Applying For The GL Test - The Transfer Tutor

Registration will close Friday 24th September 2021 at 2pm (and they are usually strict about this time and date, unless you have exceptional reasons you ... Skiptocontent ClosingDateForRegistration RegistrationwillcloseFriday24thSeptember 2021at2pm(andtheyareusuallystrictaboutthistimeanddate,unlessyouhaveexceptionalreasonsyoucouldn’tapply). HowMuchDoesItCost? It’sFREEtosittheGLTestasallcostsarecoveredbytheCatholicGrammarschools. WhenWillTheTestBeHeld? TheGLassessmenttestwilltakeplaceon: Saturday13thNovember2021at 10am TheSupplementaryGLTestdateisavailableincaseyourchildcouldnotsittheoriginaltestduetosicknessorunforeseencircumstances.Itwillbeheldon: Saturday11thDecember2021at10am N.BThissupplementarydatewillalsobeusedifno-onecansittheoriginaltestonthe13thNovembere.g.duetoCovid. RegistrationForm(Download) You’llbegladtoheartheregistrationformisquitestraightforwardanditonlycapturesthebasicinformationnecessarytoapplyforthetest–soit’snothingtoworryabout. GLRegistrationForm: Clickbelowtodownloadtheform: GLRegistrationForm(2021)754.79KB Download GuidanceNotesForTheGLForm: Clickbelowifyouneedtorefertotheofficialguidancenotes. GuidanceNotesForGLForm2021678.21KB Download WhereCanMyChildSitTheTest? Therearetwenty-onelocationswherethechildcansittheGLtestandthesearethegrammarschoolswhichwillultimatelyaccepttheGLresultastheiradmissioncriteria.Youcanhavealookatthelistofschoolsbelow: AntrimGrammarSchool,10SteepleRoad,AntrimBT411AFwww.antrimgrammar.orgAquinasDiocesanGrammarSchool,RavenhillRoad,BelfastBT60BYwww.aquinasgrammar.comAssumptionGrammarSchool,24BelfastRoad,BallynahinchBT248EAwww.assumptiongrammar.org.ukCampbellCollege,BelfastBelmontRoad,BelfastBT42NDwww.campbellcollege.co.ukDominicanCollege,Belfast38FortwilliamPark,BelfastBT154AQwww.dominicancollege.org.ukHunterhouseCollege,UpperLisburnRoad,FinaghyBT100LEwww.hunterhousecollege.org.ukLoretoGrammarSchool,OmaghJames’Street,OmaghBT781DLwww.loretogs.comLumenChristiCollege,BishopStreet,DerryBT486UJwww.lumenchristicollege.co.ukOurLadyandStPatrick’sCollege,Knock120GilnahirkRoad,BelfastBT57DLwww.knock.co.ukRaineyEndowed,79RaineyStreet,MagherafeltBT455DBwww.raineyendowed.comRathmoreGrammarSchool,Kingsway,Finaghy,BelfastBT100LFwww.rathmoregrammarschool.orgSlemishCollege,147aLarneRoad,BallymenaBT423HAwww.slemishcollege.org.ukSt.Dominic’sHighSchool,135-137FallsRoad,BelfastBT126AEwww.stdominics.org.ukStJoseph’sGrammarSchool,58CastlecaulfieldRd,DonaghmoreBT703HEwww.stjosephsdonaghmore.comStLouisGrammarSchool,BallymenaCullybackeyRoad,BallymenaBT435DWwww.stlouisgrammar.comStMalachy’sCollege,36AntrimRoad,BelfastBT152AEwww.stmalachyscollege.comStMary’sGrammarSchool,Magherafelt3CastledawsonRoad,MagherafeltBT456BEwww.stmarysmagherafelt.comStPatrick’sAcademy,Dungannon37KillymealRoad,DungannonBT716DFwww.stpatricksacademy.org.ukStPatrick’sGrammarSchool,Downpatrick109SaulStreet,DownpatrickBT306NJwww.spgs.org.ukVictoriaCollege,2aCranmorePark,BelfastBT96JAwww.victoriacollege.org.ukWellingtonCollege,Belfast18CarolanRoad,BelfastBT73HEwww.wellingtoncollegebelfast.org WhenyouarecompletingtheGLregistrationform,youchoosethreepossiblecentreswhereyourchildcansitthetest,butyouonlysendtheformtotheonewhichisfirstonyourlist. WhereCanIGetARegistrationForm? Registrationformsareavailablefromanumberofplacesincluding: Downloadandprintfromthisblog(above).Ifyoudon’thaveaprinterandneedahardcopyallparticipatingGrammarschoolsshouldhavetheseavailableforyoutopickup.Someprimaryschoolshelpwiththeseformsandifyoucheckwithyourchild’steacher,theymayhavesomeavailable. Pleasenote,thereisnorequirementfortheprimaryschooltospoon-feedyouthroughthisprocessorevencheckyou’veapplied. So this is up to you, as a parent, to organiseifyouwantyourchildtosittheGLTest.  