Transcript The Tests - Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
ALTRINCHAM GRAMMAR SCHOOL FOR BOYS Entrance Exam September 2011 (for entry in September 2012)
Welcome
LEA Common Preference Form AGSB Application Form Test day Results Review Offer of places Appeal Summary
LEA Common Preference form
Trafford LEA requires all common preference forms to be completed and returned to them by the 31st October 2011 – other LEA’s may have similar dates – please check . They are sent to you in the first week of term as your son begins Year 6 in his primary school Parents should rank their choices in order of preference listing as their highest preference the school they most wish to be allocated on their LEA preference form Your LEA will endeavour to give you your highest ranked preferred school – equal preference If your son currently attends an Independent School, please contact your LEA for a CPF.
Equal Preference
Your first choice of school will be allocated to your son subject to the admissions criteria for that school.
As you will only receive 1 offer it is essential that you name your highest preference school first.
If, for whatever reason, you cannot be offered your first choice, then your second choice becomes your first, etc
Application
For your son to gain a place at AGSB :-
You must fill out your common preference form and put AGSB where you wish us to be ranked However he
must
pass the AGSB Entrance Exam. To take this you must apply directly to us
Entrance Exam Date
Our entrance exam is being held on
Saturday September 17th
Our results will be sent to you in mid October –
before
you have to return the common preference form to your LEA
TAKE NOTE
If you do not complete the LEA form indicating AGSB on your preference form, your son may go through and pass the Entrance Exam but in the end he will not be allocated a place here by Trafford, on our behalf, in March!
Late applicants are only dealt with after all on time applications have received their offers
Application continued
You send us your application form together with two passport sized photographs and a large(A4) envelope with 66p postage (last date for applications – Friday 2nd September). On this please include a contact telephone number for the day of the exam, just in case your son is ill on the day Once we have received your application we will send you an acknowledgement pack – which includes some sample question sheets Preparation is useful The orange form – gives useful information Equipment for the day HB pencil Eraser
Application continued
Inform us of any special requirements such as: Impaired eyesight – we provide enlarged papers Impaired hearing – will be sat at the front Any other medical conditions that may affect performance can usually be accounted for Religious reasons We can accommodate you as long as you let us know in advance
Test Day – Saturday 17
th
September 2011
Arrival The test room The test itself Break Collection Departure
Arrival
You must aim to arrive between
9:00 - 9:15am
Traffic will be heavy and parking will be extremely difficult.Park nearby and walk along Marlborough Road AGGS on same day!
900 pupils and their parents came last year so please be patient – two queues at the main doors - all will get in!
Arrival continued……
Come to the main entrance with your orange form – it tells you which door to go through and which room to go to with your son If you son is ill on the day, please do not bring him. Contact us immediately by telephone and we will advise accordingly Special circumstances form - yellow If in doubt fill it out!
Hand in before exam date or on the day. You must hand it in to the Enquiries Table
NOT
to the test room invigilator
The Test Room
Approximately 30 pupils in each room 1 Staff & 6 th former assistant Pupils sit in assigned places, allocated on application
The Test Itself
GL ASSessment (formerly NFER-Nelson) National standardised tests Secure tests, copies are prohibited N on V erbal R easoning V erbal R easoning C reative W riting (for review purposes only) M aths
The Tests - Timing
GLASS tests
NVR – VR –
AGSB test
Creative Writing 2 x 10 minute sessions 50 minute session 20 minute session
GLASS test
Maths – 50 minute session Tests are carefully timed by invigilator. There will be a clock in the room – but working through at a steady pace is required for these tests. Time warnings are given in the VR and Maths tests only , half way through and 5 minutes from the end.
Break
Break of 20 minutes after NVR and VR test Staff and 6 th former changeover Small snack may be brought by boys
SMALL
drink please!
After the break CREATIVE WRITING followed by MATHS test Any time lost through a toilet break on at the end
cannot
be added
As you return to school……..
Please be mindful of pupils and other parents as you leave, it will be busy Roads will be congested again, so please be patient Details about return and collection will be displayed around the school when you leave your son for the tests briefly they are ……..
