St Olaves and timing issues

Eleven Plus (11+) in Kent

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panicattack!
Posts: 194
Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2009 11:30 pm

St Olaves and timing issues

Post by panicattack! »

I wonder if anyone could shed light on why St Olave's deems it "too expensive" to let parents know if their boys have done well or not before the last minute!

We, like many others, could be faced with a situation of the indie schools sending offers in Feb half term with a closing date 5, 8 March AND the state school sending out their school offer on 1 March. Now if you don't get into St Olave's on the first leg, but would like to find out if there is a vague possibility further down the line, you have 3 DAYS to find out from St Olave's!! :shock: More surprisingly is that when we visited St O's we were told not to bother PHONING in the first few days as the lines are saturated and we won't be able to get through!!!

Realistically that means you could have your third or fourth choice grammar school, pay a term's fees for an indie place and lose your job as you obsessively try to get through to the school to find out where you are on the list! :(

Wouldn't it make more sense to tell people their scores in advance, like other grammar schools, so you can have a more realistic take on whether it is worth tearing your hair out, paying fees upfront and losing your job!!!

Is anyone else just a tad FRUSTRATED by this nonsensical approach!! :x
Billie
Posts: 117
Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2008 2:12 pm

St Olave's

Post by Billie »

St Olaves and Newstead Wood got into a lot of trouble a few years ago for giving out scores early. They were told they were effectively making an offer and that is not acceptable until national offer day in March. Now with Kent etc giving out scores it makes a nonsense of it, but their hands are probably tied.
You definitely can ring the school and get the scores on 2nd march, but the phone lines will be busy. They will also tell you where your son is on the list and the cut off. Last year on allocation day they went down to place 149 (with scores of 149), but only went down a further 10 spaces on the list (score 148)(+4? appeals) after.
panicattack!
Posts: 194
Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2009 11:30 pm

Post by panicattack! »

Billie
Thanks for the reply. Could you just clarify your last two sentences... presumably both papers carry 100 marks and the 149 or 148 are out of 200?! Are you saying that on offer day it was 149 and then by the end of August/beginning of September it was 148!!! :(
PB Mum
Posts: 155
Joined: Sun Nov 16, 2008 10:37 am

Post by PB Mum »

That's my understanding...they will tell you what your son scored (each paper out of 100), and his total. ie. last year first cut-off was a total score of 149/200.
panicattack!
Posts: 194
Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2009 11:30 pm

Post by panicattack! »

Yes but PB I understand that you only get the information about the score and theoretically where they sit on the waiting list once you have got through to the school! And if you can't get through with such a tight deadline what do you do? I think the other grammar schools have the same tight deadline too.....

Has anybody in previous years gone in to the school in person? Did you find out or were you given short sharp shrift because they were too busy manning the phone lines to come down and tell you!

I can only think this is going to be a nightmare week....!! :?
Bexley Mum 2
Posts: 851
Joined: Sat Nov 17, 2007 9:55 pm
Location: Bexley

Post by Bexley Mum 2 »

panicattack - have you tried speaking to the Independent school(s) your son has applied to? A few years ago one of my sons did a test for an Independent as a back up to the 11+. The Independent was happy to allow us a few extra days beyond the formal deadline for accepting places, if we needed it.
panicattack!
Posts: 194
Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2009 11:30 pm

Post by panicattack! »

Thanks for that Bexley Mum 2. I didn't realise they were going to be so flexible to extend the deadline. I think it is really grim that one school can operate differently to the others with regards to giving information and it must create headaches for lots of people as well as themselves! Do you know anyone who has personally gone in there as I think this may be an option....????
PB Mum
Posts: 155
Joined: Sun Nov 16, 2008 10:37 am

Post by PB Mum »

PA, on the basis that the results haven't been released,
a) you're 'covering all the bases' if your DS doesn't get a place, assuming you're put St O's as first preference?
b)If you haven't put it as first preference, and he scores highly enough, they are likely to write to you independently asking if you would consider sending him there. :lol:
c) If neither a) or b) apply, you can certainly go to the front office and they will look up the scores and position for you (I went, out of interest, 48h after 'D' day). :)
d) Some independent schools will give you leeway, some won't (2y ago, acceptance date 1st March, 11+ results not available until 2nd) - you will then have to consider whether you spend the money making a deposit / agreeing to a term's fees.. :shock:

It's worth ringing the indies you've been offered places from, then you know where you are...until results day...
WesterhamMum
Posts: 134
Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2008 2:08 pm
Location: Westerham, Kent

Post by WesterhamMum »

Hi Panicattack

We are in a similar situation to you. Our DD has been offered a 50% scholarship to remain at the Indie she currently attends and having already extended the deadline for me (we were supposed to confirm places by end of January), I do not want to ask them to delay this even further if my daughter ends up on the waiting lists of both TGS and Newstead, as I know they have a waiting list of their own. If this happens, I think I will confirm my place at the indie just in case. Luckily, I do not have to pay a whole terms fees to secure my daughters place, just a few hundred pounds, which I will be delighted to lose if this means that I do not have to struggle to pay school fees for the next 7 years!

Good luck getting into St Olaves and I hope it is not too stressful. I cannot believe that the stress can get much worse than it is now with all this waiting!
sherry_d
Posts: 2083
Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2009 4:38 pm
Location: Maidstone

Post by sherry_d »

WesterhamMum wrote:
Luckily, I do not have to pay a whole terms fees to secure my daughters place, just a few hundred pounds, which I will be delighted to lose if this means that I do not have to struggle to pay school fees for the next 7 years!


I have read people on this forum being chased for a terms's fees if they didnt take up the place. The consensous seem to be you just have to cough up so make sure you read their terms. Its because most will require you to give them a term's notice and thats the rule they seem to apply
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