2 |
Parent 2 |
|
|
|
|
1 School B |
1 School B |
No Did not pass exam |
|
|
|
2 School D |
2 School D |
Yes |
1 School D |
OFFERED D |
|
3 School A |
3 School A |
No Oversubscribed |
|
|
|
4 School C |
4 School C |
Yes |
2 School C |
|
|
5 School F |
5 School F |
Yes |
3 School F |
|
|
6 School E |
6 School E |
Yes |
4 School E |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Parent 3 |
Parent 3 |
|
|
|
|
1 School F |
1 School F |
No passed exam – but over subscribed |
|
|
|
2 School C |
2 School C |
Yes passed exam |
1. School C |
OFFERED C |
|
3 School D |
3 School D |
No Distance criteria |
|
|
|
4 School A |
4 School A |
No Oversubscribed |
|
|
|
5 School B |
5 School B |
Yes |
2 School B |
|
|
6 School E |
6 School E |
Yes |
3 School E |
|
The new Code of Practice forbids schools from using the 1st preference 1st criteria. This means that this practice will not be allowed from the 2008 intake onwards. All schools must be equal preference. Schools DO NOT know the order preference.
Do I still have to choose between Wallington and Sutton Grammar?
No. Changes to the admission arrangements now mean that you no longer have to choose between Wallington and Sutton Grammar. A separate application can now be made to both schools and your son can now sit both exams.
When will we know if our son has a place at Wallington?
The National offer date for all secondary school places is 1st March. Or if 1st March falls on a weekend the next
