Movement on Parmiters waiting list?

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Luna
Posts: 36
Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2011 4:39 pm
Location: Watford

Re: Movement on Parmiters waiting list?

Post by Luna »

Hiya, thank you for all your advice. I do not know what to do as DS decided he wants to go to Queens, have a fresh beginning, and believes that it is more of the right school for him than Parmiters.

I would keep him on the waiting list if I would know for sure that, in case he does get an offer we can turn it down if he does wishes to. But on my letter from Admission it says that if you are offered a place at the highest ranked school of the waiting list you will be automatically taken off your second ranked school places. In other words I would like to give him the option to choose rather than tell him "you are going to Parmiters now and there is nothing you can do about it".

To answer the question, why did we rank Parmiters first? Hmmmm, I did wonder last night, it has great results of course and this is a reason, but so does Queens (statistically lower, but individually I believe DS will get the same results at either schools) , my answer to this question is exactly this: we ranked it first because it is the most oversubscribed school in Herts, and if all the parents want it so should we. :)

But I do wonder, should I not be just proud that he is 26 on the waiting list, meaning that he is in top 71 of all over 1000 applicants (45 academic places plus 26 in front of him on the waiting list) and then just close this chapter and leave it behind?

I will keep still debate with DH if to keep him on the waiting list or not, but can somebody confirm if we would be retracted the offer from Queens if we are offered Parmiters automatically? Did I understand right?

Thanks all for your support.
WP
Posts: 1331
Joined: Thu Jan 03, 2008 9:26 am
Location: Watford, Herts

Re: Movement on Parmiters waiting list?

Post by WP »

Luna wrote:I would keep him on the waiting list if I would know for sure that, in case he does get an offer we can turn it down if he does wishes to. But on my letter from Admission it says that if you are offered a place at the highest ranked school of the waiting list you will be automatically taken off your second ranked school places. In other words I would like to give him the option to choose rather than tell him "you are going to Parmiters now and there is nothing you can do about it".
The letter is correct: if you are offered Parmiter's, the place at Queens' will be gone. You won't have a choice then -- it's now that you have a choice, between settling on Queens' and holding out for Parmiter's. A place at Parmiter's is possible, but if it happens it won't be for some months, and the wait will be nerve-wracking. But plenty of people will tell you it's worth it, and maybe you'll wonder in the future what might have been. I don't envy you your decision.
maddad
Posts: 93
Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2011 9:09 pm
Location: Herts

Re: Movement on Parmiters waiting list?

Post by maddad »

Daogroupie wrote:Wow Ally, if 34 of the 46 academic places came off the waiting list, then all but 12 of those who were allocated Parmiters as their highest ranked school on March 1st turned it down!
I don't think it implies that. The other extreme could be 1 turned it down and the next 33 on the waiting list had already committed to their backup indie plan or taken themselves off the CI list because they were happy with their allocated school.

Luna - because of the way the subsequent CI allocation runs work, I don't think you get a choice (everyone gets shuffled around, so the place you had at Queens will already have been given to someone else on the Queen's CI list). I appreciate you don't want to miss the excitement of planning for the new school (buying uniform, induction day, etc.) - I wouldn't either. Would an option be to stay on Parmiter's waiting list and then try to forget all about it. Assume your DS is going to Queens, plan accordingly and then if you did by chance get a call from Parmiter's, you could have the excitement of planning for a new school all over again :-)
braden01
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2012 4:13 pm

Re: Movement on Parmiters waiting list?

Post by braden01 »

maddad wrote:Just trying to understand the waiting list (friends have got their DD still hoping for a place).

So in previous years, was the reason that multiple children were at the same position on the waiting list because they had the same score? So if the "pass" mark was 247, everyone who got 243 would be in 4th position (assuming some other children had 246,245,244)?

Braden01 - does your letter have a score as well as the position? If so, could you post, since that would help confirm whether the waiting list positions are really individual or not (and hence your chances of getting a place).
Her score was 240 so I know in previous years she prob wouldn't have got in as needs a 7 mark drop, however there will not be necessarily the same distribution each year so I'm thinking her chances are slim. This is an individual waiting list place as I asked if # 19 meant there were only 18 kids ahead and admissions confirmed this is the case.
Ally
Posts: 299
Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2009 2:30 pm
Location: Hertfordshire

Re: Movement on Parmiters waiting list?

Post by Ally »

It's always so difficult to try and predict how much a waiting list will move.

You could just look at the number of points a waiting list moves. Last year 6 points and the previous year 5 points ( I only needed it to drop one more point) But that does not taking in to account of any clusters (several children with the same mark)

or you could look at how many actual places of the waiting list they offered. From our situation 2 years ago ( when they had several pupils at each position, so I tend to refer to real terms) I worked out they offered to place 33ish(in real terms). But after May/June time a larger number of pupils will have withdrawn from the list or not accepted a place if offered.

Then of course you can't predict what is happening at other schools, both state and private that have an effect on pupils accepting or declining a place.

Also how the economic climate effects peoples decisions. Are more or less parents choosing the private option? Have things changed over the last couple of years ?

Yes you have a chance, but it impossible to say how good a chance. It all depends on how long are you and your family prepared to wait? Places can still get offered during the first week or 2 of the September term. Waiting is very stressful. Yet for the lucky few it can be very rewarding, but also on the other hand it can be very negative you and your DC
I don't intend to be negative, but trying to be realistic about how stressful waiting for a place can be.

Good luck
Ally
braden01
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2012 4:13 pm

Re: Movement on Parmiters waiting list?

Post by braden01 »

Thanks Ally. We will see where she is in a week or two on the list and decide. None of us are really stressing as she got 2nd choice of STAGS so good school anyway.
tim
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Mar 06, 2012 2:06 pm

Re: Movement on Parmiters waiting list?

Post by tim »

Hi all I notice that on the ci list the following have been reported 239 = 26th, 240= 19th. Our son was 242 and told 10th. He is now Im told 5th after the first run (update) on the list . So looks like allot of kids got around 239 to 240 to 241 : about 10 at each. Can anyone comment on the movement so far . 5 spaces movement at the first CI list run does not seem big , but maybe it is similar to previous years at this stage. Good luck all on dealing with the CI questions / options.
lotsakids
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Mar 05, 2010 9:34 pm
Location: Herts

Re: Movement on Parmiters waiting list?

Post by lotsakids »

Thought you might be interested to hear that although I rejected the offer of Parmiter's for my DS back on 8/3, I have just received a letter from them inviting him to the CAT testing day in April! I rejected the offer via the HCC link, so not directly with the school, and the message obviously hadn't got through. Could explain why there's not been much movement on the waiting list.
braden01
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2012 4:13 pm

Re: Movement on Parmiters waiting list?

Post by braden01 »

I've just checked and she's moved from 19th to 16th which seems very strange as someone else has moved from 10th to 5th?? I don't think the numbers include yet those who wish to be added to CI who have not previously applied so I don't understand this. Makes me think that the systems are bit out of sync right now, particularly given the school is sending letters to people have actually turned down the offers weeks ago.
jcc76
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2012 1:41 pm

Re: Movement on Parmiters waiting list?

Post by jcc76 »

I e-mailed Parmiters on Thursday to ask my child's position, by friday I lost my patience and phoned. Was told my child had moved from 15th to 12th, however I got an e-mail yesterday telling me he is 10th- very confusing and stressful :( .
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