Same exam date, What to do?

[copella]

Most children I know sit three or four. I am not sure where you live rabbie burns but these are highly competitive state schools all receiving in the region of 2000 applications for 100 - 180 places. Why would you only sit one or two if the chances were so small? My DS sat three and luckily got his first choice. We prepared well and whilst nervous he coped well. We continued with all his extra curricular activities and he does alot and he continued to have a social life and I continued to work (there was a recent post about a mother contemplating not working to prepare her DC). It was pretty harmless and in total he sat 9 papers over 6 days over a period of 4 months. Now it is all mostly done on one day apart from a few schools. Now my eldest is doing his GCSEs in gulp! Three weeks time and that is so, so much more stressful.

[rabbie burns]

Fair enough. I suppose things look different in different parts of the country. Just seems a lot to go through, especially if the schools are quite far apart. As long as the children are happy then good luck to you all.

[southbucks3]

Not strictly true, the only super selective school the op is hoping for is QE.
I am afraid I agree with the admissions and consortium groups, make the decision, judged on preference and distance from your home. The slough group or Watford group tests allow entry into many schools in a local area and beyond without worrying about spreading your chances across other areas, the schools really are not that different in quality from one another if you look at the big picture and not the micro picture that top 100 league tables tend to show. I think we can all get caught up in the prestige of certain schools, without looking at the reality that what grades your child leaves school with in 7 years time depends on their own motivation and intelligence as much as the school.
I hope I am not patronising, I am just trying to sooth your worries about not being able to sit for both areas, I honestly think they have done your child a big favour, as they are very different test types too.

[vasu]

We are in the same predicament too. Which school to choose. Our first preference is QE. But we really liked Watford or Langley as our back up options. Now we have to choose amongst them.

[noonynunu]

We are in the same predicament too. Which school to choose. Our first preference is QE. But we really liked Watford or Langley as our back up options. Now we have to choose amongst them.

vasu, look carefully at the break down on the last round of admissions for WGBS. Are you inner or outer catchment for the boys grammar? The reason I ask this is because the allocations for these areas are split so you could be competing for either one of 40 specialist places (music and academic inner catchment) or one of 27 specialist places (music and academic inner catchment), assuming you are not planning to apply under any other criteria. If you are not looking to apply for a music place, this will further reduce the number of specialist places that you will be competing for. How does this compare with the other schools you are currently considering?

If you are looking to gain an inner catchment academic place, the school is surrounded by flats so you will need to be living very close to the school to get one of these places.

I understand that Watford Boys will be getting a new head but I don't think the new head has been named yet so you might want to consider this too.

[Mgnmum]

from what i can gather in order to qualify for both west herts schools and langely you must live in a harrow postcode. You are definitely in outer catchment for WGSB, so less places available. while for langley i get the impression it is just down to exam score and only if you tie will your distance from the school be taken into account, so a far greater number of places, similar to QE etc.

[WP]

from what i can gather in order to qualify for both west herts schools and langely you must live in a harrow postcode.

And not even all Harrow postcodes, just parts of HA3 and HA5 are in catchment for both the Watford grammars and Langley.

[Blitz]

Are all these schools using CEM?

If so, it maybe a deliberate act that all these schools are testing on the same day as only one CEM test should be taken by any one child.

From the CCHS (Chelmsford) admissions booklet:

'Applicants who wish to attend the entrance test for another school being held on the same day
as the CCHS Entrance Test will not be permitted to sit the CCHS Entrance Test on an alternative
day. This will not be deemed as an exceptional circumstance. The CEM (Centre for Evaluation
and Monitoring) test can only be taken once. If it is found that a candidate has sat the CEM test
more than once, the result obtained in the first test will be used by all schools.'
Admission policy for Sept 15 entry.

CEM knows the schools that they are setting the test for, so they must have advised this common date for all candidates. This will prevent children having 'two, three or four bites of the cherry' and therefore an unfair advantage.

[Daogroupie]

Watford is Maths and Moray House VR both standard format. They do not use CEM thank goodness and neither does QE. I think this is a real shame about your clash especially as Watford let the DAO applicants last year use the back up date. I would apply for both and keep arguing about it. Watford was unhelpful to start with last year but caved in later. DG

[vasu]

We are in Ha5 postcode hence the dilemma. My son will apply for the music place too. I think I will apply for both schools, as Daogroupie suggested and hope for the best.