What if you are still confused between grammar and comp?

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11thhour
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2016 7:14 pm

What if you are still confused between grammar and comp?

Post by 11thhour »

Hi,

I am new to this forum and quite new to this entire process. My DS seems to have done well enough to qualify for most of the grammar schools. However, he is quite keen to go to the local comp and wishes to keep his options open. Does putting down a local comp as choice 3 or lower mean that in the end you HAVE to put him in a grammar because he has lost his chances at the local comp?

Thanks!
JamesDean
Posts: 1537
Joined: Wed Jul 31, 2013 5:03 pm

Re: What if you are still confused between grammar and comp?

Post by JamesDean »

In short, yes. If you are offered a higher choice on your CAF then the other, lower school choices are discarded. If you then change your mind, you would have to reapply to the comp and potentially go on their waiting list (if they are over subscribed).

Always fill in your CAF with your true preference order ...

JD
booellesmum
Posts: 611
Joined: Mon Jul 27, 2015 7:44 am

Re: What if you are still confused between grammar and comp?

Post by booellesmum »

Hi,
If you put the comp 3rd and are offered your 1st choice then you really should take the school offered. You could ask to go on a wait list for the comp but the chances of getting a place would be slim at that point as all the places will have been offered. You would need to ask your position on the wait list and contact the school to see how far the wait list moved in previous years.
It would really be advisable at this point to write a list of the pros and cons of each school and put them in the order of your/your son's true preference. Unfortunately it really is difficult to keep all your options open.
ToadMum
Posts: 11944
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:41 pm
Location: Essex

Re: What if you are still confused between grammar and comp?

Post by ToadMum »

11thhour wrote:Hi,

I am new to this forum and quite new to this entire process. My DS seems to have done well enough to qualify for most of the grammar schools. However, he is quite keen to go to the local comp and wishes to keep his options open. Does putting down a local comp as choice 3 or lower mean that in the end you HAVE to put him in a grammar because he has lost his chances at the local comp?

Thanks!
In a nutshell, yes.

If he qualifies for a place at one or both of the schools that you ranked first and second, he will be offered a place at one of those. And only the one place. You don't get one school off 'your' 'grammar list' and one off your 'non-selective' list, the allocations system only sees one list and it also assumes that the school you name first is the one you really want and so on.

Which is why you have to think very carefully and put the schools down in your true order of preference.

You are not going to get any different answers to this. If you do, I'm afraid they are wrong.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
11thhour
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2016 7:14 pm

Re: What if you are still confused between grammar and comp?

Post by 11thhour »

Thank you! DS has not had a chance to check out the grammar as he did the test almost as an afterthought...while I don't wish to deprive him of a great opportunity, the thought of the transport plus the stress is worrying...
JamesDean
Posts: 1537
Joined: Wed Jul 31, 2013 5:03 pm

Re: What if you are still confused between grammar and comp?

Post by JamesDean »

How far is the journey to the GS? If you have a good comp on your doorstep, that your DS is happy with, then is the journey to the GS for the next 5-7 years really worth the stress? (Speaking as the parent of 2 kids - one who said yes and one who said no!)

It must be very difficult to put a school on your CAF when you haven't visited and have no feel for whether your DS would be happy there ...

JD
11thhour
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2016 7:14 pm

Re: What if you are still confused between grammar and comp?

Post by 11thhour »

Yes, indeed. It is the parental version of FOMO I guess :)
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