Regent House School

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Transfer 2010

• Regent House School
• Information Evening
• for parents of P6 children

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Agenda

• Regent House Schools position on Transfer 2010
• The AQE Common Entrance Assessment
• Results
• Applying to do the Common Entrance Assessment
• Application process for schools
• Timeline
• Questions

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1. Our Considered Response to the Ministers
Guidance

• Our aim is always to provide the best educational
  experience we can for academic pupils.
• Due regard has been given to the Draft Guidance
  (now out for consultation).
• The School will respond formally to the final
  Guidance at a later date.
• Meanwhile, we wish to provide information to you
  as soon as possible about what is likely to
  happen if the Guidance does not change.

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What is AQE and CEA?

• The Association for Quality Education
• Consists of Parents Groups, Former Pupils
  Associations and 33 Grammar schools
• CEA is the Common Entrance Assessment which is
  being set by AQE

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Entry to Regent House School

• Result of the AQE test is the first criterion.
• To improve the chances of your child gaining
  entry to Regent House School in September 2010
  s/he must sit the AQE test.
• Priority will be given to those candidates who
  have sat the AQE test

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2. The AQE Common Entrance Assessment

• 3 papers
• 1 hour each
• Saturday 14th November 2009Saturday 28th
  November 2009 Saturday 5th December 2009
• The papers have been designed in consultation
  with Primary School teachers
• Times to be decided 10 a.m. -11a.m.
• or 11.a.m -12 noon

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The Assessment

• The Common Entrance Assessment takes account of
  the Revised KS2 Curriculum for English and
  Mathematics (There will be NO Science).
• The assessment should therefore be accessible to
  all pupils studying the Revised KS2 Curriculum in
  Northern Ireland.
• Old Transfer Tests questions in English and Maths
  (minus the Science questions) can serve as
  practice papers

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Format of the Paper

• Poem 1 followed by 7 comprehension items.
• 11 mathematics items.
• Prose passage followed by 7 comprehension items.
• 11 mathematics items
• Basic skills passage (lines numbered on the
  right) followed by 5 basic skills items.
• 10 mathematics items
• Poem 2 (followed by 7 comprehension items)

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Test Days

• Tests are being held in each of the participating
  Grammar Schools (NOT the Primary School)
• You already nominated your preferred test centre
  on the application form and AQE will have
  informed you in advance of the Test Days
• A familiarisation event will take place in most
  test centres- probably in October 2009

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The Tests in Regent House

• Accommodation in two halls, pupils sitting with
  others from their primary Schools
• Parents can wait in Dining Hall
• Invigilators will be our own staff following
  common, agreed instructions, (similar to GCSE and
  A level exams)

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Marking

• Each paper will be marked twice, by different
  markers who are experinced Primary School
  teachers
• Checked by a third marker.
• Marking will take place in two centres in the
  presence of chief examiners.
• Opportunity to apply for a remark.

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3. Results

• Best 2 out of 3 results
• Age adjusted
• Adjusted to take account of special circumstances
  if applicable
• Mark converted to a age to 2 decimal points
  e.g., 72.45
• Results issued to parents and participating
  Grammar Schools on Saturday 6th February 2010

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4. Applying to do the AQEs CEA

• Application forms to take the test will be
  available from Monday 18th May 2009 on the AQE
  website and from participating schools. Forms
  will also be sent to Primary schools, however AQE
  recognises that these might not be distributed.
• Completed forms must be returned to AQE no later
  than Friday 18th September 2009.
• Fee is 35
• Free to those entitled to Free Schools Meals

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Applying to sit the AQE Exam

• Choose where you would like your child to sit the
  tests (Nominate 3 Test Centres in order of
  preference, 1st come 1st served).
• This choice has NO bearing on the application for
  a place.
• Identify any access requirements (if applicable)
• Supply 3 passport photographs
• Supply copy of birth certificate.
• Letter from SEELB confirming FSME (if applicable)

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Special Circumstances

• Medical or other problems which may have affected
  performance in the test
• AQE, not Board of Governors, will deal with them
  and adjust marks
• Based on JCQ arrangements
• 19 December 2009 deadline for application for
  consideration of Special Circumstances

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Special Provision

• Children whose parent/guardian wish them to
  transfer to a Grammar School from outside
  Northern Ireland.
• Children who have received more than half their
  Primary education outside Northern Ireland.
• Children, who because of unforeseen and serious
  medical problems, which are supported by medical
  evidence, were unable to participate in the
  Transfer Test.
• Assessment by ELB , as before

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5. School Application Process

• Similar to current process
• Interview with Primary Principal in February 2010
• Complete usual Transfer form for preferred
  schools
• Submit to the Transfer section of the Board/ESA
• Forms are distributed to first choice schools

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How Regent House will deal with applications for
Form 1

• Applicants will be placed, first, in rank order
  of AQE scores
• Cut-off at 210th place
• If there is a tie at any point then other
  secondary selection or sub-criteria will apply,
  as before
• If there are insufficient AQE applications then
  secondary or sub-criteria will be applied to fill
  the remaining places

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Secondary Criteria

• This will be confirmed after the Ministers Final
  Guidance is known. It is expected that it will
  not change very much from previous years

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Example

• NB the figures shown are for illustration
  purposes only
• Say there are 250 applications for 210 places
• Applications, with priority given to AQE
  candidates, placed in rank order
• If places 1 to 204 are filled with pupils
  scoring, say, 66 or better and
• 10 pupils with 65 tie for the remaining 6 places

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Example (contd.)

• Secondary or sub-criteria applied
• 6 pupils selected
• Forms of remaining 40 pupils are then forwarded
  through ELB to second choice schools
• This process repeats until late May 2010

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Example (contd.)

• Regent House will not take account of the order
  in which schools are placed on the form
• If Regent House is your preferred choice of
  school then put us down first and the ELB will
  then send us your application first. Then we will
  select your child if eligible
• If we have filled our places, the form will be
  passed to the school which is your 2nd
  preference.
• If your 1st choice is another school, and it has
  filled its places, it will send your application
  to us if we are your 2nd choice.

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6. Timeline

• AQE application forms available
• 18 May- 18 September 2009
• Familiarisation tour of Test Centres
• To be announced
• Test Dates
• 14, 28 Nov, 5 Dec 2009
• Any claim for special circumstances
• 18 December 2009
• Publication of results
• 6 February 2010

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Timeline (contd.)

• Deadline for application for a re-mark
• 18 February 2010
• Notification in writing of re-mark outcome
• By 18 March 2010.
• Application to preferred schools, in consultation
  with primary principal and applications sent to
  ELB
• Feb - March 2010
• Schools receive forms from ELB and select pupils
• March - end of May 2010
• ELB notifies parents of school
• End of May/early June

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Sources of Information

• www.aqe.org.uk
• www.regenthouse.org.uk
• www.bangorgrammarschool.org.uk
• www.glenlolacollegiate.net