CAT form help needed

[neveragain]

My DD passed for 2 grammars. If we get turned down for the first would the second choice grammar then be first - or can we only put one down? Cannot seem to find clarification on this anywhere... Lower pass in first choice and higher in second.

[DC17C]

That is what I have done- put both down in your order of preference.

[cairo]

Yes. Put them in the order you actually want them. If there's not space for your DC at the first choice school, the second choice becomes your first effective choice. You won't be penalised in any way for doing this.

Probably worth putting a catchment school lower down on your list too.

[Bemily]

Could I just add a question here - if your child passed for all four relevant grammars, can you then just put grmmar schools on your form or is there a risk involved in that?

[Sabanna]

If you are absolutely sure of a place (i.e. top 120) then not really, but if not then yes as you could end up not getting a place at any and being allocated a comp which may not be your catchment but has spare spaces.

[aargh]

like Sabanna says, only a problem if your preferred comp backup is oversubscribed or you are out of catchment.
But you should not be concerned, if you are well qualified for your first choice Grammar, that is what you will get (like us being top 120 for Pates and SHS). We will be putting Pates, SHS then our comp because it is fairly good and just over the back fence - so it would be utterly mad to go to any other comp. But as we will get Pates or SHS it doesn't actually make any odds.

[Bemily]

Dd is in top 120 for SHS so as long as we put that in there somewhere we should be okay then?

[aargh]

yup
just make sure you put them in the order of your real preference

[neveragain]

I have phoned Shire Hall admissions dept and asked this question and the lady said that if DD does not get into first choice then the second choice becomes first. But the second choice school would know that this is not our first choice and so we would not be prioritised as if we had put it down as first. Very complicated....

So in effect there is a consequence of putting a school second if your first choice does not let you in. I think I thought that for Grammars if you did not get in there was no consequence. Cannot find this info on the website. We are just having a problem knowing what to put second.

[Bemily]

Really surprised that they said that, I thought they were legally forbidden now to discriminate based on order of preference. In the Pates FAQ we were sent it says categorically that there will be no disadvantage to putting them first an another second.