Confusion about preferred choice and waiting list

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echoes
Posts: 46
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2012 10:10 am

Confusion about preferred choice and waiting list

Post by echoes »

Hello everyone, First of all thank you very much all those who contribute to this forum.

Our dd has been offered a place at one 2nd choice school (KEH). She has missed the first choice (KECHG) by 4 marks. We are bit confused about the procedure to go on waiting list for our first choice school.

- Do we need to phone or email the first choice school to indicate that we would like to go on the waiting list?

- By going on the waiting list for first choice school would we jeopardise the chances of getting into 2nd choice school?

- According to the letter, we have to accept the offer of 2nd choice school before 15th of March. If we do that would first choice school remove her name from the waiting list?

- What are the chance of her getting into 1st choice school if her score is 4 point below the initial cut off?

- Who do we need to call for waiting list procedure.. We tried consortium today but there was just an answerphone. I am sure they are snowed under and struggling to deal with the volume of phone calls.
KenR
Posts: 1506
Joined: Fri Mar 17, 2006 6:12 pm
Location: Birmingham

Re: Confusion about preferred choice and waiting list

Post by KenR »

Do we need to phone or email the first choice school to indicate that we would like to go on the waiting list?
You will be automatically on the waiting list

- By going on the waiting list for first choice school would we jeopardise the chances of getting into 2nd choice school?
Not at all - but you should accept your 2nd choice

- According to the letter, we have to accept the offer of 2nd choice school before 15th of March. If we do that would first choice school remove her name from the waiting list?
No you will automatically remain on the waiting - I recall till about August time/ if you want to remain after that you have to request it

- What are the chance of her getting into 1st choice school if her score is 4 point below the initial cut off?
If truth not great, the score of the last successful candidate rarely drops below 1 point score if at all, because schools over significantly offer over PAN to cater for rejections. (For KECHB they used to made offers anything between 21 and 31 over PAN and typically there were between 20-30 rejections. Don't know the stats for KECHG but maybe similar.

- Who do we need to call for waiting list procedure.. We tried consortium today but there was just an answerphone. I am sure they are snowed under and struggling to deal with the volume of phone calls. Certainly check with the consortium office, but you should accept your 2nd choice offer. KEH is an excellent school
echoes
Posts: 46
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2012 10:10 am

Re: Confusion about preferred choice and waiting list

Post by echoes »

KenR wrote:Do we need to phone or email the first choice school to indicate that we would like to go on the waiting list?
You will be automatically on the waiting list

- By going on the waiting list for first choice school would we jeopardise the chances of getting into 2nd choice school?
Not at all - but you should accept your 2nd choice

- According to the letter, we have to accept the offer of 2nd choice school before 15th of March. If we do that would first choice school remove her name from the waiting list?
No you will automatically remain on the waiting - I recall till about August time/ if you want to remain after that you have to request it

- What are the chance of her getting into 1st choice school if her score is 4 point below the initial cut off?
If truth not great, the score of the last successful candidate rarely drops below 1 point score if at all, because schools over significantly offer over PAN to cater for rejections. (For KECHB they used to made offers anything between 21 and 31 over PAN and typically there were between 20-30 rejections. Don't know the stats for KECHG but maybe similar.

- Who do we need to call for waiting list procedure.. We tried consortium today but there was just an answerphone. I am sure they are snowed under and struggling to deal with the volume of phone calls. Certainly check with the consortium office, but you should accept your 2nd choice offer. KEH is an excellent school
Thank you very much KenR. you have given very clear answers to all our questions.
We would have preferred KECHG but from what we can gather KEH is also a very good school.

BTW what is "PAN" ? I guess it some sort of cut off point for number of students.. And why do schools offer significantly above PAN? what if there are no rejections.
Okanagan
Posts: 1706
Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2011 9:20 pm
Location: Warwickshire

Re: Confusion about preferred choice and waiting list

Post by Okanagan »

BTW what is "PAN"?
Planned Admission Number - the amount of students they expect to take.

And why do schools offer significantly above PAN?
From past experience they know that there will be some movement as people choose independents instead, or a few get a place from the waiting list at a higher preference school. Over time they get to have a pretty good idea of the number this will apply to, so they offer extra places in the expectation that once the dust has settled they'll have approximately the right number, without the added complication of having to make a lot of offers from their waiting list.

what if there are no rejections?
Then they'd have to take the extra pupils. But in practice it would be extremely unlikely to be no rejections. There might be not as many as they'd over-offered by, in whaich case they'd just admit "over PAN" (and nobody from the waiting list would get a place).
1bzy
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2012 2:28 pm

Re: Confusion about preferred choice and waiting list

Post by 1bzy »

Sorry to intrude,

Am i correct in understanding that a child highest on the waiting list for his/her prefferred school will get informed automatically if a place does become available?

So those parents who lets say are within one/two mark should should accept their allocated school and just be hopeful :? for further correspondence?
reeyah
Posts: 530
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2011 1:14 am

Re: Confusion about preferred choice and waiting list

Post by reeyah »

That's right, you would be informed automatically :)
rubidium
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Jan 23, 2013 9:38 pm

Re: Confusion about preferred choice and waiting list

Post by rubidium »

I know of one child being offered a place at the top grammar school at KECHB in the middle of the first term in year 8. It's never too late to be hoping for a place at a selective school. Best luck to all.
echoes
Posts: 46
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2012 10:10 am

Re: Confusion about preferred choice and waiting list

Post by echoes »

Okanagan wrote:BTW what is "PAN"?
Planned Admission Number - the amount of students they expect to take.

And why do schools offer significantly above PAN?
From past experience they know that there will be some movement as people choose independents instead, or a few get a place from the waiting list at a higher preference school. Over time they get to have a pretty good idea of the number this will apply to, so they offer extra places in the expectation that once the dust has settled they'll have approximately the right number, without the added complication of having to make a lot of offers from their waiting list.

what if there are no rejections?
Then they'd have to take the extra pupils. But in practice it would be extremely unlikely to be no rejections. There might be not as many as they'd over-offered by, in whaich case they'd just admit "over PAN" (and nobody from the waiting list would get a place).
Thanks a lot. We are still hopeful that by some miracle place at KECHG becomes available but we are starting house hunting keeping KEH firmly in mind.
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