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UPSET AND ANGRY

Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 12:46 pm
by daljit
hi............

i am so drained and sad, my poor son passed both Bexley and Kent 11+ but he never got a grammer school offer in any of these boroughs! in fact he has been offered one of the .......schools we have here!

how do i tell him that all his hard work was a waste of time? (he passed with good marks)

triplet 2&3 both got their first choices, i should be happy. But i'm so upset, i wish i could make it all better for him!its killing me!

any advise

Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 12:57 pm
by Billie
Which school did he get?

I had already discounted any chance of St Olave's for my DS - obviously going to be the elite only there.

I was told that for Bexley schools you really had to be top 180 to get in from orpington, otherwise its Wilmington and I got the feeling this year it was going to be a very popular choice for Orpington boys, so you might be losing out on distance - might improve on the waiting list.

Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 2:22 pm
by bigrob
Am very sad to hear your news.

How far away from Wilmington were you as the crow flys and by car from Beths?

Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 2:47 pm
by Gercha
Hi Dalji, Bigrob and Billie

Well, I'm still a bit in shock. My ds missed St Olaves by 3 points and is number 28 on the waiting list (realistically I don't think he'll get in).

He scored 401 on the Kent test so not enough for Judd, not enough for Skinners and we failed to get in on distance to Wilmington (we are 6.4 miles out and they went out 5.8 miles). Quite frustrating as we thought he'd be in on the top 10% for Wilmington but it looks like I misunderstood that and if fact they took 12 boys (10% of 120) of the top scorers (inrrespective of distance). Will just sit tight and wait for the offers to move around a bit and if no offer then appeal to Wilmington, but on what grounds? Any ideas??

Bigrob - what fantastic news on your son getting a grammar school place, you must be so proud of him. Remind me again, how far are you to Wilmington (just to give me a bit of hope!!).

Daljit - great news for two of your children but am so sorry to hear about your son. Like me we are in a bit of a no man's land for grammar schools. Stay on the waiting list and hold tight. Are you thinking of appealing?

Just have to go and tell ds now - poor lamb - all his friends were saying yesterday "don't worry you'll get St Olaves" - ho hum.

Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 2:53 pm
by bigrob
Gercha

So sorry to hear your news.

We are 5.24 miles from Wilmington if that helps.

Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 2:59 pm
by Gercha
Thanks Bigrob - am feeling ok now. Needed to get things into perspective!!! Will hang on for second round allocation and may be lucky - don't really want to have to appeal!!

Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 3:06 pm
by Billie
Sorry to hear your news - I am intrigued as to who has got into St Olave's - there's usually 4 or 5 from my DS's school each year - I wonder if there will be any at all. Also, I think many will have missed out on Wilmington.

I also had misunderstood Wilmington's 10% criteria - I thought it was top 10% scores of applicants and so a likely top 10% Kent score would be likely to get you in, but obviously not so.

Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 3:09 pm
by bigrob
Billie

Just to confirm about Wilmington.

It is the top 10% who apply to them.

Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 5:17 pm
by daljit
we don't know how many marks he was away fron getting Olaves...(phones are busy as expected!)

yes we will be apealing, we have spoken to the headmaster and he said he will support us 100%. (still no promise!))
however i have decided that i will not be accepting the school we have been offered, my DS will be better off at home than going to the school he has been offered! what makes it worse is you'd think the Bromley borough would put him in the same school with his triplet brother......suppose thats to easy! Yeah triplets are in 3 different schools.
they must have thought if she can have triplets lets see her juggling the school rounds!

we told our DS, he was in a state of shock and is now crying....he has just said but i try so hard...........i'm in a state too!
i wish i hadn't bothered with the 11+.........

Gercha you might get into Olaves as you have a son there already.
do you like the school you have been offered instead??

thanks to you all, i hope we are all successful in our appeals.

Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 7:12 pm
by T-4-2
Really feel for you and your son daljit, wish I could think of something useful to say :(

I wish you so, so much luck for your appeal.