Tiffin's and Barnett Stage 2 clash

[hermanmunster]

But if you can really name both of them in CAF aand satisfy both school admission policies but distressed regarding the clash of dates, just exercise your health grounds for extreme mental distress and they have to give you a reserve day. You would need to comply with their reserve day guidelines of GP certificate etc. so upto you to convince GP for extreme anxiety/ mental health distress and dont attempt either one. Go for reserve day for both. Highly unlikely reserve days will clash.

I am amazed how either of them can force you to choose at this stage when reserve days exist. Its your right to select a school and schools cant dictate your choice at this stage or even in CAF. Infact the very aspect they asked you to choose one over other contributes to your mental distress.

Sorry I am a bit lost here. Whose mental distress are we referring to? The parents or the child?

It is pretty irrelevant if the parents are distressed, that is the nature of parenting and sometimes you just have to make a decision.

I very much doubt any child would get sufficiently distressed over an exam clash to need a primary care appointment - perhaps if they are struggling then it would be better to avoid the exams

[Samurai]

There is a difference between the school only making the second round papers of those who have made a valid application to the school (within top x, named school on CAF and turned up for second stage test) and not marking the papers of those in a specific oversubscription category who have made a valid application because historically, no-one in that category has been offered a place. If nothing else, the lowest criterion applicants have to be ranked for waiting list purposes.

Thats why I had written that if you cant name it in CAF it wont be marked. Anyways isnt it kind of pointless to score high marks and still be on waiting list ? One needs to wait for the lowest marks and waiting list of designated area to get over before even being considered for outside designated area. Theoretically yes anyone can go ahead and put in CAF. The exercise is pointless even for candidate securing the highest marks.

[Samurai]

But if you can really name both of them in CAF aand satisfy both school admission policies but distressed regarding the clash of dates, just exercise your health grounds for extreme mental distress and they have to give you a reserve day. You would need to comply with their reserve day guidelines of GP certificate etc. so upto you to convince GP for extreme anxiety/ mental health distress and dont attempt either one. Go for reserve day for both. Highly unlikely reserve days will clash.

I am amazed how either of them can force you to choose at this stage when reserve days exist. Its your right to select a school and schools cant dictate your choice at this stage or even in CAF. Infact the very aspect they asked you to choose one over other contributes to your mental distress.

Sorry I am a bit lost here. Whose mental distress are we referring to? The parents or the child?

It is pretty irrelevant if the parents are distressed, that is the nature of parenting and sometimes you just have to make a decision.

I very much doubt any child would get sufficiently distressed over an exam clash to need a primary care appointment - perhaps if they are struggling then it would be better to avoid the exams

If it can be assessed by GP that child is under distress then why not. The child will be thinking of the exam she missed even if she sat the other one. This is enough ground to underperform on the day.

[Golden75]

But if you can really name both of them in CAF aand satisfy both school admission policies but distressed regarding the clash of dates, just exercise your health grounds for extreme mental distress and they have to give you a reserve day. You would need to comply with their reserve day guidelines of GP certificate etc. so upto you to convince GP for extreme anxiety/ mental health distress and dont attempt either one. Go for reserve day for both. Highly unlikely reserve days will clash.

This comment is an insult to anyone who genuinely suffers from mental health issues. To use mental distress/anxiety in such a flippant way as a "get out of jail" card from having to make a decision between two entry exams is quite offensive to all who really suffer from these conditions. There will be kids sitting the 11+ who have had far more traumatic experiences in the past year, it's been a difficult year for many.
No self-respecting GP would write a sick note on this basis without making further assessments and evaluations. And at the moment the queue for mental health services is very long, so good luck trying to obtain that sick note!

[Samurai]

But if you can really name both of them in CAF aand satisfy both school admission policies but distressed regarding the clash of dates, just exercise your health grounds for extreme mental distress and they have to give you a reserve day. You would need to comply with their reserve day guidelines of GP certificate etc. so upto you to convince GP for extreme anxiety/ mental health distress and dont attempt either one. Go for reserve day for both. Highly unlikely reserve days will clash.

This comment is an insult to anyone who genuinely suffers from mental health issues. To use mental distress/anxiety in such a flippant way as a "get out of jail" card from having to make a decision between two entry exams is quite offensive to all who really suffer from these conditions. There will be kids sitting the 11+ who have had far more traumatic experiences in the past year, it's been a difficult year for many.
No self-respecting GP would write a sick note on this basis without making further assessments and evaluations. And at the moment the queue for mental health services is very long, so good luck trying to obtain that sick note!

Its not at all meant to insult anyone. Its a question of being offered reserve day and to avail one if seriously impacted. Reserve days exist and its equally wrong not to offer it and ask to choose. Again its for GP to assess and not for you and me

[Golden75]

But if you can really name both of them in CAF aand satisfy both school admission policies but distressed regarding the clash of dates, just exercise your health grounds for extreme mental distress and they have to give you a reserve day. You would need to comply with their reserve day guidelines of GP certificate etc. so upto you to convince GP for extreme anxiety/ mental health distress and dont attempt either one. Go for reserve day for both. Highly unlikely reserve days will clash.

This comment is an insult to anyone who genuinely suffers from mental health issues. To use mental distress/anxiety in such a flippant way as a "get out of jail" card from having to make a decision between two entry exams is quite offensive to all who really suffer from these conditions. There will be kids sitting the 11+ who have had far more traumatic experiences in the past year, it's been a difficult year for many.
No self-respecting GP would write a sick note on this basis without making further assessments and evaluations. And at the moment the queue for mental health services is very long, so good luck trying to obtain that sick note!

