11 Plus Exams Forum

Hi,
My son has qualified for bucks and Watford boys and Saint Olave . Details of the same is given below. I am fine to get place in any of the school.

I am putting saint Olave as 1st preference( he is in possible category) . Confused about putting the Watford boys /Chesham grammar as 2nd/3rd preference. Would like to put allocation preference according to the possibility of getting the place.

- Watford boys - he scored 246. I am planning to put as 2nd preference. Hope I would still have some chance ?

- Bucks - he qualified and we are thinking of applying Chesham grammar as we live in Pinner( out of catchments).
Our home is 16.3 miles straight line distance. If I will put this school as 3rd choice , what are the chances of getting a
place ? if there are no chance and putting it on 2nd choice can increase the chances of getting the place significantly, I am ready to do that.


Thanks in advance.

The usual advice for Herts is to put your actual preferences as the schools don't know what pref you put, only that you applied. Hence if you put one first pref and get it that will be what you get and the others will be told and move on to next on their list. Therefore you should rank according to your true preferences.

Can anyone just confirm whether that advice also applies in Bucks?

Yes it applies throughout England.

In that case you should decide your preferred order of schools and rank accordingly. If you miss out on those you ranked one and two you will go onto their wait lists and may get a place after allocation day.

I think that hoping for an outer area academic place at Watford Boys with 246 might be a little optimistic. Theoretically there is a chance, but I would imagine it's quite a small one.

What I mean by that is that if you look at the last seven years, he would have been offered a place in none of those years.

Do you have a banker school to put on the list? i.e. one you are happy with and can be sure of a place. If so, put that on too, behind the others that you prefer and keep wbgs in your true preference order. If you have no safe bet I would probably try and come up with one, or you may be left with none of your prefs.

Many thanks to all for your responses.