2nd March round the corner!

doodles · Post by **doodles** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 12:17 pm

I know I said that I wasn't going to think about this and I was going to be positive etc etc etc but......

I was thinking earlier today why does it take Kent so long to allocate places when the 11+ exam was back in the middle of September and the CAF form had to be in by 5th November? I know schools like St Olave's only held their entrance exam on 14th November but do many children do these "extra" tests? and still......... that is 3 1/2 months and one assumes it is all done by computer etc etc etc.

Just wondering what the justification for this length of time is. By the end of it we will have been waiting 5 1/2 months to find out the eventual outcome of the 11+. Does anywhere else take so long?

Just1-2go · Post by **Just1-2go** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 2:30 pm

The length of time it takes makes no sense at all when you consider that when the 11+ was in January allocation day was still 2nd March!

Fluffy66 · Post by **Fluffy66** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 4:28 pm

I printed off a document from www.kenttrustweb.org.uk a while back and can't find it again online but it lists all the various stuff that goes backwards and forwards before allocations are made - may make you feel a bit better whilst waiting ........not!

6 Nov - SCAF forms in

4 Dec - first exchange of data with neighbouring Authorities
11 Dec - Applicant nos to school

4 Jan - Applicant details sent to schools to apply oversubscription criteria
22 Jan - Ranked lists sent to LA by all schools

19 Feb - Secondary schools sent lists of allocated pupils - PRIMARY SCHOOLS INFORMED OF DESTINATION OF THEIR PUPILS - i know this was mentioned in another post somewhere but couldn't find this info at that point in time!

1 March - D-Day!

It goes on beyond these dates with welcome letters/reallocation/ transport arrangements etc

Hope this helps anyone.

xx

medwaymum · Post by **medwaymum** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 5:16 pm

1 March is a National Allocation Day. This is determined by central government surely, so it is nothing to do with local authorities. The fact that Kent have moved the exam forward just gives them more time to organise themselves and of course, it gives parents the opportunity to see if their children are found suitable for grammar school education before submitting the SCAF.

inkypinkyponky · Post by **inkypinkyponky** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 5:27 pm

The form filled in for secondarys is the SCAF, the Secondary Common Application Form.

Those of you who have filled in one please don't forget that the County Council is also dealing with JCAFs which are applications to junior schools, and RCAFs which are applications to the reception year.

I completed an RCAF for DC3 so I'm awaiting the allocation of his school and I should hear by email on monday 22nd March.

One friend has 4 children and this year has had to complete an RCAF, a JCAF, a SCAF and a 6th form application. She keeps having nightmares that she put the 4 year-olds details on the SCAF and not the RCAF!

So KCC Education Department are rather busy at the mo!

yoyo123 · Post by **yoyo123** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 6:47 pm

having had occasion to ring admissions during this time with my Senco head on, they are really busy during this period. I don;t envy them at all!

doodles · Post by **doodles** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 7:21 pm

There must be different teams dealing with different age groups.... aren't there. What happens between 19th Feb and 1st March and also when exam was taken in January 1st March was still the date and it must have been even more complicated then as people had submitted SCAF without their results first.

Sorry if this seems a bit of a rant - DH is more patient / understanding than me and appreciates the logistics of it all. But I do feel for DS who's friends are all getting their offers (for indies) and he took his exam first and is waiting the longest! Also other counties seem to have later exams and still manage to get info out for 1st March.

yoyo123 · Post by **yoyo123** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 9:23 pm

but when we had the Kent test in January everyone complained that they had to apply with no idea of the test result. You can't have it both ways.

having been through teh process in teh days of January tests I would much have preferred the September tests

inkypinkyponky · Post by **inkypinkyponky** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 9:50 pm

Hear, hear, Yoyo.

When DD1 took January 11+ it was awful having filled in the SCAF in October the previous year. Many parents presumed their DC would easily pass so filled the SCAF's 3 choices with Grammar schools. (Daft decision I think, but many did it this way.)

Come March they opened the envelope (it was before online application) and were horrified to be given a non-selective school they hadn't chosen. That was when they realised DC hadn't passed 11+. A few days later a letter was received with child's actual score, so only then could parents decide whether or not to appeal, with only about 2 weeks to prepare stuff to send with appeal form.

At least these days parents have a few months to prepare their appeal. (and use jolly good sites like this one!)

So people can't have it both ways.

Knowing the outcome of 11+ before filling in the SCAF is far, far better IMHO.

doodles · Post by **doodles** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 10:19 pm

I completely agree that it is far better to know the score before filling in the form. However, the point I am trying (rather clumsily to make) surely this process could be quicker. Nearly half a year seems an awfully long time to deal with the 11 year olds in the county!