Three choices in Herts unfair

[WP]

This is the article I saw that prompted uproar by Jewish parents in Hertfordshire on the matter. This implied a change in 2010.

Yes, the system for primary entry has just changed. Single applications for secondary transfer have been in place for several years.

[nadri]

That's what confused me then. But just as relevant to secondary schools and at least it has caused the issue to be raised!

[nadri]

Out of interest with 3 choices, how do people pick between SW Consortia schools and pick up a back up school. In my area with no secondary school, we have no safe backup and get allocated Hertswood in Borehamwood if all goes pear shaped!

[nadri]

I had a call back from the education committee. I understand they are doing some modelling on this at the moment and considering increased choices behind the scenes. So my experience of Radlett and choices will be taken as evidence. The team on the education committee spotted the point on the changes in 2010 only being for primary vs secondary too! Interestingly they did NOT know about Surrey moving from 3 to 6 choices and are going to investigate this point too! They did not think there would be much to gain from an e petition at this stage. What I would suggest is as they are considering the change/impact assessments, if you have stories to tell about the impact on your area and why your child would benefit from six choices, it may be worth emailing your County Councillor or Frances Button. I get the impression that they may budge on the 3 places, but may be only to 4 rather than 6!

[Hera]

I will email. Any increase on 3 would be a huge benefit. Thank you for doing all of this. It is something I intended to do after I realised that Surrey had won their case. But my current circumstances (I was in mid house move, lost buyers, moving again etc) meant that it was difficult for me to put my case forward strongly at the time.

[nadri]

Bel no worries, I quite enjoying doing this sort of stuff! I think they appreciate the views of people to show the impact on their area. They certainly had not realised the impact on my area in Radlett and will take it into account in their internal modelling assessment. So if other people add their experiences, they can be modelled in too.

I got very frustrated reading the minutes WP provided links to. For example, it said Harpenden schools would not benefit from 4 choices or more as people would only put down the 3 best Harpenden schools. Not suprising given they are amongst the best comprehensive schools in the country! Can't say that for the rest of Herts!

I think the problem is that I think they also think that the benefit is limited to the SW Consortium areas. So if anyone in other areas of Herts also has stories to tell that will also help the cause!

[tense]

Out of interest with 3 choices, how do people pick between SW Consortia schools and pick up a back up school. In my area with no secondary school, we have no safe backup and get allocated Hertswood in Borehamwood if all goes pear shaped!

Well, I think you're in a better position than most because you've found this website! Using WP's excellent sticky on admission statistics gives you a lot of background information and will help you make more informed choices. The cut off points between the SW schools varies so you should take that into account & definitely pick a banker.

For example, when I first went through this with my DD (entry 2008) she needed 241 to qualify for Parmiter's and 240 for Watford Girls inner area. Looking back, I can see that these scores were so close it would have been bonkers to list both schools without a cast iron banker.

So you really need to nail your backup. You've got plenty of time so I would suggest considering a wide variety of schools in Watford & St Albans. Some of the non-consortia schools are really on the up.

[pabrighton0]

Does having 6 preferences increases your chances or does it just increase the numbers applying to each school so reduce your chances as the competition is even greater ?

Clearly having 6 choices will increase the chances of people knowing the school their children are allocated! if you do not get any of the 3 you put on the form, a random allocation is made. I'd prefer if I can choose more than 3.

In the case of 11+ type of applications, it can also help to reduce the risk that your child misses on selective education altogether just because they had an off day on the exam date.

[WP]

Well, I think you're in a better position than most because you've found this website! Using WP's excellent sticky on admission statistics gives you a lot of background information and will help you make more informed choices. The cut off points between the SW schools varies so you should take that into account & definitely pick a banker.

For example, when I first went through this with my DD (entry 2008) she needed 241 to qualify for Parmiter's and 240 for Watford Girls inner area. Looking back, I can see that these scores were so close it would have been bonkers to list both schools without a cast iron banker.

Exactly. When we first applied for our son, we put down Watford Boys, Parmiter's and Queens', because we were sure that WB would suit him best. I now know that the second preference was wasted, because living in the inner area any score that missed out on WB would have missed out on Parmiter's too. It would have been wiser to have have dropped Parmiter's from our list and added a safer school as our third preference.

[Daogroupie]

We put down three selectives which are all very oversubscribed, Dame Alice Owen, Henrietta Barnet and St Clement Danes so we had absolutely no backup. If we got nothing I knew I might well have to home school dd while we sat on various lists. I know exactly what we would have put fourth, fifth and sixth and dd would have gone to all of those schools, but we had no room for them. I am sure there is a legal case that could be fought as this has not been equality of opportunity but opportunity by postcode. When we drive the road from Potters Bar to Barnet we always say" And there is the last house with three choices and the first house with six choices to underline how unfair it is" Everyone thought I was mad to blow my three on selectives but nobody would have said anything if I could had three non selectives as backups. Please add my experience to the long list of people for whom life was a lot harder than it needed to have been during secondary transfer. As for basing the whole of Herts on Harpenden that is bizarre, there are lots of people on the outskirts of Harpenden who dont get any of Roundwood, St Georges or John Lawes and are allocated Onslow St Audreys or Sir Frederick Osborne, we know this because we have friends this has happened to. With six choices they could have gone for decent schools in St Albans instead of being allocated schools miles away at the end of the pile. DG