11 Plus Exams Forum

Please help.
I am trying to fill a form out which has 3 choices and I have 4 schools I can reasonably apply for. The first choice is very hard to get into, but worth a try. If my some miracle my DS gets offered a place there and we change our minds and prefer our second choice after the allocation day, do we then have to join a CI list for our second choice school? and where do we join the CI list (it would all be based on academic since our 1st and 2nd choices are not within a couple of feet of our house)

Thank you

I'm confused myself, but have noticed that some schools have info on their websites about their rules for the CI list. Have you tried there?

I'm not sure whether all CI lists follow the original selection criteria.

It's a bit of a lottery, isn't it! We're doing DAO first, and no doubt really need a miracle, as there's such competition

My understanding is that you would be able to join C.I list and as your criteria is academic it would be that list and your DS would be slotted in according to score.
Can I just say that I am only talking about SW Consortium schools I have no knowledge of others

I do believe that you would be able to join the CI list for your 2nd choice school if you got allocated your 1st. It might be worth checking with Herts Council County to be sure though.

Just make sure that you put down a "banker" school as one of your choices, ie a school that you think you'll almost certainly be offered. This is likely to be a school you live close to or a non-selective that you live closer to than the furthest distance for an allocated place in recent years. If you don't do this and your child underperforms in any tests then you could be at the mercy of the gods for your allocated school.

Alison

Hi
In Barnet I understand you can only go on the CI list for a school higher than the choice you have been offered and were unsuccessful for. The CI list will be ordered, in the order that you meet the criteria, or acacemic score, distance or whatever that might be. We were told you cannot go down from your 1st choice to your 2nd choice, so put your choices in the true order that you want them. They could not emphasise that enough. I hope that helps?

With regards to the consortium of SW Herts, you are allowed to join the CI lists as many school as you like...(once the initial allocation date has passed) and yes you should be slotted in on the list depending on how you fare according to the schools admission rules

I did this myself after allocation day in 2009, because I had not been offered ANY of my choices so went on CI lists of every school that I could find, even some as far away as Hemel Hempstead...

Thank you so much for all your replies - this is very helpful.
And what was the outcome greenteadrinker? Did you get anywhere?
Is it worth us sitting tests for indies in January as well, as a backup, or can you apply after allocation day? Does anyone know what sort of scholarships are on offer?

Thank you

In my case, going on the CI lists did not help But I know lots of families who gained places at one of their preferred schools by joining the CI lists...


I am still hopeful

Sorry to hear you didnt get your choice, greenteadrinker. Westfield are advocating putting them as a choice in case you get an undersubscribed school (not sure where) as they cant take an extra 30 children like last year. We were intrigued on open day there that the new head seemed to be pushing to accomodate more academic children. Is there anyone who has children there now who can advise on this? Often the hype doesnt match reality!

Last year a lot of children that didn't get a choice were allocated Bushey Hall (now Bushey Academy). That may be the situation the Westfield principal is referring to.

My advice would be that unless you have an independent school as a backup or you don't mind which of the non-selectives you are allocated (ie Westfield, Bushey Academy, Francis Combe or Kings Langley) then you should put one of these non-selectives as one of your 3 choices. Note that in recent years Kings Langley hasn't been a safe non-selective for those people in Watford (or even many in Abbots Langley).

Alison