WhatDoINeedToIncludeWithMyApplication? You’llneed: AnoriginalbirthcertificateisrequiredbyGL–notaphotocopy.Thiscanbealongorshortone.Becausetheactualbirthcertificateisbeinghandled,inrealityalotofparentsgotothegrammarschoolwheretheywanttheirchildtosittheGLtestandhandovertheregistrationformandthebirthcertificate,whichisusuallycopiedthereandthenhandedback.Thissavesalotoffrettingandpostingoriginaldocumentswhichwillthenneedtobepostedback.Apassport-sizedphotoofyourchild(onlyoneisrequiredforGL).Youneedtowritethechild’snameanddateofbirthontheback.Completedregistrationformusingablackpenandinblockcapitals.Ifyou’reapplyingforAccessArrangements,youcancompleteFormAA1andprovideevidence(althoughyoucanprovideevidencelaterifthereisadelaywiththat–butmakesureyourequestAccessArrangementswhenyourregistrationformissentoff). YourContactDetails It’sinterestingtonotethattheregistrationformexplainsthatitisthepreferenceofthePPTCschoolstouseemailandtexttocontactparentsandsotheyaskparentstoprovidethesecontactdetails. Therefore,pleaseensureyouprovideanemailaddressthatwillberegularlycheckedandifyoudon’thaveone,askyourpartner,sister,brotherorfriendifyoucanusetheirs,asyoumayneedtobeawareiftheschoolcontactsyouthisway and if there are any last minute changes. WhereDoISendMyFormWhenComplete? Theformissenttothe‘firstpreference’grammarschoolwhereyouwouldlikeyourchildtosittheGLtest.Thiscanbedonebypost butasmentionedabove,becauseyouhavetosendanoriginalbirthcertificate,callingintotheschoolmightbethebestoptionastheytendtophotocopythebirthcertificateandgiveitstraightbacktoyou. Also,astheschoolswillbeoffoverthesummermonthsandthereisnotacentraloffice,Iwouldn’tsuggestyoupostanythingtothegrammarschooloverJulyandAugustasitcouldbemisplaced.BesttogetinbeforetheendofJuneorwaituntilSeptember. ShouldIGiveApprovalForGDPR? Aspartoftheprocess,GLmustaskforyourexplicitpermissiontoshareanyinformationaboutyourchildandtheirscorewithcertainthirdparties.You’reaskedtogivepermissionontwoaccounts: Sharetheresultwiththechild’sprimaryschool–Myadviceistodefinitelymakesureyourchild’sprimaryschoolgetsyourchild’sresultbecauseotherwisetheteacherisnotgoingtoknowhowyourchilddidwhentheyreturntoschoolafterresults.ThiscouldmeananawkwardsituationontheMondayandmaypreventtheschoolfrombeingabletooffersupportifneeded.Also,ifanythinghappenswiththenormalmail(especiallywiththeCovid19risk)onResultsDay,theprimaryschoolcanbeagreatbackupforyou.SharetheresultwiththeEducation Authority for administration. Again,IwouldadviceagreeingtosharetheresultwiththeEducationAuthority,incasetheCovid19pandemicbringschallengesofresultsbeingsentout,orsomethingelseunforeseen. WhyDoPeopleRushToApply? Someparentsarejustnaturally,super-organised(neverastateIevermanaged toachievemyself)andwhenparentshearthatothershavealreadyregistered,itcantriggeranelementofpanicastheycansuddenlyfeelthey’rebehindthecurveinthisprocess.Butthereisnoneedtopanic. However(andit’squiteabig,however)someplacesintheassessmentcentresareallocatedonafirst-comefirst-servedbasisandso,ifyouhaveafavouritegrammarschoolinmind,whereyouwouldreally(really)likeyourchildtositthetest,thenyoumightindeedneedtogetinquicklybeforeallthespacesarefilledup.ThisisespeciallytrueifyourchildissittingboththeAQEandGLtestandyouwantthemtositthetestsinthesameschool,asthesespacescangoveryquickly (especiallynowthatI’vemadepeoplemoreaware). Also,asmentionedabove,becausetheGLregistrationisgoingtoagrammarschoolwhichmaybeclosedduringthesummermonths,it’sbesttogetitinbeforetheendofJuneandthenyoucanputitbehindyou,sothiscanalsotriggerasenseofurgency. Inreality,manygrammarschoolsforGLarereportedtoneverturningachildawayandwillsimply‘openupanotherclassroom‘ifmorepeopleapplythanexpected,butthisisnotthecaseforallcentresandforexample,WellingtonCollegedoesgetfilledupveryquickly(asitisaGLandAQECentre). HowDoIDecideWhereMyChildShouldSitTheTest? Thereareanumberoffactorstoconsiderwhendecidingwherethechildshouldsitthetest,andthesearecoveredintheblog–WhereShouldMyChildSitTheTest? Insummary,youshouldconsider: