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Plymouth LA
Ms Bronwen Lacey
Director for Children's Services, Department for Children's Services, City of Plymouth, Plymouth, PL1 2AA
Telephone: 01752 307400
Fax: 01752 307403
Email: secondary.admissions@plymouth.gov.uk
Website: www.plymouth.gov.uk
Daryl Wallace
Team Leader, School Admissions
School Organisation and Strategic Support Services
Department for Lifelong Learning
Plymouth City Council
Plymouth
PL1 2AA
SECONDARY SCHOOL ADMISSIONS FOR ENTRY IN SEPTEMBER 2012
These pages are designed to help you if your child is due to start secondary school for the first time in September 2012.
If your child is already at secondary school and you wish to transfer to another secondary school please read the in-year admission information.
The secondary school admission pages explain how we deal with applications and allow you fill in an online application form.
The Parent's Guide contains everything that you need to know about applying for a school place. The Guide is also available in hard copy for those who are unable to access the Internet. If you need a hard copy, please contact the School Admissions Team.
Help and advice is available from the Council’s School Admissions Team on 01752 307469. Independent advice is available from the ACE (Advisory Centre for Education) helpline on 0808 800 5793 and also from the Choice Adviser located at the Parent Partnership Service on 01752 258933 or emailparent.partnership@plymouth.gov.uk.
The Government has published a School Admissions Code of Practice on school admissions which explains the good practice guidelines that we follow.
The closing date for applications for admissions in September 2012 is 31 October 2011.
It is in your best interest to ensure that we receive your application on time. Whilst we are happy to accept late applications, we may not be able to deal with them alongside, or in exactly the same way as those submitted on time, and many of the schools may have already been filled by those applicants who applied on time.
What to do now
Find out more about secondary education in Plymouth. The Plymouthschools directory gives details about our schools.
Read our Parent's Guide page to read the guidance about secondary school admissions.
Complete and submit an application form; you can fill in an online application form up to 31 October 2011. After that date, you will need to complete a paper application form, which you can download from theapplication forms page. You may apply for up to three schools and rank them in priority order.
As a Foundation School the Governors of Devonport High School for Boys are the admission authority for the school and so are responsible for the administration of their selection procedure.
OPEN DAYS
The school will be open in July and September. In July the Headteacher will make a short address at 6.30 pm and then our visitors will have the opportunity to look around the school, to meet pupils and staff and to see examples of boys' work. The school will also be open during a morning in September, the Headteacher's address starting at 9.30 am. Parents are welcome to look around the school during these open days and requests to visit the school or to discuss admission can be made to the Headteacher at other times. Please check the diary for current dates.
THE 11+ SELECTION TESTS
Devonport High School for Boys as a grammar school admits pupils who have demonstrated academic aptitude and ability in an 11+ test. Our tests are based on two papers; Verbal Reasoning (VR) and Mathematics, and an additional English paper set by the school.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Parents who wish to apply for a place at the school for admission should complete school's application form (included with this prospectus) and return it to school by the Ocotober half term. Parents should also return the Plymouth Local Education Authority's application form published in their "NEXT STEP" booklet. The 11+ testing will take place over two Saturdays in January - the specific arrangements being sent out by post to all applicants during the second half of the autumn term.
11+ ARRANGEMENTS
All the tests will take place at Devonport High School for Boys on two Saturdays in January.
Session One: Familiarisation and internal English paper (60 minutes).
Verbal Reasoning (VR) tests mainly involve reasoning with words, and typically include a variety of question types that are principally concerned with the production of, use of and relationships between words. Sometimes these tests also include questions that require the manipulation of letters or numbers.
Mathematics tests assess the National Curriculum mathematics, mainly at Levels 4 and 5. The test consists of short, individual questions principally focused on: Number, Algebra, Measures, Shape and Space, Handling Data.
The English paper will be set by Devonport High School for Boys and will focus on Composition and Comprehension.
The two NFER answer papers will be marked on a special sheet (similar to a National Lottery entry) and will be read and scored by computer. The scores will be standardised by reference to NFER data to take account of the age of the candidate.
PREPARATION FOR THE TESTS
The NFER tests are set on the assumption that candidates have not had any special coaching. However, if parents want to see the nature of the Verbal Reasoning and Mathematics tests then there are readily available books and packs that are based on the same style of question. Able primary school pupils following the National Curriculum should have covered sufficient Mathematics and English at Levels 4 and 5 to prepare them adequately for these two papers. The PTFA will be providing an NFER practice paper on in September, details at the Open Evening and from the PTFA Secretary via the school.
To qualify a candidate must gain a mark in the NFER tests equal to or greater than the 170th candidate (i.e. in the top 25% by ability) and achieve at least 50% in the English paper. Borderline candidates who get within 2% of the school's qualifying mark and achieve at least 50% in the English paper will have their result reviewed automatically. As a part of this review the headteacher of their Primary School will be invited to submit evidence of their work to the panel. The panel will take account of the Headteacher's recommendation, the work provided by the primary school and the English test paper (as evidence of first-draft prose). Those deemed to be of an appropriate ability will be qualified for admission, subject to the over-subscription criteria below.
THE RESULTS AND ALLOCATION OF PLACES
Parents will be informed of their son's allocation of school by their home Local Education Authority in March.
OVER-SUBSCRIPTION
If more boys qualify for a place than the approved admission limit (174), then the following criteria will be applied, in order of priority, to identify those who will be offered a place at the school:
Those achieving the highest NFER score will have priority.
Those who qualify who have siblings at Plymouth Grammar Schools (Devonport High School for Boys or Devonport High School for Girls or Plymouth High School for Girls) will have next highest priority.
In the event of a tie then the mark for the English paper will be used to discriminate between candidates.
If there is still a tie then distance from the school, measured in a straight line on a map, will be used to favour those living nearer to the school.
LATE APPLICATIONS
If there are vacancies then arrangements will be made for the 11+ test to be taken. Those who qualify will be eligible for a place. The over-subscription criteria will be applied if necessary. Parents will be advised if there are no vacancies, but will be given the option for their son to sit the 11+ test, if they wish.
The school has two open sessions and a mock examination. A completed 11+ practice examination form is needed for each girl to sit the mock exam. The dates are as follows:
22nd Sept 09 7-9pm
Open Evening
23rd Sept 09 2:15 - 3:30 pm
Open Afternoon
26th Sept 09
Mock Exam
Admission Arrangements
Devonport High School for Girls is a grammar school, and therefore caters for children at the top end of the academic ability range. These children are selected by means of the 11-plus examination which is used simply to determine academic potential and suitability for this type of education. The Governors have agreed with the Local Authority a Planned Admission Number of 120 pupils at age 11, which reflects the current capacity of the school. Should the number of pupils who meet the selection criteria exceed the number of places available, places will be allocated in accordance with Plymouth’s admissions policy as published in The Next Step Booklet. Those who wish to apply for entry to the school between the ages of 12 and 15 should apply to the Admissions Officer, Department for Lifelong Learning, Civic Centre, Plymouth, PL1 2EW who will provide information on vacancies and procedures.
Plymouth High School for Girls PTFA (PHSG PTFA) will be providing the 11+ Practice Examination.
This will be held on Saturday 26th September 2009 at Plymouth High School for Girls.
There is no obligation for girls seeking a place at PHSG to attend the practice session, but it does provide an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the type of test papers they will have to take in January.
