Waiting List movement 2016 entry

[Baker04]

I could well be asking you all the length of of a piece of string! But can any of our experienced 11+ DPs help with waiting list movements? DS is 14th for BV, are we talking days, weeks, months before things start moving? How often is reasonable to ring admissions to check position? I just want to know when this torture will be over (well for now anyway) and we can go back to normal life!

Thanks in advance

B

Hi Baker04

Ok I really only know the Birmingham drill but imagine it will be the same in Sutton Coldfield.

Today or tomorrow parents should receive official offer letter. You will be given a deadline to accept offered school. Let's call that Accept offer day (in Brum it is March 16th I think).

(In the next days parents should receive welcome packs and (joy of joys) forms to fill in from offered school. This will include formal acceptance of offer form to return to school)

Meanwhile - DPs with the finances or AP offers/ bursaries may opt to go private. They can inform the school they are not taking up a place and that can lead to movement. (My view is they SHOULD inform school concerned as soon as possible to free up a place for another child)

After Accept Offer Day there will be the first wave of sudden movements as this is the first point state grammars actually know how many are definitely coming.

I can only go by 2014 entry in Birmingham but the next wave of wait list movements seemed to be in June just before city wide 'moving up day' and then a few heard in the summer. I don't know why for July/ August movement - if this was really parents undecided about going private or grammar or if this was undecided parents battling social conscious about grammar vs comps. (You can scoff but I know two families in 2014 entry had explosive arguments because of firmly held views against grammar schools in principle and the anti grammar parents were not expecting their kid to pass - both declined offers ultimately).

Birmingham city council (but assume same in other areas) will maintain your place on wait list for higher choice school(s) until Christmas 2016. After Christmas it is individual schools. My experience has been that children have been offered places in January so my advice is if you are still hopeful keep in good contact with LEA about wait list position in December and let school of choice know directly in December that you want to be on waitlist from January.

Baker04 with a current waitlist position of 14 you do have a good chance.

HANG TOUGH!

Thank you, much food for thought, we have already decided that if he's not in by the end of Summer term then we won't remain on the list.

Now, when shall I pester those lovely people at Birmingham admissions again? Lol

B

[Ams]

Hi I want to know which school is better in King Edward Aston & bishop vesey. Is there any difference in KE grammer schools and bishop vesey(services& sports wise). Teaching also which school is better.

[booellesmum]

We got our offer a week into the Summer hols and I know there were 12 offers after that - some weren't taken up due to having decided to keep first offer. Definitely worth keeping a watch on your position.

[Petitpois]

PP we are declining our placement at KE Handsworth so one less on the waiting list. Fingers crossed for you

Thanks Meldan - every little helps. I know a good proportion of the kids on the waiting list (including my own, I think), but nervy few days for many 223 -221, although I think 221 will be fine this year for KEH. I would certainly not be without hope at 220, but 219 off the waiting list might be stretcthing it too far.

That said none of us can fully know the inherent flexibility of this particulaly years list - there is nothing written in stone about a 3 point spread (219 -216 last year).

I had written that I felt this years spread would tighten as a result of pupil premium. What's actually happened has been a little surprising. I genuinely thought PP scores would rocket and they have only gone up noticeably at CHB and KEFW.

There is NOTHING to say that this years spread won't be 223 - 219(ie one extra point), so if your under 220 don't give up hope this early on.

Meldan best wishes to you in your choice, Hope you have accepted somewhere equally fab. Although if it is KEHS - I won't tell lies and say I am not a little jealous, that is a great old school and the Bursar really would have given me a bursary if she had seen my rover 420

PP

[Petitpois]

My daughter's score of 229 places her 46th on waiting list for CHG.

What are her chances?

42 got in off the waiting list last year so not impossible?

There was a 6 point spread last year. 225 got you in of the waiting list. Whose to say 228 won't scrape it this time round? Might be distance involved at that score and a bit of a wait, but 229 is not impossible. Hope your reasonably near the school.

By the way, when I use the word scrape, NEVER ever think your daughter has struggled at these scores. These are not academic scrapes, they are pure statistical scrapes from an arbitrary cohort perspective. I have seen people at my DD's school say they wouldn't take a grammar if its a scrape, because the child won't cope. TOSH, get em over the line and they will be fine. Whatever the outcome, your kids have done amazingly well already!

