Boys are admitted to the school in Year 7 and Year 12 (Lower Sixth).
What if my child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs?
How many people sit the test?
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Please see also the menu at the left. If your query is not answered here, please email:When is the test?
For entry in September 2012 the test date is Monday 24 September 2012. We will send you further details of the arrangements for your son up to 10 days before the exam day.
When is the Open Evening?
Tuesday 26 June 2011, 4pm – 9 pm (last admission 8.30 p.m). There will be a number of opportunities during the evening to hear the Head’s talk. You should allow at least one and a half hours for your visit. You will be able to take either a guided tour or look around by yourself.
How do I apply?
You need to submit a ‘Common Application Form’ which you will have received from your Local Authority when your son is in Year 6. It can also be completed on-line. Your Local Authority or primary school will give you details about this. You return the CAF to your home Local Authority or submit it online. You must also complete a Supplementary Form and return it to the School by 1st September 2011. Copies of the Supplementary Form will be available at the school during the Open Evening. You can also download a copy from the website. You must return this by post or by hand to the school. It cannot be submitted electronically. The Head discusses the admissions process during his talks at our Open Evening giving you the opportunity to ask questions at the end.
How do I get hold of a prospectus?
There is an on-line version available on the website. Copies will be available at the Open Evening.
Does it matter where we live?
For practical reasons your son shouldn’t have a journey of more than an hour in order that he can fully participate in the wider life of the school. There are 150 places available and approximately 128 of these are allocated in rank order without any reference to place of residence. When we allocate the last 10% to 15% of places we need to discriminate between boys who have the same rounded score in the test. For these final 15-22 places only, preference is given to those candidates who live within the London Borough of Sutton.
Are there school buses to and from school?
Public transport links to the school are very good and mean that children can access the school from a wide area. There is free public transport for children in London. The Local Authority does not provide coaches to transport children to and from school.
Can the test only be sat on the entrance test day?
Yes, unless your son is ill. If he is ill you will need to produce a doctor’s certificate and we will arrange for him to sit the test at a later date. Illness is the only reason an alternative date will be considered.
Can we request a morning or afternoon slot?
Given the number of candidates the answer, regrettably, is no.
What is in the test?
There are two elements: an English test (comprehension and extended writing exercise) and a Mathematics test (short and long questions based on solving problems). Each test lasts 45 minutes.
Why have you removed the VR test?
Until 2010 we included a VR test as part of our entrance examination. We have now decided to remove it. This is to try to ensure as even a playing field as possible for all candidates. We have decided to include in the test only elements that all children have been prepared for as part of their normal education in primary school.
Does the school sell or give out specimen papers?
No. Our examination is designed to try to produce a level playing field for students who have or have not been tutored and we do not therefore make exemplar tests available. The content of the English and Mathematics tests is limited to the content of KS2. No additional content should be learned.
What is the pass mark?
The pass mark will be 108. This will represent the same standard in the Mathematics and English tests as has applied in previous years.
What is a standardised score?
A mathematical formula is applied to the score of each ingredient of the test (i.e. Maths and English) so that one mark in English has the same value as a contribution to the total mark as one mark in Maths.
Does my son have to pass each element of the examination?
No. It is the total score that determines whether your son has passed the test: so, a very good performance in English can compensate for one that is not so good in Mathematics.
Do we make allowances for age (as in a child whose birthday is at one end of the year)?
No allowance is made.
When do I find out the result of the test?
You will find out at the end of October whether your son has passed the test. If he has, you will not, at any stage, be provided with his mark. We only provide details of marks achieved to candidates who fail the test. Please note that, because of oversubscription, not all who pass the test can be made an offer.
When will I receive an offer of a school?
You will not receive an offer until 1st March 2012 (National Offer Day). Offers are dependent not only on passing the test but also on whether or not you have placed another school or schools higher on your list of preferences and, if you have, on the outcome of the process at those schools.
What if my child has special needs and will need special arrangements in the examination?
There is a space on the supplementary form for you to describe any special needs or requirements that your son may have. It is particularly important that you should tell us if your son has any form of disability, such as impaired sight or hearing, that may disadvantage him in the context of an examination. It is also important that you let us know if your son has been identified as dyslexic or dyspraxic. Letting us know will not disadvantage your son in any way.
What if my child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs?
