hello - my daughter scored 384 and we live out of catchment. Which school should we apply for?

Hi Anand and welcome the forum / Kent.

Kent is a big county with GS all over so before anybody can give advice you will need to give us some more info. Such as where are you now, do you need travel links for work, do you have other children to consider, do you prefer single sex or co-ed schools etc etc.

You would also do well to look at the KCC website as there is a good amount of information on it regarding admissions to secondary school - it can be easily found via Google. When you have identified some schools in your preferred area you can then look at the individual websites and admissions information of your target schools.

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Please be mindful of forum etiquette

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Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad !

When you visited the schools in the Kent CC area, which schools in particular did you and she feel would be the 'best fit' for her? It might have been an idea to check at the time whether your DD would meet the admissions criteria, to avoid getting her hopes up unrealistically, but better late than never.

You can find the admissions policies for Kent schools on the Kent CC website, probably the easiest place to look, rather than searching for dag individual school's website, given that it is only six days to the CAF deadline.
https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-places/admissions-criteria/admissions-criteria-201819

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Most Kent schools go on just a pass then give priority to those in defined parishes. Those that do have a number places for OOC based on score include Dartford Girls Grammar and Tonbridge. Based on past scores 384 may be good enough for Dartford Girls but unlikely for Tonbridge, but nobody knows the cut off scores until after offer day. As these are the most common schools applied to from OC for girls then I presume you’ve visited them and what you thought when you looked round is very important. Please also bear in mind the commute unless you plan to move closer. If you are planning on moving and do this by first week in December then you’d be classed as IC but look very closely at the admissions for the school you are targeting. Some of these schools also require a SIF to be submitted.

Just to be clear I am not being rude. Please be aware of the many parents IC or OOC who have carefully laid out plans for several months even years what do they tell their children when they don't get a place

I missed your comment, however, I would explain to my children how the system works. They may think that it is unfair and wouldn't be the only ones. However, people have been trying to create a better system, but unless we have great schools on everybody's catchment, this will go on. Some people believe in selection, others just want a school where their children will achieve their potential and have to go through selection tests, moving, travelling, paying, etc. It is not easy for a lot of people and we have to be mindful of that.

I am not from the OP's area and do not know what the schools are like there, however, it does seem a very long way to travel and I don't know if the family will be moving if given a place. Many parents do, therefore I could not judge, but, like many, I do hope that the girl does not end up doing that commute for her own sake.


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