Under the Greenwich ruling all children, of the appropriate age, have a legal right to take any 11+ exam set by any authority and cannot be denied the opportunity to sit an exam solely on the basis of their address.
The Office of the School Adjudicator (OSA) confirmed the right to use tests as free mocks and the right to take tests late. A Head Teacher of a grammar school has confirmed in writing: `Legally I cannot stop you entering your child for our test.' Late testing is also a legal right.
Many regions do not have catchment areas. Taking 11+ exams outside home catchments does not prejudice the balance and fairness of the testing, as tests are different. To make such a claim would imply a defunct testing process.
Note: Taking a "free mock" will cost the school money. But one would expect financially astute schools to consider the financial implications of setting an early test date. Common sense dictates an earlier test is likely to be used as a "free mock" and this has been well known to occur for many years. . The University of Durham® (former owners of CEM) object to this strategy when it is a legal right. We cannot image why, as if the test is resistant to prepping, what difference would free mocks make? We believe there is no evidence that any 11+ test is resistant to prepping and practise will simply improve performance.