[quasimodo]

Although if it is KEHS - I won't tell lies and say I am not a little jealous, that is a great old school and the Bursar really would have given me a bursary if she had seen my rover 420

PP

You haven't seen my 2003 Rav 4 yet only 80,000 on the clock one carefull previous owner. A lady GP gone with her GP husband to Australia to retire and work part time linking up with their 2 daughters who live and work out there.

Gone are my brand new Jaguars, S classes and CLS's of my hey day I am now fitting into the cars of my youngest dd's school.Yet my youngest comes home with a smile from her school at WGHS we didn't always get that at KEHS with my eldest.

[Optimist]

Hi I want to know which school is better in King Edward Aston & bishop vesey. Is there any difference in KE grammer schools and bishop vesey(services& sports wise). Teaching also which school is better.

I do not know anything about KEA. My DS attends BV. The teaching is excellent, the pastoral support is at a very high standard. They have a lot of students enter Oxbridge. The sports facilities are tremendous, with great astro turf courts, a spectacular pavilion and great devotion to extra curricular activities.

The new STEM centre is a bold innovation.

I think BV is the place to be. My second son will start there in September.

[brummie]

Just thought I'd update this thread also.

With a score of 238, DS is 10th on waiting list for CHB. We only live about a mile away.

Hopefully he has a good chance of getting in.

[Anigan]

Although if it is KEHS - I won't tell lies and say I am not a little jealous, that is a great old school and the Bursar really would have given me a bursary if she had seen my rover 420

PP

You haven't seen my 2003 Rav 4 yet only 80,000 on the clock one carefull previous owner. A lady GP gone with her GP husband to Australia to retire and work part time linking up with their 2 daughters who live and work out there.

Gone are my brand new Jaguars, S classes and CLS's of my hey day I am now fitting into the cars of my youngest dd's school.Yet my youngest comes home with a smile from her school at WGHS we didn't always get that at KEHS with my eldest.

Hi, we've been offered an assisted place at KEHS. DD has a score of 214 for the grammar test so no grammar offers on offers day. We have been offered university of Birmingham though. We are seriously considering KEHS as we were very impressed on open day. I am interested in your experience of the school of you could shed any light. Thankyou very much

[OldTrout]

we have already decided that if he's not in by the end of Summer term then we won't remain on the list.

Now, when shall I pester those lovely people at Birmingham admissions again? Lol

B

Baker04 and others on waiting lists

OK several things have transpired since posting this a.m. (i.e. parents are now talking to each other and friends with older children are getting in touch).

Baker - in regard to BV friend with son at KEFW says that there has historically been a lot and rapid movement from 'outlying' grammars when parents based in Birmingham are offered more logistically convenient school. So for example this friend had her son accept BV in March and in April/ May sometime (she can no longer remember) was telephoned with offer from KEFW which was immediately accepted. Thus freeing BV place.

The other thing I have heard this morning is many parents thought the score at KECHB would only go higher and weren't expecting it to drop so much. Many didn't bother putting it down on the secondary transfer form with scores <240 - so in fact there may be a lot of movement/ jumps on the CHB waitlist.

I've also been talking to parents (south Birmingham) who are now debating whether Handsworth Girls works logistically (Yes PETITPOIS I'm talking to you!). So those of you hoping for KEVIHG may be pleasantly surprised. One has said they'll decline (going for good local comp nearby) and one on wait list has said they won't take the place if offered.

Finally BAKER04 and other parents on waitlist. Don't feel you have to make a definite decision this year. There genuinely is movement during the first and second terms of Year 7. Part of the problem is parents are only concerned about accepting the new offer from a school and can fail to inform the initial offer school for weeks. So there can be quite a time lag. Obviously schools don't want to guess - so they need certainty that there are spaces.

You are automatically on a waitlist until Christmas. BAKER04 (and others in late teens/ low 20s on waitlist) please hang in there. I sincerely hope you will hear good news by the end of this school year and understand how important it is to know which school for next year - but if you really want a grammar education for your child and/or your child would prefer the school just let things lie - check on their position now and then - and be hopeful.

Short notice (so finding out over summer) or late entry (so joining after September) will be handled sensitively.

Many many parents decide not to take up subsequent school offers after the initial offer. As we've seen wait list positions in the high 40s can be successful.

Genuinely hoping it's ultimately good news for you all!