Collection………
Return to school between
12:30 - 12:45pm
Follow the signs to the Grammar Car Park quietly as boys will still be working – please wait Estimated finish time
1:00pm
Pupils led through Hall to the south yard nearby Room flags will be on desks where your son will be told to meet you If you are not there your son will be asked to wait in the hall
The Tests - marking
NVR 40 VR 80 MARKED AT AGSB STANDARDISED (and ‘age weighted’) RESULTS AND PASS MARK OBTAINED REVIEW LATE SEPTEMBER RESULTS SENT TO PARENTS MID OCTOBER MATHS 50
The Tests - Standardisation
141 141 141 40 NVR 80 50 VR MATHS
The Tests - Results
The maximum mark =141 x 3 = 423 No minimum pass mark for each test The qualifying score is 334
The Tests - Review
Pupils who are within 20 marks of the pass mark will be reviewed Review panel will include staff from AGSB as well as a Primary Head teacher Creative Writing test is used at this point to help assess ability Primary school report is also requested and considered Scores obtained on the exam Special Circumstances
Creative Writing test
Boys are asked to continue a story, using their imagination. i.e. Jack wandered into the woods and stumbled on a giant black box…….
We are looking for the ability to write correctly and interestingly – writing as vividly as possible is more important than finishing the short story Three or four well structured paragraphs would be very impressive Quality is more important than quantity
Ranking – Qualifiers
In Area
boys who qualify will be eligible for a place and will receive an offer letter from Trafford (subject to where you have ranked AGSB on your preference form) on 1 ST March 2012 – National Offer Day
Out of Area
boys who qualify will be ranked by score and offered places subject to our admissions criteria (and again subject to where you have ranked AGSB on your preference form) on 1st March 2012
Ranking – Qualifiers – recent offers
In area applicants
In 2010 every qualified boy whose parents ranked us as their highest preference, was offered a place in the March of that year
Out of area applicants
The criteria used is score order In 2010 approximately 33% of the places that we offered were made to qualified out of area boys.
Confirmation Letter
In mid October, a letter will be sent to
all
parents informing them of the pass mark as well as their son’s marks in the individual tests
This is not an offer of a place only – it is for information
Offer of places to qualifiers will be made by Trafford LEA (or your local LEA) on our behalf on
1st March 2012
Final date for acceptance of a place is 15th March 2012
Appeal
Appeals body is independent of AGSB
Details of how to appeal will be given to you on National Offer Day
Offers of places after 1st March
Any parent disappointed with their allocated school will have to re-apply to Trafford immediately after National Offer Day for any vacancies that are subsequently available at their preferred school No offers are made directly from the school during this period – they are still made by Trafford on our behalf Once all the possible offers have been and accepted, we will hold a waiting list for one term for any subsequent vacancies that may arise. So keep in touch!
Open Evening 5:00pm – 7.30pm
Thursday 30
th
June
Open Evening will provide you with a chance to see the school in action You can talk to boys and staff about opportunities at AGSB You can buy some more practice papers if you wish
Practice Tests
Practice tests are available to buy tonight and up to the exam date for
£9.99
Same style as actual test – 4 versions
Experience has shown us that
Practice is good and familiarisation with materials makes sense; however… Over coaching just to pass the test is
not
in the best interests of a boy
A moment’s pleasure at the result could lead to 5 – 7 years of struggle!
Questions
If you have missed some of the points or you find you have further questions after tonight do not worry … You can ask questions in a few moments Look through the application literature again Practice papers, application forms and copies of our admission policy are available on your way out this evening Come and see us on Open Evening – bring your sons We are always on the end of the phone Look at the school website complete copy of the latest school prospectus and, in a week or so, a copy of this presentation – for admissions information, a
A Final Word
As well as applying to AGSB and your son sitting the test here, you must also ensure that you fill in your LEA common preference form Our entrance exam is being held on
Saturday September 17 th
this year Results will be sent to you in mid October –
before
you have to return the common preference form to your LEA Trafford requires you to return this form to them by
31st October.
Other LEAs will have similar dates – please check with them
Thank you for listening Any Questions?
We hope to see you at Open Evening on Thursday 30
th