Second Stage WCGS Entrance Examination Year FAQs and other FAQs. Admissions 2015

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1 Second Stage WCGS Entrance Examination Year FAQs and other FAQs. Admissions 2015 Parent / Carers should also read the Selective Eligibility Test FAQs for 2015 When is Open Evening? Open Evening will be held on Thursday, 03rd July 2014 from 3.30p.m. 8.00p.m (Last entry 7.30p.m) Headmaster s talk: 4.15pm, 5.00pm, 5.45pm, 6.30pm, 7.15pm Please note that parking is not available on the School site and we would advise that out of consideration to our neighbours that you do not park on Manor Way or Derek Avenue as these roads are narrow and parking is very restrictive. Where can I obtain a copy of the School s prospectus? The School aims to be as environmentally friendly as possible and we do not produce a printed prospectus. We welcome you to visit our School s website for information about the School. What are the School s Admission Criteria for Year ? The School admits 120 boys in to Year 7 each year on the basis of their ability; included in this number are any boys with formal statements of special educational needs who meet the School s Admission Criteria and for whom Wallington County Grammar School is the named school on their statement. Boys will be regarded of selective ability according to their performance in the Entrance Examination. In the event that the number of eligible applications exceeds the number of places available, the following criteria will apply, in the order set out below: a) Children who are looked after by a local authority* b) Up to 10 places for boys who are eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) ** through their current school at the time of registration for the Selective Eligibility Test (SET). c) In rank order of performance in the Entrance Examination d) In the event two or more boys have the same rank order and where the admission would exceed the number of places available, places will be allocated in the order of the distance of their homes from the main entrance of Wallington County Grammar School measured in a straight line on a map. **Looked after children or previously looked after children. (A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see definition in section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989). A previously looked after child is a child who was adopted, or subject to a residence order, or special guardianship order, immediately following having been looked after). **If your child is successful in the second stage entrance examination for WCGS, we will seek to verify with your child s primary school if your child is / was receiving Free School Meals (FSM) at the time of registration for the Selective Eligibility Test (SET). Please note that success in the Entrance Examination does not mean that a place will be offered. Admission Procedures for Entry into Year 7 in September 2015

2 For entry into Year 7 in September 2015 boys would normally be in Year 6 in Primary School September 2014, and must first pass the Selective Eligibility Test (SET) prepared by a number of local schools with selective places. The outcome of this test determines suitability for the second stage of the Entrance Examination for selective participating schools. Each school will set its own second stage Entrance Examination. To register your son to take the Selective Eligibility Test (SET) parents must complete the Supplementary Form which can be accessed and completed on-line via a link from the web-site of any of the participating schools. This will not be available until 01 May The Registration Form must be completed and submitted on line by Midnight Thursday 04 th September The Selective Eligibility Test (SET) will take place on Wednesday, 17 th September Each of the participating schools will run as a test centre and candidates will be notified by of the test centre they should attend on Wednesday, 17 th September The Selective Eligibility Test (SET) consists of two multiple choice style papers: a Mathematics paper and an English paper. The test score will be applicable to any of the participating schools although each school may determine its own pass mark. Parents will be informed by of the outcome of the Selective Eligibility Test (SET) on Friday 26 th September This will confirm whether or not the candidate would be eligible to sit the second stage Entrance Examination for Wallington County Grammar School. Second Stage Entrance Examination for Wallington County Grammar School All candidates who are eligible will be invited to sit the second stage of the Wallington County Grammar School s Entrance Examination which will be held at Wallington County Grammar School on Saturday, 11 th October The second stage Entrance Examination will consist of an English test and a Mathematics test. The rank order will be determined by combining the outcomes of the Selective Eligibility Test and the second stage Entrance Examination for Wallington County Grammar School (taken on Saturday, 11 th October 2014). The total score of the Eligibility Test will be standardised and this will be combined with the results of the standardised scores of the second stage test papers. Three standardised scores will be calculated using (1) all multiple choice items from the Eligibility Tests, (2) the English test in the second stage test, and (3) the Mathematics test in the second stage test. The three standardised scores will be weighted in the ratio 4:3:3 and adjusted for age. This overall score will determine the rank order and who is eligible for a place at the School. The overall outcome of the Entrance Examination will be sent by to parents by the end of the working day on Thursday, 23 October There are no alternative dates to sit the Selective Eligibility Test nor the second stage Entrance Examination at Wallington County Grammar School, except in exceptional circumstances; that is illness on the day, (a Doctor s certificate will be required). Other extenuating circumstances, for example an immediate family bereavement, will be considered on a case by case basis. The information in the letter will not inform parents of their son s scores or position in the rank order. Having received this information parents will then be in a position to complete the Common Application Form (CAF) issued by their Home Local Authority.

