Essex VR format

[Nefertiti]

Hi Minesatea, kegsteacher and moved

Thank you for the feedback. I did think that I might be able to be added him on the waiting list. Good to know.
Now is the long wait.

For kegsteacher, we are not even sure to get a place at our 1st choice but had to mark it as 1st choice; we were not aware that the pass mark was lower. If his score is high enough, he might still get a place. Let's hope it works out that way as we don't really want to pay for his secondary education when tuition fees for University might jump to over £10-15K a year in 7 years'time.

I know one child who might a get place at KEGS (very bright), has already passed another GS exam and is trying for Bancroft and City of London. I think his parents will go for the indies in he gets a scholarship so there might be an extra space for some on the waiting list. Other parents might favour closer GS.

Nefertiti

[kegsteacher]

we are not even sure to get a place at our 1st choice but had to mark it as 1st choice

May I ask why?

[Nefertiti]

May I ask why?

We don't live in the encatchment area so we don't have priority. They do take children out of the borough if there are any places left but it has to be a 1st choice to be considered at all.

[mitasol]

I'm afraid that it is not permissible for a school to give priority according to where you placed it on the preference form, you may have misunderstood the admissions criteria.

[moved]

The schools do not know what position you have placed them on your form. They judge your application on its merit whether you have placed them first or fourth.

[Nefertiti]

Hi
Thanks. I may have misunderstood but at the open evening, HT clearly said that we should mark it as a first choice.

Rgds
Nefertiti

[First-timer]

This may be a point that belongs in the Myths & Legends section. The notion persists that some sort of added value is given to an application that lists a school as first choice. I've heard as much in my own DC's playground. It's compounded by the fact that some Heads advise their school being entered as first choice when what they intend to say is that if their school genuinely is the parent's first choice (and not just a back-up), it should be entered as such. The information booklet is pretty clear about listing schools in genuine order of preference but it seems that the rumour mill holds more sway.

[moved]

Hi
Thanks. I may have misunderstood but at the open evening, HT clearly said that we should mark it as a first choice.

Rgds
Nefertiti

Then I think you should have excellent grounds for appeal. Hopefully thought this will be unnecessary as should your son pass highly enough to have been awarded a place at KEGS in the first round of allocations he should be at the top of the waiting list. It may be worth contacting the council and explaining the situation and asking if you can swap first and second choices.

I am moving this thread into the myths and legends section as suggested by First-timer.

[moved]

Thanks Moved.
I understand the Education authority will place the child in the order of the school chosen if they meet the schools' criteria.

Other friends have been told to do the same for christian denominated schools. Those marking them as 2nd choice won't have much of a chance as too many apply as 1st choice.

Kind Regards
Nefertiti

The schools have no idea where they have been placed on your form, so they cannot fill up places with first choice applicants. They have to allocate places according to their criteria, i.e. distance, church attendance, 11+ score, etc. All of their applicants are then allocated places through their systems of preference.

One child may fulfil the criteria for four schools e.g. 1. KEGS, 2. WHSB, 3. St.John Payne and 4. Boswells (the child is in catchment for Boswells, attends church regularly and scores highly for the 11+). All of these schools would be willing to take this child, but only the school at the top of the child's list will be able to admit the child.

If the child does not score highly enough in the 11+ for KEGS or WHSB he will be allocated his next preference of St.John Payne. Another child may have put St.John Payne first, but not be Catholic and therefore would be further down the list than the first child.

The system is now set up in favour of the applicant.

[Minesatea]

Unfortunately school headteachers seem to be some of the worst offenders for not understanding how the system works!