School
Lawrence Sheriff School (LSS) is a boys grammar school situated in the heart of Rugby, which admits 120 boys each year through a selective 11+ test coordinated by Warwickshire County Council. The test is set by CEM Centre for Education and Monitoring, Cambridge University®. More information about the test is available at www.11plus.eu
It is not a highly selective school and admits some children with scores so low, they would not gain admission in to grammar school in the Southern Priority Area. In 2013 at GSCE 25% of students failed to even achieve the English Baccalaureate yet the school was ranked seventh in GCSE points league tables. Of course one would compare grammar schools with grammar schools and not with the entire state sector.
The school operates two priority areas, an inner area where qualifying scores are quite low and an outer area, where qualifying marks are higher. The school provides priority to children who are Pupil Premium qualified.
The admissions process appears to go against the whole point of selection: select the best. Often people with higher scores do not gain a place simply because they do not live in the appropriate area. This is unfair to children who score high marks.
Universities do not state "Local Universities for local students". Selection should take the best students where ever they live, and they can always move in to area. Note: Birmingham and Walsall grammar schools do not have any catchment areas. The highest marks gain admission.
The school now reserved places for children who are Pupil Premium Qualified to gain admission even if they score 10 points less than the qualifying score. This enables the school to gain more Government funds Children with high scores can be displaced by children with lower scores even though they may attend the same school and be in the same class and the local authority claims the 11+ exam tests innate ability. Is the implication that pupil premium children lack innate ability and should be admitted with lower marks than other children?
The 11+ is claimed to be resistant to tutoring. Many children from low income families go to the same school as those children from higher income families. Why discriminate against children whose parents are not on low incomes? This appears to be discrimination with the incentive of Government funds and sanctioned by the Government.