11 Plus Exams Forum

Hi, Does anyone know exactly how Cont. Interest lists work?
My DC has scored one mark above the lowest Sept score for entry into
our first choice. But below the March score.

Assuming the same happens this year, in March I am likely to be offfered
a place in my second choice sch. What happens then???

If I go on the CI list and a place for me becomes available do I automatically get
it, thus withdrawing the offer from the second choice sch? or do I get a chance to
refuse it.

I am asking as I prefer my first choice but DC prefers the second choice.

Many thanks

After allocation day, you have a chance to change your preferences (or at least you did last year). Since these schools run their own admissions, you'll probably also have to tell them you want to be on their CI list.

If you are offered a CI place, your previous place will be re-allocated. There's no choice for you to make at that point -- you make the choice when you give your preferences, so you have to decide in advance and be sure to say what you really mean.

I am going to let one of the experts reply (hopefully) in more detail. But my understanding is that it is automatic - you won't get an "are you sure message"! So be sure of your preferences.

Can I just say that list movement was SLOW last year; some movement 2 weeks after 1st March, then virtual deadlock.

DS was 14th on CI on 1st March for 2nd choice school; by mid-July (just before the induction day) this went down to 4th. This did not mean that 10 places miraculously became available - it meant that many people gave up waiting. I would imagine that no more than 5 people were offered place on the academic CI list for this school.

Appeals may also slow things down. Schools have to keep handing out places from the waiting list up to their capacity, regardless of the number of appeals pending. Any successful appeals thus take them over capacity, and they won't return to their waiting lists until the number falls below capacity again.

i believe that you need to accept your 2nd choice school if you are offered it but also say you want to be on the CI of your first school. If you turn down the 2nd one you may end up with no place at all. once you are offered and accepted your 1st choice on the CI list you then need to turn down the one you originally accepted so it can be released for another child on their CI lists.
Some schools have movement even after the start of term often because those who chose to go private forget to tell their state offered place they do not want it and no one discovers this until the child doesn't turn up on the first day of term!

Mgnmum wrote:i believe that you need to accept your 2nd choice school if you are offered it but also say you want to be on the CI of your first school.

Yes, I forgot to mention that. None of these offers can be refused, unless you have alternative plans.

Thanks for the info.

We would accept the place at the second school and are very happy with it.
I was just unclear as to if a place was offered from the CI list of the first sch
is it an automatic retraction of the second school offer? Or do they say "you have a offer
from X school" and do I at that point get to choose between the two.

I seem to remember someone being in just that position a while ago and going with the second choice school
as the child really wanted it. (and it had dragged on for months)
I know that things have possibly changed in the last few years.

If you are not allocated your 1st choice school, when you accept your 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) ranked school you can also opt to remove your child from the CI list of schools that were ranked higher.

If you do this, then that is the end of the allocation process and you wil keep the place at the school you have accepted, irrespective of whether or not a place becomes available at a higher ranked school.

Should you accept the school you have been allocated, but not also opt to remove your child from the CI list of higher ranked schools, you will remain in the allocation process. If a place becomes available for your child at a higher ranked school you will automatically be given that place and the place you initially accepted will be taken away and allocated to another child.


The default setting is to accept the school you have been allocated and remain on the CI list of higher ranked schools. But it is also clear how to change this to opt out of the CI process.

If you do want to keep on the CI list of higher ranked schools you may also have to make a request to that school directly. If the school required you to submit a SIF then they may also require you to submit a request to be put on their CI list. Some automatically put you on the CI list, some only if you request it. In all cases the school writes to you directly and explains what to do.

Many thanks, everyone