Handinesstohomelocation.Isthetestcentreanall-boysorall-girlsschool?Smallclassroomsorlargehalls?Areyousittingitintheschoolthechildintendstogoto?DoesthetestcentredoboththeAQEandGLexams?Don’tchoosethegrammarschooltositthetestjustbecauseyouthinkitmightinfluencetheirultimatedecisiontoofferyourchildafutureplace. MyChildIsAlsoDoingAQE.DoAnyCentresAccommodateBothTests? Yes,therearefivetestcentreswhichwillaccommodateboththeAQEandGLtestandasyoucanimagine,thesegetbookedupquitequickly. Theonlyassessmentcentreswhereyoucansitbothare: AntrimGrammarSchoolCampbellCollegeHunterhouseCollegeVictoriaCollegeWellingtonCollege Ifyourchildissittingbothtestsintheonelocation,thiswillofferyouthebenefitthatyou’llknowtheparkingarrangements,traveltime,routineetc.andthechildwillhaveaconsistentenvironmentoverthefourweeksoftesting. DoIApplyForExtraTime/AccessArrangementsAtTheTimeOfRegistering? AccessArrangementsareusedwhenachildhasaphysical,learningormentalimpairmentwhichmayhaveanegativeimpactupontheirabilitytoperformattheirbestinthetests.Thereforeextrasupportcanbeputinplacetogivethemanequalchanceofperformingattheirbest,forexample,achildwithdyslexiacanbeawarded25%extratime. Toapplyforaccessarrangements,youindicatethatyouwishtodosoinSection3andthenyoucompletetherelevant accesss forms. However,youdon’tneedtosendallofthisatthetimeofregistration,justaslongasitiswiththeGLCentrebeforetheclosingdate.However,insayingthat,don’tbedelayingtoolonginapplyingforanyaccessarrangements,thisasyou’llnotknowifyouraccessarrangementhasbeenapproveduntilyoursituationhasbeenconsideredfully. PassportPhotosAreExpensive.AreThereAnyCheaperWaysToGetThese? Weallknowthatpassportphotosaren’tcheapbutthegoodnewsisthatthephotosforGLregistrationdonothavetomeetthetightguidelinesneededforpassports(lighting,smilingetc)andsothankfullytherearesomecheaperalternatives. Basically,youcantakeaphotoheadshotofyourchild(normallyupagainstablankwall)andthenuseawebsitetocreatemultiplepassportsizedphotosontoasinglephotosize,whichyouthenprintofphotopaper,takeittoBoots,orsenditofftogetprinted. Checkoutthese freewebsitesbelowforsomeideas: IDPhoto4You– www.idphoto4you.com123PassportPhotos–www.123passportphoto.com CanMyChildSitTheTestInIrish? Yes,yourchildcantaketheIrishMediumEntranceAssessmentandyouindicatethispreferenceonSection5oftheregistrationform. Snack–SpecialDietaryorMedicalRequirements BetweentheEnglishandtheMathstestpaper,thechildwillbeofferedalittlerest-breakwheretheycanhaveawalkaboutandthey’realsoofferedasmallsnack.ThisisgreattobreakupanymonotonyanditisalsowhySection6oftheregistrationformasksifyourchildhasanyspecialdietaryormedicalrequirements. Iftheanswertothisquestionisyes,thenfurtherinformationisaskedforandyouarerequiredtoexplainmoreintheAccessArrangementform(s). WhenWillIKnowWhatSchoolMyChildWillSitTheTest? Fromasurveyoftheparentslastyear,manyreportedthatsomecentresconfirmedimmediatelythattheirchildwouldbesittingthetestattheirfirstchoiceschool(oftenwhentheyhandedintheform),buttheyneverreceivedofficialconfirmation(letter)untilaftertheclosingdateinOctober. So,Iwouldadviseyoutokeepcalm,knowyou’vedonewhatyouneedtodoandjusttrytoputitoutofyourmind.Ifyou’reamemberoftheFREEFacebookSupportGroup(ifnot,feelfreetojoin)you’llstarttoheartherumblingswhenpeoplearestartingtoreceivetheirofficialconfirmationlettersandsothiswillgiveyouanideaofthecurrenttimeline,oralertyoutoapotentialissueifyouhaven’theardanything. CanIApplyLateAfterClosingDate? UnliketheAQEtest,thereisnonotionofalateentrybeingaccepted,andPPTCNI(whomanagetheGLtest)statethatformsreceivedaftertheclosingdatewillonlybeacceptediftheparent/guardiancanprovideappropriatedocumentaryevidenceinsupportofanacceptablereasonforthelateregistration.So,it’sbestnottotakeanychancesandmakesureyoumeetthisdeadline. Myadvice,ifyourchildmightdotheGLtest,justapplybeforethedeadlineasit’llbeeasiertopulloutthangetalateapplicationthrough.Plus,it’sfree,soyou’llnotevenbeoutofpocket. HowDoIContactPPTCNI/GLIfIHaveAnyQueries? ThereisnoPPTCNIorGLcentralofficetomanageallqueries,soanyquestionsshouldbechannelledthroughyourchosenGLassessmentcentre(grammarschool)andinmyexperiencetheyareallverygoodandefficientindealingwithallqueries. MoreaboutTheTransferTutor(Multi-AwardWinningOnlineQuizzes) Ifyourchildisdoingthetransfertest,IwouldstronglyrecommendTheTransferTutor’sonlinequizzestoprovidefunandinteractivequestionsaligneddirectlytotheAQE(andGL)specifications. Allquizzesarebrokendownintomanageabletopicsandcanbedoneonanymobileortabletdevice,soit’sangreat wayforkidstolearnandprepareforthetest.  ThereissuchabuzzatthemomentandthisisbecauseTheTransferTutor : Has acompletefocusontheAQE&GL specification.Ismobilefriendlyworkingonsmartphonesandtabletswhichmostchildrenhaveaccessto.Inmanyquestions,therewillbea‘hint’optionthat offersthechilddetailsonthe ‘rule’oraidsthemtocompleteitcorrectly which helpstheirfutureapplicationofthesametypeofquestion.Hasafunctionbuiltinthattheparentswillbeemailedwiththechild’sscorewhentheyhavecompletedatest,soparentscantrackprogressandalsoknowthechildisnotoffplayingMinecraftorCandyCrushwhentheyshouldberevising.Questionareasbrokendownintospecificcategorieswhichallowstheparentandchildtoidentifyareasofweaknessandtofocusontheseforimprovement.Although testswillhavemorethan20questions‘behindthescenes’,thechildisonlyfacedwitharandom20questionseachtimesotheycantrythesametestmanytimesandwillbegettingdifferentrelatedchallenges.Notjustpracticequestions,butifthechildgetsitwrong,thesystemwillprovideinformationontheruleorreasonastowhythisishappened,sotheycanbuildontheirfundamentallearningforthenexttime.Leaderboardwiththemostrecent 10attemptslisted(fromallpeople)andthisoffersalevelofcompetitionthatmakesthechildstrivetobebetter.Childfriendlywiththeuseofcoloursandpictureswhichencouragesthechildtowanttologonandtryanewquizeveryday. Simplychoosethelicenceyouneeddependingonthelengthoftimeyouneedaccess, click on the blue box, pay andthenyou’llbeoffwithinminutes. Foranyfurtherquestions,pleasecontactmeorcheckouttheFrequentlyAskedQuestionspage. GoogleReviews: CheckouttheGoogleReviewstoreadwhatothercustomersfeltaboutTheTransferTutor. Spoileralert–allthekids(themostimportantpeople)andparentsloveit! TryItOut: Togiveyouafeelforthequizzes,whynottryoutthequickfirefreequizbyclickingonthebuttonbelow(noneedtoregisterorpay,sodon’tworry).Thiswillhopefullyletyouseehowthequestionswork–ormoreimportantly,letyouseeifthisissomethingthatwouldinspireandencourageyourchildto learn. SocialMediaLinks–KeepingUpToDate FolloworlikeTheTransferTutoronyoursocialmediachannelofchoiceandensureyounevermissabeatwiththewholetransferprocess,handytips,advice,specialoffersandcompetitions. Clickbelowforyourpreferredchannelorsearchfor@TransferTutorHQwhereveryouare. FacebookPageInstagramPageTwitterPage FreeFacebookGroup YoumayhavereadinthereviewsaboutpeoplereferringtotheFacebookSupportGroupandthisiscertainlyagreatplacetokeepinformed,askquestions,getsupportandkeepup-to-datewithanythinghappeninginthetransferspace. It’sfreetojoinbutpleaseensureyouhaveagenuineFacebookprofilepicture(ghostpicturesarenotapproved as not deemed authentic)andthensimplyclickhereandanswerthesimplequestions->JoinFacebookGroup. RelatedPosts:ExtraSchoolPlaces20192019–>2014SchoolIntakeInformationApplyingForTheAQETestChoosingtherightschooltosittheAQE/GLtest Postnavigation GLSpecification2021ApplyingForTheAQETest Searchfor: