What do I do now ??

Eleven Plus (11+) in Lincolnshire (Lincs)

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Floss
Posts: 120
Joined: Tue Jul 22, 2008 2:37 pm

What do I do now ??

Post by Floss »

Wondered if anyone had any advice. My daughter sat her entrance exams in September (Lincolnshire) and we've had a letter back saying she passed entrance exam but that doesn't necessarily means she has a place. Have spoken to school who say LEA don't want them to be so 'specific' when speaking to parents. Anyway gist of it is : appears she's on a waiting list and her getting a place is dependent on how many other put the school as first choice. My dilema is our 2nd choice is a very good foundation school which will without a doubt be over subscribed, but we have a very good chance of getting in if we put it first choice. If I put the Grammar School first and the other second and the GS have no place, we'll will probably lose any chance of getting into the foundation school, not sure if its worth the risk. Any ideas on what I should do? Our CAF has to be in by Friday (17/10)

Thanks
Alex
Posts: 1097
Joined: Thu Nov 02, 2006 10:10 pm
Location: Lincolnshire

Post by Alex »

Floss,

You should put the schools in your genuine order of preference. The schools do not know in which order you put them on the form. Each school will rank you and all the other applications it receives in order according to how well you meet its admissions policy and oversubscription criteria. Your local authority will then allocate you the school highest on your list which is able to offer you a place. To put the Grammar first will in no way prejudice your chances of getting into the other school.
happymum
Posts: 92
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2008 11:02 pm

Post by happymum »

The school my son goes to had the same format i.e. they informed us he had passed but couldn't say whether he definitely had a place or not as it was down to the LEA to allocate places.

My advice would be to ring the school (unless you know this information already) and ask them what has happened in the past i.e how many children usually gain a place who have passed the exam.

The headmaster of our school told us at the open day that usually every child who passes - gains a place. But I still wouldn't have changed our preferences had he said different.

Do you know how many places are available at the GS and how many sat the exam? When my son took his exam, there were only 120 places and 401 took the exam - so the odds were fairly good.
hermanmunster
Posts: 12817
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Post by hermanmunster »

Hi

Pretty standard statement in the letter that you have passed but it isn't an offer of a place as that depends on the list of priorities stated in the admission criteria ie catchment distance etc. we go the same thinglast year even though we can see the school out of the window and they offered up to 10 miles or so.

in N Yorks they very specifically gave s info about the number or passed in catchment and out of catchment and how many places there were, easy to do the sums and I think it worked out well for 98% or something like that in end.
It seems to me that if you ask specific questions ie how many passed? / how many places? they may tell you rather than about your specific child.

Are you in "catchment" for the school ???
Floss
Posts: 120
Joined: Tue Jul 22, 2008 2:37 pm

Post by Floss »

Hi All

Thanks for replies.

Alex, if I put the GC first choice and the foundation second, and we're not offered a place at either can I appeal ? if so how will if affect my chances at the foundation school that I put them 2nd and not 1st?

Happymum, have spoken to school and it seems that if your child has a very good chance of getting in the letter would say that they had an 'exceptional' score rather than just a 'qualifying' score. The qualifying score is 75% but generally 85%+ is needed as we live out of catchment area. The school intake is around 94 with about 250 taking the exam. The GS is always over subscribed.

Herman, we live out of catchment but about half the intake of 94 goes to those in catchment the other to those outside with the priority going to the highesr scoring applicants.

Why is it so difficult ?

Thanks again
hermanmunster
Posts: 12817
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Post by hermanmunster »

Hi Floss
Re the issue of which school you should put first the answer is that if you want the grammar school then put that first - if DC is not offered a place there then their second choice will automatically become their first choice. The school does not know where they were listed on the CAF, they are not allowed to know
Your risk is if you put the foundation school first and the grammar second and you are offered a place at the foundation school then you won't even get to know that there could have been a place at the grammar.

herman

PS blimey what confusing letters they send!!
Alex
Posts: 1097
Joined: Thu Nov 02, 2006 10:10 pm
Location: Lincolnshire

Post by Alex »

Caistor Grammar used to send out letters more or less telling people whether or not they had got a place and the LAs made it clear that they were not supposed to do this. They are obviously being more compliant but giving a strong hint in the wording to out of area candidates!

Look at the admissions policy for the Foundation School and at its oversubscription figures. Can you work out whether you have a good chance of getting in. Are you in NE Lincs? If so the schools mostly have catchment areas and you can find out whether you are in it and whether they offered to all in-catchment applicants last year.

The question about whether where you put a school would affect your chances at appeal is a difficult one. In my experience Foundation Schools which arrange their own appeals rarely request the actual forms or a copy of them from the LA, so would not know where you have put them - but it may be different where you are. You could try asking the admissions department or the Choice Adviser to see if they know whether the school uses the forms at appeal.

You can appeal for any school you have put on your form (and for schools not on your form if you make a new application after allocations).

Hope this helps. Do you have your actual score? You could try asking what the cut off was for "exceptional" score was and see how far off you are.....
Floss
Posts: 120
Joined: Tue Jul 22, 2008 2:37 pm

Post by Floss »

Hi Alex & Herman

Thanks to both for the replies. After long and serious consideration with my daughter we've decided to put GS first, after all we've spent a lot of time and effort on the 11+ We're in NE Lincs and if she doesn't get GS or 2nd school we'll just appeal (sounds simple doesn't it :) )
She's really want to go to GS but understands she might not get in and seems ok about it, she's pretty laid back.

Thanks again for all the advice
hermanmunster
Posts: 12817
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Post by hermanmunster »

Good Luck Floss, sounds like that is really the order of schools that you all want and as you say it would be awful to work really hard for the GS, pass the exam and then not get a chance to go there.
Keep us posted
:wink:
Herman
SJ
Posts: 171
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2006 11:14 am
Location: Lincolnshire

Post by SJ »

This is going to seem a strange post, but I feel that I should voice caution as was voiced to me with my Son.

He passed the 11+ exceptionally well, got offered a place at his chosen grammar school and went there. The headmaster of his primary school voiced concerns whether a grammar school was the right choice for him as an individual(he was a very suppportive headmaster) and advised that we should seriously consider the local comp.

The short end to this story is that my son did not fair well at the grammar school - academically fine but otherwise extremely unhappy for various reasons. We have now taken him out of the grammar school and he is at the local comp.

The moral to this story is that they may want to go there, they may pass and pass very well and should be there academically, but it might not be the right school for them as I found out.

A
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