11 Plus Exams Forum

Please Help!
We are not into Newport catchment area and my daughter unfortunately got 308 score. Not sure what preference should I give. Keen on grammar school but giving first preference should not miss the opportunity to other schools.

My initial preference was:
Newport Girls high school
Wolverhampton girls high school
Idsall shifnal high school / Madeley Academy

Do you think she will get into Newport girls? Please suggest!

I don't know about the scores but if you are not offered your first choice then this will not affect your chance at your second place school

thanks for the reply, but I am bit confused here about the school preferences.

My understanding is, consider a case - I am selecting Newport as first and Idsall as my second preference, and if my daughters is not selected for Newport, then there will be less chances for her to get Idsall; as Idsall will give priority to all the students whose first preference is Idsall and then they will see the students who considered Idsall as second preference, But by that time Idsall seats will be full and will not consider my daughter being the second preference students.

Is my understanding correct?

No, that’s not correct. It’s called the ‘equal preferemce’ system. Your daughter’s eligibility for all 6(?) of her choices is considered equally. Out of all the schools she qualifies for she will be offered the one she placed highest on the preference form. The schools don’t know how you order your preferences and they don’t deal with first choices first, if you see what I mean.

If your daughter qualifies for the comprehensive, based on distance and she doesn’t qualify for Newport (her first choice) she will automatically be offered the comp.

This explains the system and gives a simple example of how it works.

https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/schoo ... nce-system" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Tinkers wrote:This explains the system and gives a simple example of how it works.

https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/schoo ... nce-system" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Your local authority's website (and hard copy 'moving up' booklet, if it provides one) will almost certainly explain it too.

If you pay Council Tax to Shropshire Council (making a wild assumption here, since you mention a comprehensive school in Shifnal ), it's in the FAQs in the Parent's Guide to Education.

https://shropshire.gov.uk/media/10450/2 ... colour.pdf

If I name a school as my first preference will I
have a better chance than someone who names
it as their second preference? (See page 35.)

No. The Government requires all local authorities
to use an “Equal Preference” scheme. Shropshire
has in any case always used this method. First of
all we consider your first preference and if we can
offer it, we will. If we cannot offer it because the
school is oversubscribed and you were ranked a
lower priority, then we will consider your second
preference alongside all the preferences from
other parents for that school using the admissions
criteria. If neither your first nor your second
preferences can be offered then we consider your
third preference alongside all other preferences
for that school. Your application will be ranked in
terms of oversubscription criteria, not in terms of
your preference for the school.

Thank you all for your suggestions.

Visited Wolverhampton Girls High school, and they strongly suggest to keep them as 1st preference, and if its not first, then maynot get chance. Also for Newport FAQ list, they again strongly suggest to keep them as first preference.

Will this really affect a lot?

It's likely that you're misinterpreted what the heads have said. (It's possible that they're lying or don't understand the system themselves, but I hope not.)

If a head says, "If you really want to come here you must put it first, otherwise you might not get a place," it's true. Because if you put a school you don't want but will probably get (eg your local comp) at the top of your list, you won't get the place at the school you do want.

They don't mean, "If you really want to come here and don't put it first you won't get a place," although that's how a lot of parents interpret it.

All children who name a school on their CAF will be ranked by the school in the priority order set out in the admissions criteria. It's not possible to leapfrog someone who is higher up the list than you by putting a school higher up the CAF (it's also not possible to be leapfrogged).

If a school admits 100 people and you are ranked at 50, the only way you would not be offered a place at that school is if you are offered a place at a school you listed higher on the CAF. If you are ranked at 101, the only way you would be offered a place is if someone in the top 100 has put a different school higher on their CAF and been offered it, or else goes private.

Put the schools in your genuine order of preference. You don't need to play any games or try to second-guess the system. You will be offered your highest preference school for which you qualify. (Nb that if you don't qualify for any of the schools you list, you will be offered a school with spare places, which may not be one you would have chosen yourself.)

sagarkatole wrote:Thank you all for your suggestions.

Visited Wolverhampton Girls High school, and they strongly suggest to keep them as 1st preference, and if its not first, then maynot get chance. Also for Newport FAQ list, they again strongly suggest to keep them as first preference.

Will this really affect a lot?

the reason they say that is because it is YOUR preference but not the schools. If you really want to go there, then you have to put them first otherwise you may end up at whatever school you have put first on your CAF and you wil not be given the grammar school place you may well have been offered otherwise

If you want Red School but do what is written below and are eligible for Blue School as well then you will only get Blue School

1. Blue School
2. Red School

If you want Red School - you have to do this:

1. Red School
2 Blue School

PS neither school know or care where you have put them