If your son has been formally ‘statemented’, there are separate processes to be followed and you should speak first with your Local Authority who administer the process. He will still need to sit the test and pass the test to be eligible for a place.
If my son has a brother in the school already, does that give him an advantage?
No. This is in fact a matter of some regret for us: however the statutory Code of Practice for Admissions prohibits grammar schools from applying over-subscription criteria that take note of whether or not candidates have siblings in the school.
What if I live abroad?
If you live abroad and you want to apply to the school, you should contact the school directly.
If I am a Roman Catholic, will applying for Wilson’s affect my chances of gaining a place at a Catholic School?
It used to but it doesn’t any more, following a change to the law in 2008. Catholic schools are no longer allowed to take account of your applications to other schools in making a decision about whether to offer a place. They will not have any means of knowing whether you have applied for a place at Wilson’s, unless you tell them.
Does it matter if I put another school ahead of Wilson’s on my order of preference list on the Common Application Form?
Yes. Your order of preference will have a big effect in deciding which school you are offered. If you are eligible for two schools and both schools are able to offer you a place, you will be offered a place at the one you have put as your higher preference. The essential rule is to put down the schools according to your true order of preference. The Head will say more about this at his talks on Open Evening. Your order of preference is totally confidential to the Local Authority. No school will ever know it.
Do schools fill up with candidates who have put them as first preference?
No. The system does not work like this. The old system of ‘first preference first’ which was employed in the past by some schools (but never by Wilson’s) is no longer legal. The process is conducted by the Local Authority, not by the schools, so there is no way in which schools could give preference to candidates who have put them first even if they wished to do so. The system used these days is called ‘equal preference’. Under this system, each school tells the Local Authority which of the candidates who have applied to them it is able to offer a place to. For us, this is determined by the rank order of the entrance test; for others it may be distance from the school, etc. The LA will then look at the order of preferences stated by the parent on the Common Application Form. It will check to see whether any of the schools listed by the parent are able to offer a place and, if two or more schools can do so, it will offer a place at the one you have said you prefer.
How many people sit the test?
Approximately 1500 children for 150 places. This sounds daunting: however, remember that people who apply for Wilson’s will be putting up to six schools down on their list including, usually, a number of grammar schools. Most children who pass at one school also pass at the others so, in effect, there is a common ‘pool’ of children who pass the test and who will be distributed around the grammar schools according to their preferences. A number will also take up places at independent schools. In Sutton there are three boys’ grammar schools and 390 places available.
How do I know if Wilson’s is the right school for my child?
The best way to find out is to visit the school on Open Evening and to listen to the Head’s talk. You can also read the school’s Ofsted report and the school prospectus, both of which are available on the website.
We are not Christians. Is that a problem?
Not at all. The school is open to all on an equal basis. Although we have a historic link with the Church of England, we are not a Church School.
Will I have to pay anything towards my son’s education at Wilson’s?
No. This school is open to all on an equal basis regardless of financial circumstances. It is part of the great tradition of Grammar Schools that they offer a wonderful opportunity to children from less well-off homes. The quality of education in these schools is as good as that in the best independent schools in the land and it is absolutely free.
Many parents do make voluntary contributions to support the activities of the school, but these are strictly voluntary. Parents are asked to contribute as little or as much as they can afford, and if that is nothing, that is absolutely fine. If your son is eligible for free school meals, then the costs of all his curricular trips and activities will be borne by the school’s supporting charity, The Wilson’s School General Charitable Trust.
Many parents do make voluntary contributions to support the activities of the school, but these are strictly voluntary. Parents are asked to contribute as little or as much as they can afford, and if that is nothing, that is absolutely fine. If your son is eligible for free school meals, then the costs of all his curricular trips and activities will be borne by the school’s supporting charity, The Wilson’s School General Charitable Trust.
Is there any financial help available for school uniforms and school trips?
Yes. The school is supported by a charity called The Wilson’s School General Charitable Trust which supports the education of boys at the school. If your son is eligible for free school meals the Trust will help pay for his uniform and will pay for any curricular school trip in full.
The school has recently become an academy. What difference will this make?
For boys, parents and staff there will be no change at all. The school will remain the same in terms of ethos, provision and curriculum and will continue to be called Wilson’s School. There were some good financial and administrative reasons for making the decision to become an academy.
Does the school admit pupils in Years 8 – 11?
The answer, in realistic terms, is no. While there are no vacancies, the Governors will have no choice but to turn down applications for places.