Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's).
Q. When will the children sit the entrance exam.
A Saturday 22nd September 2012 at Urmston Grammar for both Trafford and non-Trafford residents.
Q. What if my child is unable to attend on 22nd September?
A An alternative test will only be arranged for children who are unable to attend due to medical, religious or other extreme circumstances and will be required to notify Urmston Grammar in writing.
Q. When will the application forms for the entrance exam be available?
A The application form will be available at the beginning of May from the following sources; downloaded from the website and posted; the school office; Open Evening.
Q. When does the application form need to be returned?
A By Friday 31st August 2012. All applications will receive an acknowledgement card when processed. Please contact the school if you do not receive this card after 10 days of posting.
Q. Can I buy practice papers from Urmston Grammar?
A. Sample sheets will be available to purchase from the school office for a small fee of £2.00. These sample sheets will be for exemplar purposes only, indicating the nature of the set tasks, and will not form any part of the papers sat by candidates. Practice papers of GL Assessment can be purchased from any good booksellers (W H Smiths, Waterstones...).
Q. When will I receive the information pack?
A. You will receive the information pack by Friday 14th September 2012 detailing the specific arrangements for the forthcoming tests – equipment requirement; examination group number; times and instructions for arrival/departure; regulations relating to the sitting of the test papers; Special Circumstances Form; clothing requirements; suggested refreshments that could be sent with your child into school.
Q. Will children from anywhere be able to sit the Urmston Grammar entrance exam and will they be considered before local children?
A. Children can sit the exam irrespective of where they live. Urmston Grammar receive applications from Cheshire, Warrington, Salford and Stockport. Our over subscription criteria list the top scoring 20 candidates first, who will be offered a place irrespective of address. The remaining 108 places will be offered to those children who live in M41, M31 and then the closest to the school as in a straight line (as the crow flies). The majority of our children live in the M41 and M31 post code area although we have children as far as field as Warrington.
Q. Will my child be with their own primary school?
A. Every effort will be made to place children from the same primary school together. (Please notify us immediately if your child changes primary school)
Q. What will the entrance exam comprise of?
A There are three elements to the exam and they comprise of a Mathematics paper, a Non-Verbal paper and an English paper. There is a continuous prose attached to the English paper, which will only be considered at automatic review.
Q. What is the pass mark?
A A successful outcome will be achieved by candidates who score 355 and above in the exam.
Q. What is an Automatic Review?
A An automatic review will be conducted for all candidates if their scores fall in the range of 354-335. In the review process, the following will be considered; the breakdown of standardised scores in the three papers and an assessment of the continuous prose section of the English paper (the marks of this section are not included in the total score). A successful review will be amended to 355R.
Q. When will I find out the result of the entrance exam?
A By Saturday 20th October 2012.
Q. Does passing the entrance exam mean that a place at Urmston Grammar is automatic?
A Not necessarily, your Home Local Authority will allocate on the basis of preference. If Urmston Grammar is NOT one of your preferences you will not be allocated a place.
Q. What happens if my child is unsuccessful in the entrance exam?
A. You will be able to request a Local Review and if dissatisfied with the outcome pursue a statutory appeal following allocation of places on 1st March 2013.
Q. What is a Local Review?
A. Challenges against the “exam outcome” will be heard at a Local Review, solely by the “Admissions Review Body” of Urmston Grammar, upon receipt of a letter from the parent along with optional supporting documents detailing the challenge. Parents are not invited to attend.
Q. How do I request a Local Review?
A. When you receive your results letter, if unsuccessful, you will be offered a Local Review.
Q. What if I do not know the outcome from the Local Review until after the submission of the Common Application Form.
A. The decision relating to the Local Review will be notified by post and will be after the submission of the Common Application Form. It is important, that if you want your child to be considered for a place at Urmston Grammar, to indicate this as a preference on the form by 31st October. Do not wait until you know the result of the Local Review as this could make your application late and reduce your chance of getting a place.
Q. Do I need to complete the Common Application Form?
A. Yes, you will need to complete the Common Application Form which must be returned to your Home Local Authority by the end of October as in previous years. This form will automatically be sent to you by your home authority. Please contact your home authority for further advice regarding this form.
Q. When will I know if my child has been offered a place?
A. All candidates will be informed by their Home Authority which secondary school they have been allocated on 1st March 2013.
Q. What happens if my child is offered a place at Urmston Grammar?
A. Information regarding the induction process will be sent to parents upon confirmation of the acceptance of the offered place at Urmston Grammar.