Reallocation Day
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More infoPeter wrote:Yes, I could venture an explanation, but you have a lot of information missing from your case!
I suspect you have been offered a place at a Bexley Grammar School, who after 23rd March have spaces at their schools and (I think - although I don't claim to be an expert in Bexley) simply reallocate by lowering their pass mark apparently by at least three marks). This is one reason why almost no appeals in Bexley are successful, as the schools are always full!
I live in Orpington - school concerned Townley Grammar
Daughter got 487 and we were told that the oversubscription criteria would apply to her as she missed the top 180 (cut off 490) and allocation would be on proximity.
Bexley published on it's website that the first round for Townley had gone to 5.5 miles and we were 6.219
Que?
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Happy and Relieved
Exactly this happened to us! We were not particularly happy with an offer of our third choice school. We applied to go on the waiting list of a West Kent Grammar only last Friday (we had not put it on the CAF) and lo, an offer of a place arrived this morning!Peter wrote:Out of Area Mum,
No you are not missing anything. You are correct. I have tried to make this public before, and gone banging on about it, but its not been picked up. Next year if there is no change to the system, informed parents will play "the game" differently to their children's advantage. As always, those less well informed may lose out.
appeals submissions
Very happy for Happy and Relieved. And very sad for my child who has sat patiently on the waiting list. Last Friday was around 12th on the list and as of yesterday was 20th- if numbers had stayed where they were on Friday would have been offered a place at 1st choice school today. Don't want to sound (too) bitter but is there any point to the waiting list or even fillng out a CAF?? Surely there is something very wrong with the way the system has worked this year.
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Happy and Relieved
"mother" - sorry to hear that. Yes I think the system is bizarre. Like you, we also sat patiently on the waiting lists of our originally chosen schools, only to find more people have joined recently and pushed us down. We are just lucky that this quirk of the system worked for us in getting into another grammar school.
Re: appeals submissions
mother wrote:Very happy for Happy and Relieved. And very sad for my child who has sat patiently on the waiting list. Last Friday was around 12th on the list and as of yesterday was 20th- if numbers had stayed where they were on Friday would have been offered a place at 1st choice school today. Don't want to sound (too) bitter but is there any point to the waiting list or even fillng out a CAF?? Surely there is something very wrong with the way the system has worked this year.
while I am very happy for Happy & Relieved. Something is not right with all this!We applied to go on the waiting list of a West Kent Grammar only last Friday (we had not put it on the CAF) and lo, an offer of a place arrived this morning!
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Guest
Thanks for that which confirms my first try: Initial pass score 490, some children lost out on distance. Some places not taken up, all 490s got a place, and pass mark needed to be lowered by at least three points to refill.Tired Mum wrote:More infoPeter wrote:Yes, I could venture an explanation, but you have a lot of information missing from your case!
I suspect you have been offered a place at a Bexley Grammar School, who after 23rd March have spaces at their schools and (I think - although I don't claim to be an expert in Bexley) simply reallocate by lowering their pass mark apparently by at least three marks). This is one reason why almost no appeals in Bexley are successful, as the schools are always full!
I live in Orpington - school concerned Townley Grammar
Daughter got 487 and we were told that the oversubscription criteria would apply to her as she missed the top 180 (cut off 490) and allocation would be on proximity.
Bexley published on it's website that the first round for Townley had gone to 5.5 miles and we were 6.219
Que?
Not so! I have just spoken to the Head of Admissions.....as I was shocked to read this and he confirms that the pass mark HAS NOT been moved down it remains 490.Thanks for that which confirms my first try: Initial pass score 490, some children lost out on distance. Some places not taken up, all 490s got a place, and pass mark needed to be lowered by at least three points to refill.
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Guest
I'm not sure that the ability to apply to any school after 23 March is unfair. You apply to your preferred schools on the CAF in the hope that one of them will be able to offer you a place in the first round of offers.
If your child is unlucky enough not to be offered a place at any of your chosen schools do you think that you should then also be denied the chance to try for a place elsewhere? Presumably people on waiting lists for schools which they did not nominate will also be on the lists for those they did and will usually take offers from them if made. The number of offers finally accepted by people for schools not originally listed on their CAF is, therefore, likely to be quite low.
A greater anomaly seems to be that some people are able to nominate 6 schools on the CAF whilst others can only nominate 3.
As for references to children sitting patiently on waiting lists: without meaning to sound catty, they have not been physically queueing round the block have they? Their names have been put down earlier, that is all.
I know that this is a stressful time for anyone still hoping to change their school allocation, but it would be a shame if such parents start bickering amongst themselves as to which of their offspring has the most right to go to school X. Mutual support seems a better bet surely?
Anyway, good luck to anyone who needs it. (My child is not on any waiting list incidentally so we are not "competitors!)
If your child is unlucky enough not to be offered a place at any of your chosen schools do you think that you should then also be denied the chance to try for a place elsewhere? Presumably people on waiting lists for schools which they did not nominate will also be on the lists for those they did and will usually take offers from them if made. The number of offers finally accepted by people for schools not originally listed on their CAF is, therefore, likely to be quite low.
A greater anomaly seems to be that some people are able to nominate 6 schools on the CAF whilst others can only nominate 3.
As for references to children sitting patiently on waiting lists: without meaning to sound catty, they have not been physically queueing round the block have they? Their names have been put down earlier, that is all.
I know that this is a stressful time for anyone still hoping to change their school allocation, but it would be a shame if such parents start bickering amongst themselves as to which of their offspring has the most right to go to school X. Mutual support seems a better bet surely?
Anyway, good luck to anyone who needs it. (My child is not on any waiting list incidentally so we are not "competitors!)
Peter wrote:Pleased to hear the mark has remained unchanged; as I wrote I am not that familiar with Bexley and its a reminder to me (and others) not to try and comment on areas other than your own. Perhaps I misunderstood the previous message. Did Tired Mum's daughter get a grammar school place on 387 or not?
487
