11 Plus Exams Forum

Dear parents,
My son has cleared the selection criteria for Wallington and Sutton Grammar but did not clear Wilson's. Do you think he has a chance actually being offered a place for Sutton Grammar or Wallington if we are not in the catchment postcodes for Sutton Grammar ? Really appreciate your help.

Hi, I don't think anyone can say with any confidence whether there's a good chance or a slim chance. All you know is that there is definitely a chance of some kind because he achieved the required mark for 2 schools. There are too many unknowns, such as: his ranking, the rankings that gained a place in previous years, and what everyone else who passed the test puts on their CAF.

For SGS there are still 60 of 135 places determined by the ranking alone, so don't feel discouraged from naming the school on the CAF if you really liked it.
For WCGS your distance from the school is not a large factor in their oversubscription criteria. I know of someone who did not pass for Wilson's or SGS but was offered Wallington, so again, don't feel discouraged.

If you have 6 spaces on the CAF then you can put both GS down in the order that you like them, and still have plenty of space for alternative schools where you can be much more certain about whether he would get a place or not. It's easy to say, but once you've submitted the CAF try not to speculate on the outcome and forget about it until the 1 March. Good luck!

We were in this situation last year. We put SGS on 1st and the local comp on second place ( Wallington not an option for us as too difficult a commute). On March the 1st DS got the comprehensive. He went on SGS’s waiting list in at a position the high 20s. He got offered a place by SGS early in September . There is a lot of movement after the 1st of March, and a domino effect whenever a kid takes up a place at another school than the one originally offered.
So there should be hope. If he doesnt get an offer you want on the 1st of March, contact the schools and ask where he is on the waiting list. For DSs sake, we didn’t tell him he was on the waiting list and were careful to big up the comprehensive ( which is actually a good school).

Thank you so much guys ! Much appreciated. Will put the schools on the CAF and see how it goes. Thanks again. The kids have worked really hard and I think that’s all that matters in the end.