The Countdown

susiesue · Post by **susiesue** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 3:04 am

Milla.
I'd better make the most of the job while I still have it

Glos_Mum · Post by **Glos_Mum** » Thu Feb 25, 2010 1:15 am

Fingers crossed for the up-coming date ladies.

susiesue · Post by **susiesue** » Thu Feb 25, 2010 10:16 am

Burneth · Post by **Burneth** » Thu Feb 25, 2010 11:18 am

susiesue wrote:

love this one!

Milla · Post by **Milla** » Thu Feb 25, 2010 5:52 pm

you surpass yourself again, young Ms sue!

T.i.p.s.y · Post by **T.i.p.s.y** » Thu Feb 25, 2010 6:06 pm

I'm a little confused. I thought everyone had their scores and knew where they were going because the places are done on a super selective basis.

Milla · Post by **Milla** » Thu Feb 25, 2010 6:23 pm

that's only top 120 for Pate's and the Stroud schools. If you get them, you tend to pass all 4 for which you're eligible (gender and so on precludes some). This is our lucky position this time. Last time round we were twilight zone which means you've passed the test, not got top 120 for those schools mentioned above, and are left panicking that you still might not get a grammar, if your pass is not high enough, or that you might not get your preferred one (Crypt is too far for us to consider, for instance), hence the need for continued anxiety.
The Envelope comes in 2 ways. The results back in Nov (each year they seem to seep out a little more info) and then allocations in March.
Glos is better than many systems, but the sleepless nights are still there. Therefore, the countdown and encouragement being given.

T.i.p.s.y · Post by **T.i.p.s.y** » Thu Feb 25, 2010 6:31 pm

So if you pass (not including the 120) do you automatically get given a GS place even if it's miles away or is it catchment based?

allovernow · Post by **allovernow** » Thu Feb 25, 2010 8:18 pm

T.i.p.s.y wrote: So if you pass (not including the 120) do you automatically get given a GS place even if it's miles away or is it catchment based?

No - as I understand it you do not automatically get given a place. Grammar places are not catchment based - you can effectively live anywhere. Of course, if you're offered a place you may choose to decline it based on the potential journey every day, whether you like the school, if friends are going to go etc - lots of reasons.

If you pass but are not in the top 120 then you are on the waiting list. You are deemed to have "passed" if your score is high enough to get you into the initial list or the waiting list. So at Pates (for example), where there are 120 places available plus a waiting list of 40, they will offer places strictly in rank order to those who have expressed the school as the first effective preference. I understand there are lots of people who score in the top 120 but choose not to list the school for the reasons above - no idea of how many though, I guess it varies a lot year on year. If places are left, then they approach the waiting list (again in strict rank order - 121, 122 etc - different grammars have different sized waiting lists). I believe a lot of places shake out and become available after 15th March, which is the date people need to return their offers by (so you can accept an initial offer but then change if a waiting list place comes up).

Milla · Post by **Milla** » Thu Feb 25, 2010 8:30 pm

Pate's, apparently, do not dip below the 160 in order to fill their PAN.
For boys, it becomes at this time slightly stressy that Tommy's has a PAN of 108 whereas Denmark Rd (sort of sister school, well, they share buses and discos) has 120. You shake your fist for an extra X or Y chromosome (whichever it is

) that denied you a girl.
As allovernow says, a lot of shaking out happens betw 1st Mar and acceptance date.
Some people, apparently (I know of some, the rest is apocryphal) use a Pate's pass to wangle preferential fees at indies which accounts for quite a bit of the spooning into the 120-160 sector.
It's all bonkers, really.