please help!

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mum86
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2014 6:17 am

please help!

Post by mum86 »

please help...

my dd scored just under 200 in the birmingham grammer school test and was borderline for the queen mary's (306). Queen Mary's has advised that she does have a chance and to put the school 1st on the CAF form. questions:

- it is still worth putting handsworth girls or sutton as options - option 2 and 3?

- if i do put the handsworth and sutton higher than the 3 comprehensive schools, does it have an impact on her getting the first choice comprehensive school? i assume that children that have put the comprehensive school as their first choice will get the first pick on places.

I called the council admissions office today and they weren't very helpful and I couldn't get through to the the grammer school admissions office today and it is closed tomorrow.

this is the first time I'm doing this and I'm very nervous!
loopylou
Posts: 403
Joined: Wed Feb 24, 2010 9:08 am

Re: please help!

Post by loopylou »

i assume that children that have put the comprehensive school as their first choice will get the first pick on places.
No this is not at all how it works.
Children will get the comp places by living close enough or having a sibling and if it hasn't been possible to offer them any of the schools they placed higher on their form.
So, in your case, if you live close enough to definitely get a place at the comp, you can place it last on your list and know you have a safe option just in case none of the grammar options work out.
You cannot get pushed out by people who qualify less (eg live further away from the comp than you do) but who listed it first.

You should list the grammar schools above the comp in the order you like each school. It doesn't matter if your chances at some of them are lower than at others. If they cannot give you your first choice, it is crossed off and your second choice becomes your new first choice and so on until you have a school.
mum86
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2014 6:17 am

Re: please help!

Post by mum86 »

thank you looplou! that is really helpful.

We don't live in a great area. The only local good comprehensive is a catholic school, but we are not catholic.
quasimodo
Posts: 3854
Joined: Sun Sep 07, 2014 2:47 pm

Re: please help!

Post by quasimodo »

Mum86 unless your child is a pp child then it will be tough to get a place in the Birmingham grammars as more than 50 per cent of the candidates who sat the exam will be above this mark.The qualifying mark at KE fiveways for a pp child is 200.If your child is pp then this should be your number one choice.

If my assumption is correct and your child is not pp then I would put QM girls at number 1 on the list and hope to get a place from the waiting list. I would then put the four comprehensives on the list you qualify for in your order of preference.

Best of luck for the future
In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.

Abraham Lincoln
mum86
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2014 6:17 am

Re: please help!

Post by mum86 »

thanks quasimodo! your right dd isn't pp

I made the wrong decision of not visiting many local comps as we were hopeful she would get a high enough score for handsworth.

we have 3 local comps on the list. I was going to put queen mary's first, sutton, handsworth and then the 3 local comps.
quasimodo
Posts: 3854
Joined: Sun Sep 07, 2014 2:47 pm

Re: please help!

Post by quasimodo »

Your real choices are Queen Mary girls and the comprehensives. Last year the last girl accepted from the waiting list was 309.These things aren't exact sciences so there is still hope. You never know.
In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.

Abraham Lincoln
mum86
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2014 6:17 am

Re: please help!

Post by mum86 »

thanks quasimodo. Putting sutton and handsworth first won't have any impact on the local comp choices? I won't have more chance of getting into the the comps if i put them above sutton or handsworth.

sorry if i'm asking silly questions...
onebigdilemma
Posts: 232
Joined: Wed Dec 18, 2013 4:58 pm

Re: please help!

Post by onebigdilemma »

No you won't so can put them all down.

You are lucky in my county we only get to put 3 schools down!
JamesDean
Posts: 1537
Joined: Wed Jul 31, 2013 5:03 pm

Re: please help!

Post by JamesDean »

mum86 wrote:thanks quasimodo. Putting sutton and handsworth first won't have any impact on the local comp choices? I won't have more chance of getting into the the comps if i put them above sutton or handsworth.
Put the grammars above the comps - whichever schools you put top will be deemed to be your preference and allocated first, with the lower ones being disregarded. If you put the comps first and qualify, you won't even be considered for the grammars ...

JD
mum86
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2014 6:17 am

Re: please help!

Post by mum86 »

Thanking everyone for all the help and advice :o)
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