WHSB Waiting List - Please Post Info Here.......

[maymum]

Hi,

I haven't been on these forums for ages. Doing some research and put in a post today. Having said that, I've been reading through the forum and came to this thread. I can't believe that people are actually allowed to be added to the waiting list having not put the school down on their form in the first place. Different, I think, if you move from somewhere else in the country and you didn't know you would be moving but really not in if you live in Essex anyway. Someone doing this could have put down a grammar and then chosen the very best of comps whereas you may have put down more than one grammar and then less choice of comps and the former person can then creep in and nab the place. Its absolutely disgusting and something should definitely be done. It is, in my book, cheating the system!

Good luck to you all!

Hi brainache.....yes it is true, this is being done as we speak!!! the 'first run' so to speak of the waiting list/s for Southend Borough was this week, so all those parents who have put down Westcliff Boys/Girls or Southend Boys/Girls as one of their preferences will move up the list (depending on movement of course, in our particular case from 16th to 13th for Westcliff Boys) but from now on it is a 'free for all' that means that anyone in Essex/rest of Country can add their child to the waiting lists for Westcliff or Southend Grammars providing they have a weighted score of 303 or above, who DID NOT originally put these schools down on their 'Common Application Form'. This means that, like myself and I am not alone, my DS will probably drop down on the list because DC will be added to the list from now on who have a higher score than my DS but they did not get into the Grammar/s of their choice....because their scores were not high enough to gain a place at Super Selective Grammars i.e Colchester or KEGS. Its is an unfair system and mind baffling in that the Southend Grammars did not seem good enough when these people were filling out their 'Common Application Forms' but now they want to jump in front of those who actually put these Grammars down as their genuine preferences because of location, travelling and job committments, because they did not get want they want!!!!!!

[EKK]

"Southend Council takes any attempt to gain unfair advantage in the admissions process by giving false information (for example providing a
false address) very seriously."

The above is from the Southend secondary school admission booklet.

What has been going on at the moment with the late inclusions, show how seriously Southend take the 'unfair advantage in the admissions process' issue.

Southend's defence of this mind bogling phonemenon is limited to: "There are other Boroughs that apply the same system".

Besides the point, as Essex is the only other partner in this common application scheme and Essex does not support this practice.

[maymum]

"Southend Council takes any attempt to gain unfair advantage in the admissions process by giving false information (for example providing a
false address) very seriously."

The above is from the Southend secondary school admission booklet.

What has been going on at the moment with the late inclusions, show how seriously Southend take the 'unfair advantage in the admissions process' issue.

Southend's defence of this mind bogling phonemenon is limited to: "There are other Boroughs that apply the same system".

Besides the point, as Essex is the only other partner in this common application scheme and Essex does not support this practice.

I think we may have something here.....I am going to read the admissions booklet again just to check I am not going completely mad, I am certainly wanting to take this matter further......may need legal input though !!

[stressedmum!]

Hi maymum, I'm with you on this one. This seems grossly unfair. Has this happened in previous years? My DD didn't do well enough for colchester grammar, but when I rang essex cc they said she had done well enough to go on waiting list for southend schools. Didn't put them on CAF as too far away and anyway I was under the impression that choices on CAF were final. That is what we were led to believe when we filled them out. This needs to be sorted out as parents must have confidence in the system. It is all stressful enough as it is for us parents just all trying to do the best for our kids. Good luck on this one.
DD off to independent school as local school poor. Let parents know how you get on.

[maymum]

Hi maymum, I'm with you on this one. This seems grossly unfair. Has this happened in previous years? My DD didn't do well enough for colchester grammar, but when I rang essex cc they said she had done well enough to go on waiting list for southend schools. Didn't put them on CAF as too far away and anyway I was under the impression that choices on CAF were final. That is what we were led to believe when we filled them out. This needs to be sorted out as parents must have confidence in the system. It is all stressful enough as it is for us parents just all trying to do the best for our kids. Good luck on this one.
DD off to independent school as local school poor. Let parents know how you get on.

stressedmum! - thanks for your comments, you have given me some valuable information here especially as Essex had commented this to you that you could add your DD to the list/s for Southend Grammars - I am today/over weekend drafting letters/email to Essex and Southend to clarify the matter fully with the intention of taking legal action under grounds of discrimination for those DC who used their preferences and filled out the CAF in 'good faith' and are now bring pushed down the list/s by those who have not acted in 'good faith'. Unsure of the case as I am not legal expert by any means but will have a go....if not for us but for those DC next year!!!!!! Good luck to your DD and thanks for your comments and honesty...

[clr]

Been thinking a lot about this, and anyone who has read my previous posts knows how I feel about this ridiculous rule.

