Frequently Asked Questions for September 2024 Intake
Does my son need to sit an entrance test?
Yes, students eligible for a place at the School are required to sit the Bexley 11+ Secondary Selection Test and been deemed selective in this.
When are the Bexley tests sat and what do they consist of?
They will be sat during the week commencing 11 September 2023 for entry in September 2024. Bexley Local Authority notify parents about the dates and, if you are an out of borough resident, which test centre your child will sit the test at.
There are two test papers with a mixture of questions in each, covering verbal ability and comprehension, numerical ability and non-verbal reasoning. Children sit both test papers on the same morning or afternoon with a short break in between.
I think I’ve missed the deadline to apply for the tests?
Bexley Local Authority can help with any queries that you have. Please visit their website at www.bexley.gov.uk and go to the Education and Learning section. Here you will find details regarding the tests and what to do if you are applying after the deadline. Alternatively, you can contact the Admissions, Grants and Awards team by phone on 020 8303 7777.
My son has passed the Kent test but not the Bexley test, does this still make him eligible to apply for Beths Grammar School?
Yes. Our Admission Criteria for 2023 entry (oversubscription criteria 8) now offers those who have passed the Kent 11+ test but not the Bexley test the chance to attend Beths Grammar School. We will exhaust all those applying to Beths under Criteria 1-7 first (i.e. those that are selective in the Bexley 11+ test) then move onto those selective in the Kent 11+ test if spaces are available.
When are the results of the tests available?
The Bexley 11+ results will be sent out via Bexley Local Authority on Tuesday 17th October 2023.
My son has passed the tests, how do I apply for a place at Beths Grammar School?
All parents receive a Common Application Form in September or they register online via the Local Authority. On this form, parents should write down the four/six schools that they would like their child to attend starting with their first preference school. If you wish for your son to attend Beths Grammar, you must place the school on your Common Application Form so that he can be considered for a place at the school.
Help! I think we live too far away/outside of Bexley Borough from Beths to be given a place for my son.
Beths Grammar School offers places to 192 boys and measure the distance a child lives from the school 'as the crow flies'. All boys who are placed within the top 180 and put Beths onto their Common Application Form are guaranteed a place at the school irrespective of how far they live from it, likewise, any boy with a sibling currently at the school is also highly likely to be offered a place. The majority of boys are offered on the distance criteria - which is detailed above.
My son passed but scored under the top 180 mark (252), will he get into the school?
We will offer 192 places on the 1st March 2024. Those students that scored above 252 have a choice of grammar school places and can pick which school they wish to attend. This is criteria 2 on our Admissions Policy. All other places will be allocated according to the Admissions Policy. Distance is measured ‘as the crow flies’ which is a straight line from the school’s postcode to the home address.
Do you have a catchment area?
We don't have a catchment area. Each year we do not know the number of boys who wish to attend Beths and where they live, until March 2024 when the offers are made. Each year varies in terms of places offered via distance. The previous distance offered in March of each year were:
|
Entry Year |
2024 | 2023 |
2022 |
2021 |
2020 |
|
Distance at 1st March |
7.70 miles |
5.8 miles |
6.07 miles |
10.9 miles |
7.8 miles |
My son has not been deemed selective in the Bexley test. Is it still worth applying to the school for a place?
Because your son was not deemed selective, he will not be eligible for a place at Beths Grammar School or be able to be placed on to our waiting list. If your son was deemed selective in the Kent 11+ test, you can apply under Criteria 8 of our Admissions Policy. A supplementary form will need to be completed by the 31st October along with evidence of the Kent 11+ result. You are able to appeal for a place at a school if you have applied to that school for a place and been refused. Please do note, however, that appeals for places at Beths Grammar School are very rarely upheld.
Can my son sit an In Year Test?
If your son was not deemed selective in the Bexley 11+ test, he can apply to sit an In Year test at the school during the summer of 2025. The four Bexley Grammar Schools take it in turns to host the In Year testing 4 times a year. Your son can only sit the test once per calendar year. An In Year application form will need to be completed (found on Bexley Local Authority website here: Applying for school in-year | London Borough of Bexley) where you can list Beths and the other two Bexley Grammar Schools on your form. The test results will be shared with them.
What happens with the Waiting List?
- Those who are deemed selective and applied to Beths Grammar school but were not offered a place in March 2024, can apply to go on the waiting list between 1st - 15th March 2024. Parents should apply to go on the Waiting List via their Local Authority.
- If your son was deemed selective in the Kent 11+ test but not the Bexley 11+ test, please add a note on your waiting list application stating Criteria 8 (if you submitted a Supplementary form in October 2023 to the school, we will have a list ready to add to the waiting list when it is returned to the school.
- Bexley LA then create and hold the waiting list. Should any places be available after the National Offers Day, they will be made via the waiting list towards the end of April 2024 (what is known as Reallocation day). The waiting list will then be handed back to the school to maintain. The school will not know where your son is on the waiting list until the waiting list is handed to the school at the end of April.
- We keep our waiting lists until the end of Year 9.
Do I need to complete a supplementary form?
You only need to complete a supplementary form and return it to the school by Tuesday 31st October 2023, if your son has:
- Ever been in receipt of Free School Meals during their junior school years (i.e. excluding KS1)
- A sibling at the school
- Has been deemed selective in a grammar school test in Kent, or another authority which borders Bexley LA, and can supply the School with confirmation of this.
My son passed the Kent 11+ test but not the Bexley 11+ test. What are my chances or securing a place at Beths?
If your son was deemed selective in the Kent 11+ test, you can apply under Criteria 8 of our Admissions Policy. It is vital that you complete a Supplementary Form and attach evidence of being selective in this test, to the school before the 31st October, as we pass this information over to Bexley Admissions team so they know to include these students if all the Bexley 11+ students have been exhausted.
The Criteria 8 will be ranked similar to our Admissions policy in that we will look at those with a Sibling or parent at the school first then the rest by distance.
As 2023 entry was the first time of having Criteria 8, we don't have any further data to go on. No students deemed selective in the Kent 11+ test were offered a place at Beths for September 2023 and we have approx 30 Kent 11+ students on our waiting list.
When can I visit the School?
We have a selection of Open Events for entry in September 2024 on our website. These events will be on a ticketed booking system and restricted to 40 families per session. Please see the booking page for further details.
When does my Common Application Form need to be returned?
The final closing date for common application forms is 31 October 2023 for entry in September 2024. Please note that if you are living outside of Bexley, the date which your form needs to be returned may be different.
When will we hear which school we have been offered?
Letters will be sent by first class post/communicated by email on 1 March 2024 advising the outcome of applications for September 2024. Parents who applied on-line should normally be able to view the outcome from 5pm on 1 March 2024.