ALTRINCHAM GRAMMAR SCHOOL
FOR BOYS
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Entrance Exam
September 2012
(for entry in
September
2013)
Welcome
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LEA Common Preference Form
AGSB Application Form
Test day
Results
Review Process
Offer of places
Appeals
Summary
LEA Common Preference form
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The ‘National Closing Date’ for applications is 31st
October 2012 – Please confirm this date with your
Home Authority.
Common Preference Forms are sent to you in the first
week of term in year 6 of Primary School. If your son
attends an Independent School you may need to contact
your Home Authority for a form.
Parents should rank their choices in order of preference
listing as their highest preference the school they most
wish to be allocated.
Equal Preference
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Your Home Authority will endeavour to offer you your
highest preference school, subject to the admissions
criteria for that school.
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As you will only receive 1 offer it is essential that you
name your highest preference school first.
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If, for whatever reason, you cannot be offered your first
choice, then your second choice becomes your first
choice, and so on....
TAKE NOTE
If you do not complete the CPF indicating AGSB as
a preference 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
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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, in order to qualify for a place here your son
must pass the AGSB Entrance Exam and to take this
you must apply directly to us
 Applications should be submitted no later than Friday
31st August. Forms are available this evening and to
download from the school website at www.agsb.co.uk
Entrance Exam Date
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Our entrance exam is being held on
Saturday September 15th
Our results will be sent to you in mid-October – before
you have to return the Common Preference Form to your
Home Authority.
We are unable to confirm an exact date for postage but it
is usually around the 15th October once the Internal
Review Process has taken place.
Results are posted to the address given on your
application form, only one set of results may be sent to
each applicant.
Notification of postage is published on the school
website. So check around 15th to see if they have been
sent
Application continued
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You send us your application form together with two passport sized
colour photographs and a large(A4) envelope with 75p postage
(last date for applications – Friday 31st August).
On this please include a contact telephone number for the day of
the exam, just in case your son is ill on the day and we have to ring
you to collect him earlier.
Once we have received your application we will send you an
acknowledgement pack.
The orange form – gives useful information
Equipment for the day
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HB pencil, eraser, glasses and inhalers if required.
Application continued
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Inform us in advance of any special requirements
needed for the entrance examination such as:
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Large print test papers, use of coloured paper
Impaired hearing – request to sit at front of room
Alternative arrangements due to religious reasons
We can accommodate you as long as you let us know in
advance
Special Circumstance Form
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A Yellow Special Circumstance Form is sent to every
applicant upon application. However, this form need only
be returned at this time if the circumstances you wish to
report relate to;
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a medical illness which can be supported by a Doctors
Note
or to serious issues within the immediate family which
may affect the child on the day of the entrance exam.
Please submit prior to the exam.
Special Circumstance Form Cont:
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Forms received which are within these guidelines will be
considered during the Internal Review process. We will
also contact your son’s Primary School for additional
information.
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Circumstances other than these will not be considered as
part of the Internal Review but parents will be offered the
opportunity to present additional information in support of
an appeal following National Offer Day.
Ill on morning of exam
If your son is ill on the morning of the exam:
 Please do not bring him.
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Call us on the morning of the exam to
notify us and we will arrange an alternative
date for assessment.
Test Day – Saturday 15th September 2012
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Arrival
The test room
The test itself
Break
Collection
Departure
Arrival
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You must aim to arrive between 9:00 - 9:15am
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Traffic will be heavy and parking will be extremely
difficult. Park nearby and walk along Marlborough Road
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AGGS on same day!
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900 pupils and their parents came last year so please be
patient – two queues at the main doors - all will get in!
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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
The Test Room
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Approximately 30 pupils in each room. Applications are
processed in the order they are received
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1 Staff & 6th former assistant in each room
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Pupils sit in assigned places, allocated on application
The Test Itself
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GL ASSessment (formerly NFER-Nelson)
National standardised tests
Secure tests, copies are prohibited
Non Verbal Reasoning
Verbal Reasoning
Creative Writing (for review purposes only)
Maths
The Tests - Timing
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GLASS tests
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2 x 10 minute sessions
50 minute session
AGSB test
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NVR –
VR –
Creative Writing
20 minute session
GLASS test
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Maths –
50 minute session
Tests are carefully timed by an Invigilator, also there will be
a clock in the room. Time warnings are given in the VR and
Maths tests half way through and 5 minutes from the end,
also half way through the Creative Writing assessment. No
time warnings are given in the NVR test.
Creative Writing Test
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Boys are asked to continue a story, using their
imagination
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
Break
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Break of 20 minutes after NVR and VR test
Staff and 6th 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 cannot be added
on at the end
As you return to school……..