Just my own opinion but in my mind it keeps coming back to 'choices/preferences'. I am not going to claim to understand the law or particularly government policy, but just from impression given over the last few years, I thought that the whole system was set up to give people the best chance of getting a place at their first CHOICE school, and if that was not possible their next highest preference.

Surely this is going against that, as people who are being added to the list did not put this as a preference at all. Situations can change, and I think the only people who should be considered for this are people who have genuinly moved into an area after the CAF forms were filled in back in Oct. That whole form is based on the principal of 'choice'. These people did not choose these schools originally, and by being allowed to be added to the lists now, they are denying others the chance of getting one of their chosen schools.

I know they will claim it is different because of the selection process, but as we all have to use the CAF form, thereby limiting 'choices' anyway, then the fact that you have done well in the selection test is a bit irrelevent, as all the children on the waiting lists have reached a high enough score to warrant a grammar school place. No one knows what the outcome of taking the test will be, but as you only have four choices, including the selectives, you are really having your options cut as most people have to include one non-selective place just in case.

I think I would be going back to check government policy on school allocations as much as anything. SUrely local councils have some responsibility to uphold that policy?

Also, it might be worth contacting all the southend schools and politely trying to find out what their opinion is on the policy of adding to the list people who did not originally want to come to their school. I honestly don't know, but it may be that some of them support the council as it means they are still 'selecting' the children with the highest scores?

Good luck to all of you.

[maymum]

Been thinking a lot about this, and anyone who has read my previous posts knows how I feel about this ridiculous rule.

Just my own opinion but in my mind it keeps coming back to 'choices/preferences'. I am not going to claim to understand the law or particularly government policy, but just from impression given over the last few years, I thought that the whole system was set up to give people the best chance of getting a place at their first CHOICE school, and if that was not possible their next highest preference.

Surely this is going against that, as people who are being added to the list did not put this as a preference at all. Situations can change, and I think the only people who should be considered for this are people who have genuinly moved into an area after the CAF forms were filled in back in Oct. That whole form is based on the principal of 'choice'. These people did not choose these schools originally, and by being allowed to be added to the lists now, they are denying others the chance of getting one of their chosen schools.

I know they will claim it is different because of the selection process, but as we all have to use the CAF form, thereby limiting 'choices' anyway, then the fact that you have done well in the selection test is a bit irrelevent, as all the children on the waiting lists have reached a high enough score to warrant a grammar school place. No one knows what the outcome of taking the test will be, but as you only have four choices, including the selectives, you are really having your options cut as most people have to include one non-selective place just in case.

I think I would be going back to check government policy on school allocations as much as anything. SUrely local councils have some responsibility to uphold that policy?

Also, it might be worth contacting all the southend schools and politely trying to find out what their opinion is on the policy of adding to the list people who did not originally want to come to their school. I honestly don't know, but it may be that some of them support the council as it means they are still 'selecting' the children with the highest scores?

Good luck to all of you.

clr - thanks for your comments, I will do some more research tonight on Government Policy for School Admissions/allocations and see what I find.....may need us all to stand together on this one

[First-timer]

I can see both sides to this one. We all want to secure the best education for our children and I don't blame parents for adding their DC to the waiting list of a school they were unable to request on their CAF. I fully understand that parents already on those waiting lists must find this pretty galling.

Part of the problem is that there are only four options on the CAF. If you live in central Essex, then all four Grammars may well be within your contemplation. If you list them all on your form and your DC doesn't perform as hoped you could be allocated a school you consider wholly unsuitable for your DC. The sensible thing to do is to list a comprehensive school on your list as well. If your local/favoured comp is oversubscribed then you still face the same problem. Six options may be more realistic for parents choosing to go down the 11+ route as it is effectively a two tier system. Some of the "queue jumping" parents may well have included the less selective Grammars on their forms if they had been given the option.

If I lived in a central location and had taken the decision that I wanted my DC to go to Grammar School I would be in a genuine quandary as to how to fill in the CAF.

[EKK]

Has anyone called admissions to check the status of the WHSB waiting list today.
Apparently, there is further movement, but they are 'too bussy' to update the system and asking people to call in two weeks time. Did anyone else have the same response.

Essex update their wating lists daily as far as I know. Why not Southend? At least couple of times a week if not every day would be great.

Or is this part and parcel of the whole unsavoury scheme, designed to keep people in limbo, thus trying to avoid the wrath of all those parents disgusted with the patience testing oscillations in the wating list.

[chafford_dad]

Same here; I called Southend this afternoon and was told to call back in a couple of wks. My dd is no 2 on WHSG waiting list. Good luck to you all !