Hi, my child came 210th on list at BRGS. We are out of area and there are 180 places at the school. The school won't tell me anything in answer to the following questions:

How many took the test in total?
How many from out of area?
What was the cut off point last year?
What was the cut-off point range over the last five years?
Has she got any chance at all if 210th?
Is it worth putting on CAF form as 1st choice or this hopeless and I should put another choice first?

I know the cut-off varies from year to year and they cannot give advice as such, but this total lack of information leaves me unable to tell whether my child has any chance at all. Does anyone know any of the answers to any of these questions at all (for this year or recent years) as I'm in need of guidance / information as I need to submit the CAF very soon and I would be grateful!

Bearing in mind that not all the 180 top children will take up a place at BRGS I would have thought it was a good chance of getting in - if you put it top of CAF then there is nothing to be lost as if you don't get a place your second choice will effectively become your first

Welcome

I'm afraid I can't be helpful with detailed information for BRGS. What I can say is that if it is your preferred choice you can list it first and it will not prejudice your other school choices. You will be considered equally for each school you list and the local authority will offer you the highest preference school that you are eligible for. I do understand it can be difficult depending on how many schools you can add to your CAF.

Hopefully someone will turn up who can provide some stats for BRGS

x-posted with Herman

Thanks for your responses. I am still a bit confused as to how the CAF works though, Herman, as someone told me if you put a school second it might fill up completely with people who have put it first, so then you wouldn't get a place, but if however you had put it first you would have? So I'm still a bit unsure how the CAF system works. If I put BRGS first could the school I put second then be full due to others having put it first?

Sorry I thought your name was Herman. I meant the poster Mitersol. I'm afraid this is the first time I've used a forum!

No it doesn't work like that - the school doesn't know where you have put them on your CAF.

All they know is whether they could offer you a place and what priority you would have in there list regardless of where you have put them - have a look at this https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/schoo ... nce-system

This is the local authority explanation which should reassure you.
https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/children- ... ol-places/

Thanks, that really helpful. Is this policy common to all LEAs though, as we're Calderdale not Lancashire and when I looked at the online CAF information I couldn't find any such guidance. BRGS would be the only Lancashire school I put on the list, the others would be Calderdale, but apparently I still need to fill in only a Calderdale CAF but name the Lancashire school.

Yes: the equal preference system has been adopted by all LEAs.

You apply via your home LEA, regardless of where the schools are that you are applying to.

It is a legal requirement that all LAs use the Equal preference system. You can find Calderdale information in this thread viewtopic.php?f=24&t=52699

Thank you, that's so helpful - I don't know why I didn't see that on Calderdale's site when I looked. But the fog is now beginning to clear in my mind!