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Please be mindful of pupils and other parents as you
return, it will be busy
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Roads will be congested again, so please be patient
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Details about return and collection will be displayed
around the school when you leave your son for the tests
Briefly they are……..
Collection………
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Return to school between 12:30 - 12:45pm
Follow the signs to the Grammar Car Park – please wait
quietly as some boys may still be working
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
MATHS
50
MARKED AT AGSB
STANDARDISED (and ‘age weighted’)
STANDARDISED RESULTS RETURNED TO AGSB
REVIEW LATE SEPTEMBER
RESULTS SENT TO PARENTS MID OCTOBER
The Tests - Standardisation
141
141
80
40
NVR
VR
141
50
MATHS
The Tests - Results
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The maximum possible score is 423
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There is no minimum pass mark for each individual
paper. The papers are equally weighted so it does
not matter if your son is stronger on one paper than
the other.
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The qualifying score is 334 for all applicants
The Tests – Internal Review
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Pupils who are within 13 marks of the pass mark will
automatically be reviewed by our Review Panel,
i.e. 321-333 inclusive
The Review Panel will take into account the following:
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Test Scores in the exam
Creative Writing
Review Report from Primary School, if received
Special Circumstance Form reporting serious medical/family
issues only (as detailed within our Admissions Policy)
Invigilators Room Report Sheet
Review Continued:
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The reviews are carried out before results are
posted
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Those applicants whom the Review Panel deem
to have qualified for admission pursuant to the
review process will have their score amended to
the qualifying mark of 334R
Ranking – Qualifiers
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In Area boys who qualify will be eligible for a place and
should receive an offer letter from Trafford on 1ST March
2013 – National Offer Day!
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NB: this is subject to if and where you have ranked AGSB on
your preference form
Out of Area boys who qualify will be ranked by score
and offered places subject to our admissions criteria on
1st March 2013 – National Offer Day!
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NB: this is subject to if and where you have ranked AGSB on
your preference form
Ranking – Qualifiers: recent offers
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In area applicants
In 2011 every qualified boy whose parents ranked us as
their highest preference, was offered a place in the
March of that year
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Out of area applicants
Ranked in accordance with our admissions criteria.
In 2011 approximately 33% of the places that we offered
were made to qualified out of area boys
Out of Area Offers
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In previous years we have been able to offer
out of area boys as follows:
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2011 Boys with a score of 353 and above
2010 Boys with a score of 355 and above
2009 Boys with a score of 349 and above
2008 Boys with a score of 348 and above
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Confirmation Letter
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In mid October before Trafford require completion of your
CPF, a letter will be sent to all parents informing them of
their son’s score in the exam.
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This is not an offer of a place – it is for information
only. Offers can only be made by Local Authorities
on our behalf.
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Offer of places to qualifiers will be made by Trafford LEA
(or your local LEA) on our behalf on 1st March 2013
Accepting an offer
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Should your Home Authority make you an offer at
this school, please notify them immediately as to
whether you wish to accept or decline the place
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We will also write to you requesting you notify us
of your intent as we have a large number of boys
who anxiously wait who may not have been
offered a place initially
Appeal
If your son is not offered a place you have the right
to appeal.
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The Appeals Panel is independent of AGSB
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Details of how to appeal will be given to you on
National Offer Day
Waiting List
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Once all the possible offers have been made
and accepted, we will hold a waiting list for one
term only for any subsequent vacancies that
may arise.
Open Evening
Thursday 28th June 5:00pm – 7.30pm
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Open Evening will provide you with a chance to see the
school in action
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You can talk to boys and staff about opportunities at
AGSB
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You can buy some more practice papers if you wish
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The Admissions Department will be available on the
evening to answer any further questions you may have.
Practice Tests
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Practice tests are available to buy tonight and up to the
exam date for £9.99
Same style as actual test – 4 versions
Practice Packs
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The practice packs are numbered 1/2/3 etc.,
This is purely so you can identify which practice
paper your son has already done so that you are
not purchasing the same practice paper again!
It does not matter which numbered pack you
start with.
It is purely repetitive practice!
Experience has shown us that
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Practice is good and familiarisation with materials makes
sense; however…
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Over coaching just to pass the test is not in the best
interests of a boy
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A moment’s pleasure at the result could lead to 5 – 7
years of struggle!
Questions
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If you have missed some of the points or you find you
have further questions after tonight do not worry…
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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 – for admissions
information, a copy of the school prospectus and,
shortly, a copy of this presentation
A Final Word
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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
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Our entrance exam is being held on
Saturday September 15th 2012
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Results will be sent to you in mid October – before you
have to return the common preference form to your LEA
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National Closing date is 31st October. If you are not a
Trafford resident, please double check this date with
your Home Authority.
Thank you for listening
Any Questions?