Advice on appealing in different county

[BaileyLane]

My DD has just started Y6 and is going to sit the 11+ in a few weeks in the county we currently live in. The only problem is that it looks likely we will be moving in the next few months into a different county, also with the grammar school system! (Nothing like a bit of extra stress.)

What is the best thing to do?? I would be so grateful for some advice!

Choices
1. Just sit the 11+ in our current county. If/when we move, providing she had done well, could we appeal for a GS place in the new county on that basis?

2. Sit the 11+ in the new county as well. We won't be in the new house by the time the applications have to be in, but providing she met the standard, would this be more likely to be accepted on appeal at a later date?

3. Is appealing the best/only option for children who will be moving into the area in Y6? Are there any better ways of going about it?

Thank you for any help x

[hermanmunster]

depends to some extent which the counties are - would help if you can tell us!

You may or may not be too late to apply to sit the exam in the new county? on the other hand if she can take the exam there and passes, it will depend on how the places are allocated as to whether she can get a place from you current address.

[BaileyLane]

New county is Gloucestershire. They test on 6th October and there is no problem with her sitting the 11+ there, but I think we are too far away for them to give her a place from where we currently live.

I don't want to abuse the appeals system, but I'm not sure what to do in this kind of situation. Has anyone else moved county during this time?

Of course, all this is academic if she doesn't pass

[capers123]

New county is Gloucestershire. They test on 6th October and there is no problem with her sitting the 11+ there, but I think we are too far away for them to give her a place from where we currently live.

Gloucestershire doesn't have a catchment area as such. Some children even take the test overseas if the parents are planning to move before the start of the new term.

The only point at which distance may become a factor in Gloucestershire is when children of an equal weighted (for age) score are put into rank order - one or two of the schools have 'distance from school' as a criteria, along with 'sibling at school'; this will only be an issue if your child is in the last few to be offered a place. If they have a slighly higher score than that, then distance will effectively not be considered.

I don't want to abuse the appeals system, but I'm not sure what to do in this kind of situation. Has anyone else moved county during this time?

You shouldn't need to go to appeal unless the factors above apply. If you've moved to Glos between the exam and Allocation Day in March, and your daughter just failed to get in because one other child lived closer than your original address, then I think you'd have a very good case for an appeal.

I would strongly recommend your daughter sitting the test for Gloucestershire as well as your current county. Get that application in now!

[hermanmunster]

. Has anyone else moved county during this time?

Of course, all this is academic if she doesn't pass

We did (not Gloucs though ) and it is OK to do provided the school is not oversubscribed or works on a non catchment allocation ie score based.

Capers knows the area well and you would be well advised to get your DC to sit the exam and if you are definitely moving and the score is good then put the schools on the CAF.

[BaileyLane]

Thank you so much for your help - you've really helped lift a weight off my shoulders!

[Belinda]

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[capers123]

... and see what their policy is for 'late sitters' / people moving into the county. They must have one, surely? You can't be the first person to have moved to Gloucester, and I know that here in Kent they have a written policy for people moving into the county after the test date.

If the test is taken after the main sitting (other than the few days later 'ill-on-the-day' exam) - after the preference form has been submitted, then you would not be allocated a place until after all the 'in-time' applications had been considered. Hence there could be children with a lower score offered a place over and above your child. There is also a high chance that after allocation day the schools would be full, so the only way of getting a place would be by appeal.

It's far better to sit the exam on the usual day, even if you end up not moving!

[Belinda]

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