Waiting list CRGS

[dutchy005]

Wow, hasn't this thread gone off-piste!!

To get back to where it should be:

We appealed and our appeal hearing was held at the end of June. The papers were sent out two weeks before the hearing and in the intervening period one place came up.

We won the appeal and so our son was added to one of the three year 7 class lists which meant that that class was one bigger than it should be. We were called by the school last week and informed that a boy had dropped out and asked whether we would agree to our son being moved into another class so that all three forms would be the same size. We, of course, agreed.

So, I do not know how much the list has moved but it has moved by two in the last month. Hope this helps.

For what it's worth Maymum we effectively created another place at CRGS when this happened and then relinquished a place at WHSB so if the list moved by 1 at end of June one of those was as a consequence of the "extra" place in the system.

Anyway, as someone who still pinches themselves every morning; from the absolutely bottom of my heart I wish everyone success in gaining the place they want, however they achieve it. Ultimately, when you put your DC in for the 11+ you enter them into a competitive system. In any competition as long as you keep to the rules you are entitled to di the best you can and if something does go wrong there is an appeal system.

[fizzwizz123]

moved,
Thank you, I will keep you all informed I promise, but I am sure everyone will hear me 'IF AND WHEN' the offer happens
Happy Holidays to you all X

hi Maymum - if it helps my son is no. 2 on KEGS waiting list - he currently has a place at Westcliff, and if he gets offered KEGS, we will give up the place at Westcliff purely for logistical reasons as we live in Chelmsford. i do not know about the boy's situation above us, but fingers crossed, i am sure your son will definitely get in before September although it may be cutting it fine! we have been told that "normally" at least 1 or 2 don't even turn up at KEGS on the first day! good luck! i know how stressed you are as i am too!

[maymum]

fizzwizz123,

Thank you for sharing your circumstances.......it has definitely given me some hope
I hope your DS does get a place at KEGS not purely for reasons that it will absolutely help my DS out, but also for your logistical and costs reasons. Its easy to forget how much journeys to Grammar schools cost !!!!!!! Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts......Thinking of you, good luck for KEGS X

[darkane]

Does anyone know what happened with the waiting list in the end.

Dont' understand what Dutchy005 is saying, surely if her DS is given place he can keep it whatever happens next, why should he move classes or is he always going to be second cass? If appeal is granted this means there is an extra place and i didnt' think they could then take someone off waiting list. Surely no 1 on waiting list must be pretty fed up. I thought an appeal granted meant school had to run with extra pupil.

Also, someone has told me that different schools keep their waiting lists open for different periods of time and then you have to go on a list and sit tests set by school. We really want to make sure that we get chance to put our DS in for all places that come up for kEGs and CRGS as soon as lists are halted but can't find out when this is. i tried to contact Kegs but they were really unhelpful and said they;re not doing it anymore. Does anyone know what's going on?

[moved]

The moving of classes does not seem unreasonable to me. Dutchy005's DS had not yet started the school so had not made any friends. The allocation of the class was arbitrary and he was the last child placed in the class making the class one place too large. I think we would all prefer that our children were in a normally sized class.

[Minesatea]

Darkane - waiting lists have to be maintained until at least the end of the autumn term - who holds the list - the LA or the school depends on the type of school. If you still have the booklet you were sent when you filled in your CAF it explains this on page 13 - if not it is still on the essex schools website. After this selective schools can ask any children who have regestered an interest in obtaining a late place to be retested. When my son sat his 11 plus at CRGS there were older children in his room sitting different papers for late entry.

[maymum]

Hi all,
I have been reliably informed that there has been
one DC not shown up yesterday at CRGS Boys. Not
Sure if this is due to sickness or not but......
Hopefully, this may help those on 'waiting list' for CRGS.
Hope all DC have begun to settle well in their new schools, my DS is enjoying his new comprehensive.
maymum

[colmum]

I can corroborate this, as was in my DSs class. Have put a bit more info on another thread - just missed out - but it does show waiting lists do move.

My DS was not intitally given a place so i've known the pain of the waiting list so really good luck for all of you still "waiting" I feel for you very deeply indeed.

I also pick up what was said above. If someone gets in on appeal then that should be an extra place otherwise they are queue jumping the waiting list and I don't think this is what appeals are for.

[maymum]

Hi colmum,

Thanks for confirming that info.......I have been told that the new DC has already started at CRGS, great news for that DC and his family......
Yes I agree colmum with your comments regarding 'jumping' waiting lists!!!! I have made my comments (quite strongly) earlier in the year regarding this 'subject' you may well have already read my comments on other threads........so I wont go over that again for my own sanity and everybody elses
Suffice to say, that if 'jumping' had not happened my DS would now be WHSB now

maymum

[dutchy005]

I have been seething about the last two posts and wasn't going to respond but feel I must put the record straight and also make sure that people understand appeals.

Winning an appeal is not queue jumping. I don't think you have any idea of the trauma and ordeal of appealing and what a terrible time you must have had in order to win one. There has not been a succesfull appeal to CRGS for over 10 years and, as I understand there have been heading for a 100 heard! I suspect that there have been some terrible things that happened to families in that time and it must be heart-breaking for them to know that, on top of their ordeal, their DS lost his chance for a place at CRGS.

To win an appeal you have to demonstrate, in no uncertain terms, that your DC was academically able to pass the exam well enough to gain a place; that their underperformance on the day was extraordinary and unpredictable and finally, that there were provable mitigating factors to explain that underperformance. This means that your DC has to have been performing across the board to an exceptionally high level and most importantly in terms of this post that some dreadful things were happening at the time of the exam.

Put simply, at the Essex super-selectives, appeals are rarely granted and I am convinced that anyone who wins one must have gone through one of the worst years of their lives. So while i sympathise with the boy on the waiting list who didn't get a place at CRGS colmum is right, the panel obviously believed the school could accommodate another boy so should have run at 1 over PAN. We did not queue jump and I deeply resent the implication that we did. Our DS was deemed to deserve his place at CRGS and we had to demonstrate more in terms of his academic ability and achievement than any other parents in order to secure his, deserved, place there. So shame on you for implying we did something improper.