Waiting List for Tiffin

[mad?]

Personally I find it really objectionable that parents are allowed to rejoin at this stage, the application stage is the time to make your preferences clear.

I absolutely agree, DIY Mum3. The application process makes it perfectly clear that you'll be offered one place and you should put the school you want most highest on the list. Surely that's simple enough to understand. Once people are allowed to start adding themselves to waiting lists of lower placed schools, it makes rather a mockery of the system.

+1

[catonhottinroof]

Have to say, I tend to agree. If you've got in to a school that you have rated as a higher preference, you shouldn't then be able to switch. You couldn't do that if you were simply applying to non-selective schools.

[mad?]

Have to say, I tend to agree. If you've got in to a school that you have rated as a higher preference, you shouldn't then be able to switch. You couldn't do that if you were simply applying to non-selective schools.

er... actually you can...doesn't make it right though

[Bilu]

Very interesting scenarios being posted. I agree once you, ve had a first preference offer, you should not be allowed to change. It seems then that these schools apply different rules at different times, insofar when the 120 initial ranked score offers are made to those listing a school as their first pref. Then in theory 20 or more girls could come and displace some of those already offered, but by which time contractual legally binding offers and acceptance under tort law has occured. It then transpires that displacement of waiting list applicants after the initial round seems these individuals are treated as second class applicants. The ranked CAF should be binding throughout the application process.

[2outof3]

This is exactly the scenario that someone has posted on MN (education ). The person involved has apparently been given their second choice grammar (Wallington) having failed to get into Nonsuch but actually scored higher than 235 in the Tiffin test (their third choice). Their DD will go straight to the head of the waiting list for Tiffins.

I'm not saying its right or wrong and I do have some sympathy with the person involved, but also really feel for the DC who are shifted down the waiting list in the process. I don't think its right though to blame the parent - it's the system that should be changed and unless and until it is, then parents will continue to do what they think is best for their own child...... (And the person involved isn't me by the way )

[MertonMum]

Well actually we were unsure back in October about our second and third choice. My OH & I wanted a grammar school whilst my DS wanted the local comp. He really disliked the 2nd choice grammar back in October - although we put it down as no. 2 on the CAF form. We thought at the time if DS gets offered the second choice then we will go and visit it again in March and if he really doesn't like it then we'll go on the waiting list for the local comp. Sometimes you can't make your mind up. You really don't have much time looking in year 6 and deciding the future 7 years of your DC's school life. the whole thing is swings and roundabouts - because if we'd been faced to give up the 2nd choice grammar in favour of the local comp - one other family would be happy - whilst another family would be extremely annoyed.

[catonhottinroof]

Have to say, I tend to agree. If you've got in to a school that you have rated as a higher preference, you shouldn't then be able to switch. You couldn't do that if you were simply applying to non-selective schools.

er... actually you can...doesn't make it right though

Point I was trying to make is that (around here) if you get, say, your first placed (non-selective) school offered to you, you can't then simply say you want your second/third etc choice as, actually, you were more 'qualified' to go there (than your first choice) in the first place . You would have to go onto a waiting list, along with everyone else who wanted it, and be judged under all the relative criteria again - linked school, sibling, distance etc.

[JGBallard]

Confused....how can someone who has accepted offer of a state school then say they want to be placed on the tiffin waiting list...is that allowed? ...if they don't accept higher preference offer but ask to be put on list then aren't they risking losing all possible offers? When do you have to accept state school offers by?

[hermanmunster]

trouble with state school offers and acceptances is that in some areas it is assumed that unless you say you aren't going then you will turn up in September.... also even if you do accept an offer, there is nothing lost by unaccepting it (unlike indies who will want cash).

[mitasol]

Kingston Admissions
http://www.kingston.gov.uk/browse/educa ... tation.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Parents with a higher preference offer can request that their child’s name is
added to waiting lists for lower preference schools and his/her name will be
added in criteria order.

For The Tiffin Girls’ School, the waiting list will be maintained from 1 March
2010 until 31 December 2010. During this period if the admission number for
Year 7 falls below 120, further offers will be made from the waiting list and
offered to the next girl on the list. If there is more than one girl who achieves
the score at which the next offer is made, the place will be offered to the girl
who lives nearest to the school, as measured using the shortest approved
walking route. All distances will be measured using the Council’s
computerised Geographical Information System. Any remaining girls who
achieve the same score will remain on the waiting list in distance order,
followed by the next pupil on the list in descending order of standardised score
and distance, if applicable. The last score at which a place is offered by 31
December 2010, is the final cut-off mark for that year group.

If you're not in Kingston LEA you will need to check how your own LEA admissions runs applications to lower preference waiting lists.