Its not at all meant to insult anyone. Its a question of being offered reserve day and to avail one if seriously impacted. Reserve days exist and its equally wrong not to offer it and ask to choose. Again its for GP to assess and not for you and me

You may not have meant to insult anyone, but your comments are very insensitive. Anxiety/mental distress can be very debilitating conditions that can seriously impact quality of life, not just for the sufferer but their families too.
The way your comment comes across is that if all other things fail and you don't get your own way, pull out the "I am suffering from mental health issues" card. This is not helpful.

This is all I have to say, have a good day!

[Samurai]

This comment is an insult to anyone who genuinely suffers from mental health issues. To use mental distress/anxiety in such a flippant way as a "get out of jail" card from having to make a decision between two entry exams is quite offensive to all who really suffer from these conditions. There will be kids sitting the 11+ who have had far more traumatic experiences in the past year, it's been a difficult year for many.
No self-respecting GP would write a sick note on this basis without making further assessments and evaluations. And at the moment the queue for mental health services is very long, so good luck trying to obtain that sick note!

Its not at all meant to insult anyone. Its a question of being offered reserve day and to avail one if seriously impacted. Reserve days exist and its equally wrong not to offer it and ask to choose. Again its for GP to assess and not for you and me

You may not have meant to insult anyone, but your comments are very insensitive. Anxiety/mental distress can be very debilitating conditions that can seriously impact quality of life, not just for the sufferer but their families too.
The way your comment comes across is that if all other things fail and you don't get your own way, pull out the "I am suffering from mental health issues" card. This is not helpful.

This is all I have to say, have a good day!

Mental issues are not always evident. A person's mental health can be shaped by a multitude of factors in today's age and society. Anxiety levels over exams are fine but getting over anxious or mentally stressed out is a health ground. In this case reserve days are available and should have been offered to OP by both schools rather than creating a pressure of choice when they are not ready. If you think mental health is only for those who have had traumatic experiences then I have nothing to say. Its upto coping mechanism and each individual is different. Bringing candidates with SEN or others having traumatic experience in this debate is wavering off the topic.

Here's something to think - Would we rather want to pull a sick note just for any other reason ( which is much easier in this case by simple lying to GP and GP cant detect like back pain, tummy bug etc. ) when actually you are mentally affected ? Please think that the faculty being affected here is mind and not body. If its to an extent thats tearing one apart then its not healthy and it is what it is - mental health.

Please dont interpret this any other way and apologies if this came out as insensitive ( although I think both schools were insensitive in first place). This is just a debate. Good day to you too.

[Golden75]

Now you are trying to re-frame your argument when clearly your original intention was for OP to use mental health issues as a means to and end . Not cool.

Sorry, but your comments have really hit a raw nerve.

[hermanmunster]

Samurai, you may not realise that most GPs have a way of writing these notes that makes it clear:

a) that they haven't really got a clue whether the individual was ill on the day / suffering from anything and it just reporting the comments of the patient / relative

"X says that he had a bad back on Thursday and hence was unable to attend the exam sitting, I understand that you may be able to ofer him an alternate date"

b) that they genuinely know that the person was ill / unable to attend etc

"I saw X on Thursday, he had an acute onset back pain and was struggling to mobilise, he required analgesia and would have been unable to attend the exam, i hope that you will be able to offer him an alternate date following this unfortunate episode"


of course there is always the :
c) Not having actually seen them but really egging it up:

"X was in agony on Thursday with a very bad back and needs an alternate date for the exam"

Most people looking at the notes can tell the difference between (a) and (b) - GP has clear conscious if he writes (a) but it doesn't get you very far.


The thing is that writing the wrong one is quite serious - a GP in my local patch was struck off for writing too many of type (c) - these were related to people being ill on holiday, he had no evidence of the illness . He can never work again as a doctor in the UK or probably anywhere else.

[Samurai]

Samurai, you may not realise that most GPs have a way of writing these notes that makes it clear:

a) that they haven't really got a clue whether the individual was ill on the day / suffering from anything and it just reporting the comments of the patient / relative

"X says that he had a bad back on Thursday and hence was unable to attend the exam sitting, I understand that you may be able to ofer him an alternate date"

b) that they genuinely know that the person was ill / unable to attend etc

"I saw X on Thursday, he had an acute onset back pain and was struggling to mobilise, he required analgesia and would have been unable to attend the exam, i hope that you will be able to offer him an alternate date following this unfortunate episode"


of course there is always the :
c) Not having actually seen them but really egging it up:

"X was in agony on Thursday with a very bad back and needs an alternate date for the exam"

Most people looking at the notes can tell the difference between (a) and (b) - GP has clear conscious if he writes (a) but it doesn't get you very far.


The thing is that writing the wrong one is quite serious - a GP in my local patch was struck off for writing too many of type (c) - these were related to people being ill on holiday, he had no evidence of the illness . He can never work again as a doctor in the UK or probably anywhere else.

Hermanmunster - what would be the scenario if child suspected of Covid on the day and pending test results on the day ? The policy clearly states dont bring child to test if they are feeling unwell.

Here's the thing. GP consultations are remote. You really think GP can measure the temperature or ascertain a cough in remote consultation. GPs follow a checklist and you cant fail GPs if answers given to questionnaire are unverifiable.