3 To make a valid application parents must: Name Wallington County Grammar School on the Common Application Form; and Ensure their son sits the second stage test on Saturday, 11 th October Offers of Places The School is part of the Pan London Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme and parents will be informed of the school place, offered to their son, in a letter from their home local authority on National Offers Day Monday 2nd March On National Offers Day the Local Authority will send letters to parents confirming the name of the school that is being offered. If parents have made a valid application for their son to join Wallington County Grammar School and it has been unsuccessful parents have the right to appeal against this decision. If a boy is eligible for a place at the school but is not offered a place, he will be placed on the waiting list until 31 st December The waiting list is ranked according to the published Admission Criteria. If a place at the School becomes available in Year 7 between 1 st March and 31 st December 2015, the next eligible boy on the waiting list will be offered the place without having to sit a further Entrance Examination. After 31 st December boys will have to re-sit the Entrance Examination. Therefore, parents wishing their son to take the Entrance Examination after 31 st December 2015, should a vacancy arise, must write to Sutton Local Authority by 31 st December 2015 stating their wish and providing their son s name, date of birth, and the name of their current school. Parents whose son is not on the Entrance Examination waiting list but wish them to be so, must apply for mid-term admission through the London Borough of Sutton. Second Stage Entrance Examination for Wallington County Grammar School The Second Stage Entrance Examination for Wallington County Grammar School is sat by those candidates who have reached the standard required in the Selective Eligibility Test. The Mathematics and English Paper are NOT multiple choice papers. The English paper 40 minute duration (includes reading and planning time). Students will be asked to read a short passage and then complete four written responses. They will be tested on their comprehension of the passage and their own creative writing. Boys should not come prepared with pre-learned creative writing, as this will result in answers being marked as invalid if they do not fit the title they are asked to write about in the Entrance Examination. Boys can write in either pen or pencil. The Mathematics paper 40 minute duration. Mathematical problem solving - Calculators are not required.

4 What is the pass mark for the Wallington County Grammar School s second stage test? As is in previous years the School expects that approximately 450 boys will be eligible for a place at Wallington County Grammar School. When do we find out the outcome of the second stage Entrance Examination? The outcome; (whether your son is eligible or not eligible for a place at Wallington County Grammar School,) for the Entrance Examination taken on Saturday 11 October 2014 will be sent by to parents by the end of the working day on Thursday, 23 October Being eligible for a place does not mean that your son will be offered a place at Wallington County Grammar School as the School is oversubscribed. Please note we do not offer a remark / script return service. Boys who have not passed our test cannot be added to our waiting list. The School does not give verbally or in writing any further information regarding scores for boys who sit our Entrance Examination at any point beyond what is included in the outcome letter sent, following the second stage examination. Please note that success in the selective eligibility test or the second stage examination does not a mean a place will be offered. What is the Common Application Form? The Common Application Form is provided by your own Local Authority to apply to any school regardless of the Local Authority in which the school resides. The statutory closing date for submission of the Common Application Form which must be sent your own Local Authority listing your school preferences is 31 st October 2014, or as published by your home Local Authority. 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 What about where we place Wallington on the Common Application Form? If your son is eligible for a place at WCGS then, of course, you can make an informed choice 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 school higher. Parents should place the school in true order of preference. What is the Equal Preference Scheme? The equal preference system means that applications for lower preference schools are not disadvantaged if a higher preference school cannot offer a place. This allows parents to apply for the preferred option, knowing that if their child is unsuccessful in a test or have not met the criteria, they will not be overlooked by the lower preference schools.

5 When will we know if our son has a place at Wallington? The offer of a school place will be made by your Local Authority on National Offers day which is the 02 March The School will write to those offered a place after National Offers day with information about the induction process. What happens if my son does not pass the tests? Should your child be unsuccessful in the entrance examinations, parents should not list Wallington as one of their preferences on the Common Application Form. The child will not have met the admissions criteria and, therefore, not be eligible for a place. What about tutoring? The Headmaster does not recommend that you have your son tutored. Our examination is predominantly work your son will be familiar with and work he is currently undertaking at primary school. What about Statemented Children? Statements: Children with formal statements of educational needs that name this School are admitted automatically ahead of other applicants; they must undertake the Selective Eligibility Test and if they have passed must also sit the second stage entrance examination and reach the pass mark to be eligible. Admission of children with statements counts towards the overall admission number and are not in addition to the published admission number. There is a separate process to be followed and parents should speak to their Local Authority who administers the process. Unsuccessful Applicants Following National Offers day and Appeals Parents who have made an application for WCGS have the right of appeal and information will be sent to those not offered a place for Year 7 on National Offers day Monday, 02 March 2015 with the letter from your Home Local Authority. It must be remembered that for the appeal process to be valid, an application to the school must have been made according to the arrangements: To make a valid application parents must: Name Wallington County Grammar School on the Common Application Form; and Ensure their son sits the second stage test on Saturday, 11 th October Does the School have a catchment area? The School does not operate a catchment area, however; parent / carers should consider travelling time to and from School for their son. Do you still have questions unanswered?

6 The Admissions Officer will be happy to talk to you. Please telephone on