School choices on CAF

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RationalityRules

School choices on CAF

Post by RationalityRules »

I have a question. If you genuinely have no intention of sending your child to a particular school, should you put it on your CAF just to make sure you've put four choices? Or can you send in the CAF with only two or three choices, if you intend to send your child to one of those two/three schools or not accept a place?

What I'm asking is whether the CAF would be returned (or, worse, disregarded) as being incomplete?

Does anyone believe that if you put the local 'sink school' down as your back-up choice (rank four) you may be given it because it's difficult for the county to fill the places there? Please don't quote the official admissions criteria for me, I know them already! I'm asking for opinions/experiences.

Thanks in advance for helpful answers...
fairyelephant
Posts: 588
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2012 9:59 am
Location: N London

Re: School choices on CAF

Post by fairyelephant »

I know several people last year who only put our local school on the caf, with no second or third back up. This is because they were as sure as can be that they were close enough to get a place (distance places rarely go beyond half a mile) and knew they were not close enough to any other school they wanted to get a place. Their forms weren't disregarded. There's no way they could offer you the duff school if you put it lower down the list, clearly if you live within the farthest distance offered that year and were allocated something else, you would have a sure fire appeal, surely!
Hera
Posts: 856
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 3:50 pm

Re: School choices on CAF

Post by Hera »

I have known lots of people who have only put one or two choices on London CAF's and they have never been returned. I am pretty sure the wording for Herts is "up to 4 choices". I don't see any point putting a school on a form you would refuse under all circumstances to send a child to. I wonder if it could have an impact on an appeal (I can't imagine it would), i.e well you have got one of your choices.....

It might be worth bearing in mind that the worst local case scenario might be better than a poor school miles away that one could be allocated if you were to leave a blank on the form.
WP
Posts: 1331
Joined: Thu Jan 03, 2008 9:26 am
Location: Watford, Herts

Re: School choices on CAF

Post by WP »

bel wrote:I don't see any point putting a school on a form you would refuse under all circumstances to send a child to.
If anyone is thinking of refusing to send a child to the school they're allocated, they need to have an alternative in mind, be it home schooling, private education or moving to New Zealand. Just refusing a place isn't going to get anyone into a school they prefer, but it will put off the allocation until the only choices left are even less popular and more distant.
bel wrote:It might be worth bearing in mind that the worst local case scenario might be better than a poor school miles away that one could be allocated if you were to leave a blank on the form.
That's right. If the council can't give you a place at one of your ranked schools, they will allocate you to the nearest school that still has places left after everyone else has been given a school they ranked. You may be able to work out which school this is (depends on where you live). So the outcome for you will be the same as if you added that school as your last preference. You need to decide whether there is no other school you'd prefer to that.
strictlyfriends
Posts: 44
Joined: Thu Oct 04, 2012 9:10 am

Re: School choices on CAF

Post by strictlyfriends »

Does anyone know if you can alter your selection on the CAF form after you have submitted them on the 31st October. If so is there a cut off limit?
WP
Posts: 1331
Joined: Thu Jan 03, 2008 9:26 am
Location: Watford, Herts

Re: School choices on CAF

Post by WP »

The cutoff limit is 31st October 2012. You may be able to alter your preferences after allocation day (1st March 2013). If you ask to change them in between, you will probably turn your application into a late one, to be processed after all the other allocations are done. You really need to make your decision now.
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