OUR ENTRANCE
EXAMINATION
WILL TAKE
PLACE ON
SATURDAY
17TH SEPTEMBER
2016
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
This presentation is for the Parents/Carers of boys wishing to
Join us in September 2017.
Applicants will have a date of birth between:
1st September 2005 – 31st August 2006
The topics we will cover are:
• The Application and Admission Process
• The Assessment
• Internal Review Process
• Access Arrangements
• Special Circumstances
• The allocation of places
• The Appeals process
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
For your child to be considered for a place here:
• You must make an on-time application to your
Home Authority. (That is the Local Authority to
who you pay your Council Tax).
• On-Time means making the application within the
given time frame as stated by your Home
Authority (HA).This information will be sent to you
early September by your HA.
• You must also apply directly to us no later than
Thursday 21st July 2016.
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
This year to improve our service to you we have
introduced an online application facility.
Simply go to our School website: www.agsb.co.uk and
open the following tabs: Admissions/ Entrance
Examination.
Here you will find links to the following:
Entrance Examination Application Form/Application and
Admission Information Sheet/Special Circumstance
Form/Access Arrangement Request Form and our 2017
Admissions Policy.
If you do not have access to the internet hard copies of
all forms are available by request.
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
Upon submission of your online application form
you will receive an immediate email
acknowledgement saying:
‘ thank you for your submission’. This gives you
peace of mind knowing that your application has
been safely received.
Shortly afterwards, a second email
acknowledgement is sent giving you further
information and directions to optional links.
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
• In early September, your Home Authority (HA) should
send you a Common Application Form (CAF). If your
child attends an Independent School you may need to
request this from them.
• This is an equal preference scheme and you will be
asked to list in ranked order of preference your 6
preferred schools, wherever they are located.
• The HA’s will then co-ordinate the Admission Scheme.
• They will send us a list of all boys who have named us
as a preference and we will apply our admission criteria
to that list.
• Your HA will then look and see which of your preferred
schools are able to offer your child a place.
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
• If your 1st choice school cannot offer your child a
place then your second choice school automatically
becomes your first choice school.
• Each school will apply their admission criteria and
this process continues until a place can be offered.
• Your HA will endeavour to offer you your
HIGHEST PREFERRED SCHOOL.
• It is therefore essential that you name your
highest preferred school first. Failure to do
so could result in you not being offered a
place !
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
• In order for you to make an informed decision when
completing your CAF, we will post your child’s
assessment result to you mid-October.
• This
is prior to the National Closing Date for
returning your CAF of 31st October 2016.
•
We will post an announcement onto our School
Website informing you of the exact day all result
letters are posted and they will be sent by Royal Mail
post 1st class post.
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
• This letter is for information only and is not
the offer of a place at this School.
• Places can only be offered by HA’s.
• The
offer of places will be made by Home
Authorities on ‘National Offer Day’
( 1st March 2017).
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
The qualifying score in the entrance examination is a
total standardised score of 334.
In Area
All qualified applicants confirmed as living within our priority
admission area are eligible for a place at this School.
Out of Area
Qualified applicants residing out of our priority admission
area will be ranked in score order starting with those who
have achieved the highest possible score of (423). We will
then work down from that score until all the places are
filled. The distance criteria will apply where more than one
boy has the same score.
All offers are subject to you completing your CAF correctly
and on time!
Also, to satisfying the admission criteria as detailed within
our 2017 Admissions Policy which is available to view on our
School website.
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
Our Published Admission Number is 173.
Each year approximately 25% of the places available
go to boys living out of our priority admission area.
In previous years qualified applicants who live out of
our priority admission area with the following scores
have been offered a place here:
• 2015 Boys with a score of 341 and above
• 2014 Boys with a score of 342 and above
• 2013 Boys with a score of 349 and above
We cannot predict this score as it is dependent upon
the uptake of places offered.
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
• Should your HA make you the offer of a place here,
please notify them as soon as possible as to
whether you wish to accept or decline the place. This
is because each year we anticipate a number of boys
waiting anxiously for a place to become available.
•
You must accept the place by 15th March. (Check
this date against information provided by your HA).
• We will also write to you requesting you notify us
directly whether or not you wish to accept the place.
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
Our priority admission area is defined as follows:
a) postal addresses of WA13, WA14 and WA15 which
lie within the Trafford Local Authority.
b) postal addresses in the roads of M33 as detailed below
which lie within the Trafford Local Authority:
Ainsdale Drive
Alma Road
Avonlea Road
Birkdale Drive
Blair Close
Briggs Close
Central Avenue
Chester Avenue
Chestnut Drive
Chestnut Drive Link Road
Clough Avenue
Crowton Avenue
Hartford Road
Kenmore Road
Little Brook Road
Mayfair Drive
Newgate Road
Old Well Walk
Overton Crescent
Riley Close
Shenton Park Avenue
StAndrews Close
The Drive
Woodhouse Lane
Westbury Avenue
Woodheys Drive
Washway Road even numbers 360-398
Link Road
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
Access arrangements must be based on support
a child regularly receives within his Primary
School during his ‘normal way of working’.
i.e. Large print test papers, magnifying aids,
coloured filters or the provision of a scribe.
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCE FORM
You may submit an online Special Circumstance Form if
you need to report illness or serious family issues
which may have affected an applicant prior to or on the
day of the exam. A written explanation of the
circumstances must be provided on or with this form and
the form must be submitted within 1 week of the
examination taking place i.e. by Saturday 24th
September.
Circumstances reported which do not fall within this
criteria may further be held in support of an Independent
Appeal following National Offer Day (1st March 2017).
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
• You must aim to arrive between 8:45 - 9:00am.
• Please enter the School via ‘The Grammar’ car park
(our sports facility) on Marlborough Road.
