Bunny’s Grammar School Entrance Exam Results : Did she get in?

I was recently reminded that I’ve not yet blogged Bunny’s grammar test results!

The truth is, I don’t actually know how well she did. I hadn’t realised that when your child sits the grammar school entrance exam (also known as the 11+), you never actually find out their test results. You aren’t given a score or a percentage. To be honest this really bothered Bunny. She wanted to know if she did well or not, and so did I. All we were told, is that Bunny sadly did not get accepted for her chosen grammar school.

It’s about now that hindsight makes an appearance.

Firstly, as Bunny sat the late entrance test, we actually have no idea how many spaces were available in her chosen school, if any. If there were none, then the test was a waste of time, because even the best score in the world wouldn’t get her in. We have no idea whether she had no chance because there were no spaces, JUST missed out with other entrants having a higher score, or whether she didn’t even get the pass mark and failed spectacularly. We are both annoyed that we will never know. We were told the only way to find out her score, is to appeal, but neither Bunny nor I, wanted to go down the appeal route. It would take too long and delay us getting her ready for her second choice of secondary school.

Secondly, in hindsight, Bunny should have applied for all the grammar schools, not just one. There’s a chance she may have gotten into one of the other grammars, as they all have a different number of available spaces and a different qualifying score.

And that final piece of hindsight, is the one that has been plaguing me all along. If only we had entered her into the original entrance exam. I blame myself. I was told a date to apply and I should have double checked it instead of assuming the date I was told was correct. We missed the deadline and that is why she had to sit the late test. If she had taken the original test, where there were hundreds of spaces up for grabs, I think she’d have had a much higher chance of getting in.

Bunny took it very hard to begin with. She had put her heart and soul into studying in the two weeks leading up to the exam. She had been desperate to get into that one particular grammar school. For at least a week after finding out she hadn’t been accepted, she was in a moody sulk, similar to that you’d expect of a teenager who had just had their dreams crushed. Snappy and irritable and just a bit down. 

About a week later though, she just accepted it and snapped out of her funk, as though it simply didn’t matter anymore. She now chats animatedly about secondary school and is looking forward to it. She will be with 95% of the other year six’s in her school, so she will be with all her friends. The school she chose has excellent sport and design departments, which are the two things Bunny is most excited about.

Bunny knows how proud of her we are for sitting that exam and I think deep down, she knows she did her best. She is glad she tried and thankfully over her disappointment of not getting in. But I am still sitting here wondering… how on earth is my first baby starting secondary school already?! Where did those primary years go?