Birmingham 2021 Marks & Preference of school.

[jagfpm]

Hi all, my daughter scored 212 in the Birmingham exam & she did much better in the Walsall exam so I’m quite confused at the moment as whether I should risk putting Sutton Girls as 1st choice as she may go in a waiting list or QM 1st where she has a better score & hopefully get a offer. A family member told me if I don’t put QM first I will miss the chance of getting her in there, is this correct? The QM letter doesn’t say to put as a 1st choice it just says make sure you put it as a choice. Please can anyone advise as I don’t want to mess it up my daughter who has worked hard & if shes got a better score should I put QM 1st to eliminate risks & Sutton Girls 2nd (Sutton Girls is preferred choice as we live close but with her mark I’m not sure she has enough). Thank you.

Listing Sutton 1st and QM 2nd will not lessen her chances of getting QM. Always list the schools in the order you actually want them. If she hasn’t scored enough for an immediate offer from her first choice, then she will be considered for her 2nd choice and so on. If you don’t list her preferred choice first, and she actually has enough to get in, you’ll miss that chance.

[hermanmunster]

Hi all, my daughter scored 212 in the Birmingham exam & she did much better in the Walsall exam so I’m quite confused at the moment as whether I should risk putting Sutton Girls as 1st choice as she may go in a waiting list or QM 1st where she has a better score & hopefully get a offer. A family member told me if I don’t put QM first I will miss the chance of getting her in there, is this correct? The QM letter doesn’t say to put as a 1st choice it just says make sure you put it as a choice. Please can anyone advise as I don’t want to mess it up my daughter who has worked hard & if shes got a better score should I put QM 1st to eliminate risks & Sutton Girls 2nd (Sutton Girls is preferred choice as we live close but with her mark I’m not sure she has enough). Thank you.

Listing Sutton 1st and QM 2nd will not lessen her chances of getting QM. Always list the schools in the order you actually want them. If she hasn’t scored enough for an immediate offer from her first choice, then she will be considered for her 2nd choice and so on. If you don’t list her preferred choice first, and she actually has enough to get in, you’ll miss that chance.

This is quite right it sounds like Sutton is first choice and hence should go top of the list - re the family members comments about QM are not correct (if you really wanted to go there and put it second / third etc then yes it would be right as you would be offered elsewhere) but in your circumstances QM is standing as a good back up and can go second on the list

[ChesterJS]

Thank you all, that’s really helpful. She said that QM only take those who have put them down as a first choice so I started to panic & don’t want to risk my daughters chances but I then thought if you don’t score enough how can they give you a place just because you put as a 1st choice so hence the confusion. Thank you again for your feedback much appreciated.

[hermanmunster]

She said that QM only take those who have put them down as a first choice

Some people like to think that

I knew of an independent school who used to boast "no-one ever rejects our offers" ... well actually they do and a uni that said "no-one ever put as an insurance choice" ... wrong again. It is part of trying to boost the image.

[ChesterJS]

Thanks, I just want to make sure I’m doing right by my daughter & not mess with her chances.

[Fastdruid]

The schools don't see what the other choices were.

Each application is seen by each school in "isolation".

[Hope 21]

My DC scored 214 in Birmingham test and 347 in QM.
We live in FW catchment area. Looking at previous trend it's unlikely to get a place.
QM is 10 miles away while Handsworth 3 and Aston 4.
Struggling to decide whether to out QM first or Handsworth/Aston.
At help will be appreciated.
Thanks

[ToadMum]

My DC scored 214 in Birmingham test and 347 in QM.
We live in FW catchment area. Looking at previous trend it's unlikely to get a place.
QM is 10 miles away while Handsworth 3 and Aston 4.
Struggling to decide whether to out QM first or Handsworth/Aston.
At help will be appreciated.
Thanks

If you would prefer QM (?to a more local, non selective school) and that score means that a place there is a safe bet, then however low your chance of an OOC place at Handsworth or Aston, or a place at Fiveways, putting all three above QM on your CAF won't affect your chance of an offer from QM and will put your DS on the waiting list for the other 3. Assuming you have at least 4 'slots' to use.

Wherever you place a school, it is that school being your highest effective preference that gets you the place.

[Hope 21]

Thank you.
I don't know how big the difference is between QM and handsworth/ Aston.
I am more kind of concern about commute for him/us. I can easily drop him in the morning but picking up is more of an issue for me. I am not sure about how safe it is to ask him to use public transport/taxi on his way back. Is all this hassle worth it?

[ToadMum]

Thank you.
I don't know how big the difference is between QM and handsworth/ Aston.
I am more kind of concern about commute for him/us. I can easily drop him in the morning but picking up is more of an issue for me. I am not sure about how safe it is to ask him to use public transport/taxi on his way back. Is all this hassle worth it?

Unless the 10 miles from Walsall can be done on one bus and the nearer schools actually involve two changes and a long walk to / from the bus stop, I'd be tempted to concentrate on the nearer schools, then. From what I've seen when I've been in Birmingham (one DS has lived there for most of the last 6 years and DD will be back there next year after her year abroad), there are loads of school pupils on public transport, as there are in most places. Ours all used the bus / train to and from secondary school from year 7 and tbh my biggest worry was always, 'What are they going to forget to pick up when they get off?'

At the end of the day, it's just another school - whatever differences there may be on paper, it's not worth it if it doesn't work for you and your family .