• On entering the car park you will join a queue.
• Boys will then enter the building and parents/carers
are
asked to leave swiftly clearing the area as soon as
possible!
• We
anticipate around 1,000 boys attending on the day
therefore we strongly advise you do not park within
the immediate vicinity of the School.
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
• Butterflies are normal, however if your child is ill
immediately prior to or on the morning of the exam,
PLEASE DO NOT BRING HIM!
• Contact us immediately by calling: 0161 928 0858 or
emailing admissions@agsb.co.uk and we will make
alternative arrangements for him to take the assessment.
• You must then complete an online Special Circumstance
Form recording the illness. This must be submitted no
later than Saturday 24th September.
• Should a boy fall ill during an assessment it may be
necessary to contact you and arrange for an early pick up.
In this instance we will call the number registered on your
application form. Therefore please ensure you are
contactable on that number on the day of the exam.
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
Around the 1st September we will post a
Registration Form to you. This form will provide
you with the applicant’s examination room and
collection point.
The applicant MUST bring this form with
him on the day of the examination!!!
Failure to bring the Registration Form on the day
will result in the applicant not being able to sit
the exam.
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
Once you have received the Registration Form, you
must attach a recent colour passport photograph of
the applicant in the space allocated.
You are then required to take this form into the
applicant’s Primary School and request they confirm
the applicant’s identity by placing the School stamp
across his photograph.
Failure to comply will result in the application not
being processed.
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
• Registration Form (most important) !!!
• 2 HB Pencils a sharpener and rubber
• Reading glasses and an inhaler (if needed)
•
Small drink and light snack.
(No refreshments are provided by the School).
• No stop watches alarms, mobile phones or clocks are
allowed as there will be a clock in each room.
• All boys must wear their Primary School Uniform
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
Our examination provider is
GL Assessment (formerly NFER-Nelson)
The examination will include the following
GL Assessment multiple choice papers:
• GL Assessment Non- Verbal Reasoning
• GL Assessment Verbal Reasoning
• GL Assessment Mathematics
• In addition a 20 minute Creative Writing paper
will be set by the School.
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
FIRST PAPER - Non Verbal Reasoning
Time allowed 20 minutes
Section 1 – 20 questions (10 minutes)
Section 2 – 20 questions (10 minutes)
SECOND PAPER - Verbal Reasoning
Time allowed 50 minutes – 80 questions
SHORT BREAK
THIRD PAPER - Creative Writing
Time allowed 20 minutes
FOURTH PAPER - Mathematics
Time allowed 50 minutes
50 Questions
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
• Boys are asked to continue a piece of writing in any
way they think suitable.
• We are looking for the ability to write correctly and
interestingly – writing as vividly as possible and they
do not have to completely finish the story!
• There are no practice papers available for this test.
• Duration 20 minutes
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
• There will be a clock in each room.
• Tests are carefully timed by the Room Invigilator.
• Time warnings are given half way through and 5
minutes prior to the end in the Verbal Reasoning and
Mathematic papers. They are also given half way
through the Creative Writing paper. No time warnings
are given during the Non-Verbal Reasoning paper.
• Any time lost for a toilet break during an assessment
cannot be added at the end!
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
NVR
40
VR
80
Results
MATHS
50
• PAPERS ARE MARKED AND SENT TO GL ASSESSMENT
• STANDARDISED (and ‘age weighted’)
• STANDARDISED RESULTS RETURNED TO AGSB
• REVIEW LATE SEPTEMBER
• RESULTS SENT TO PARENTS/CARERS MID OCTOBER
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
141
40
141
80
141
50
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
• Candidates who fall within 13 marks of the pass mark
will automatically be included within our Review
Process.
• This is an internal process and carried out before
results are released.
• Boys who have a successful Review will have their
score raised to a qualifying score of 334.
The Review Panel will take into account the
following:
• Test Scores achieved by the applicant
• Creative Writing Assessment
• Review Report from Primary School, if received
• Special Circumstances
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
Yes, please do not forget to collect your child!!!
Collection time is between 12.30-12.45
Your collection point is in the same area as the dropoff point but with one significant difference:
As you enter the Grammar Car Park you should look
for a flag which clearly shows the examination room
letter allocated to your child. You will find this letter on
his Orange Registration Form.
Please wait by his letter as the boys will be led there
by a School Prefect at the end of the exam. Not all
boys finish at the same time so please be patient!
Please do not be late!
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
• To familiarise your child with the format of the
assessment you may choose to purchase GL
Assessment practice papers. A variety of these
papers are available to purchase this evening in
Reception, alternatively you may purchase them
from any good book store.
• Each pack is numbered and this is purely so you
can identify which practice pack your child has
already completed so as to check you are not
purchasing the same practice pack twice!
• It does not matter which numbered pack you
start with as they are all the same level.
• It is purely repetitive practice!
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
• If your child is not offered a place here whether that
is due to oversubscription or non-qualification you
have the right to an Independent Appeal.
• Details of how to appeal will be sent to you by your
HA on National Offer Day (1st March 2017).
• Appeal
Application Forms will be available online
from 1st March, 2017.
• You may also wish to contact our Admissions Officer
for further information.
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
Not all boys will be successful in this
examination therefore we ask you please to
be mindful of those who perhaps do not
achieve the outcome they would have
wished for.
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
OPEN EVENING
THURSDAY 30TH JUNE 2016
5.00PM – 7.30PM
Please bring your child to our Open Evening as I am
sure it will inspire him!
This is your opportunity to explore the school and our
facilities, ask questions of staff and boys and to visit
each department where you will see an exciting
display of work and activities.
The Admissions Department will also be available on
that evening to answer any further questions you may
have.
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys