Ok little bit of a dilemma...we have deadlines for an Inde by 1st March at 12noon. However CAF outcomes come out on the same day but in the evening! Really scared that if I leave it too late I may lose a place at Inde school. On the otherhand, if I wait it out who knows how our grammer school places were allocated this year. Do you think it's worth contacting the Inde asking for a day extra?

This happens every year with indie results coming out several weeks before March 1.

If you really want your indie place then you should accept it ASAP....you may not actually have until March 1, several schools filled all their places by that date last year, remember that most schools over-offer.

I don't think they will give you an extra day....they don't need to and, quite honestly, why should they?

If you are seriously contemplating paying thousands of pounds a year for the next seven years for the indie anyway, would the amount of a forfeited deposit if you decide after all to accept a grammar place, should it materialise, be such an enormous price to pay for being able to keep your options open?

Slightly mean of the indie, though, when many allow until at least a day after national offer day for decisions to be made and presumably the school concerned knows that state allocations are not made known until later in the day in their area, but that's 'independence' for you .

_________________
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx

Rubbish. The indies are well aware that many are waiting for 1st march offers. Phone them and let your top indie choice know what your situation is. They'll give you an extra day.

Surely they are aware 1st of March is national allocation day. My advice would be to ring them and bring this to their attention just in case they were oblivious to it, though I doubt this is the case.

It appears it's an attempt by the indie to force parents' hands. Why do they need to deploy such tactics anyway? I would have thought they'd have confidence in what they offer and stand for as a school enough for you to be given a reasonable amount of time to decide after 1st of March. I know our local indie has a deadline of 8th of March.
Good luck!

All indies know that 1st March is National Allocation day and none of them choose their deadline day by accident.

As you have already posted that your ds had interviews at both MT and Habs and that you have a "great score" at QE there is really no issue.

I assume a "great score" at QE would be one greater than 250 in which case you know you already have a place.

So what is the dilemma? You know you have a place at QE, you knew that before you chose to pay the entrance fee to sit MT and Habs so was the decision to sit to give you more choice, it certainly would not have been a backup as your place at QE was assured.

If you wish to delay the decision as to which school to choose then you need to pay the deposit for whichever of Habs and MT you prefer.

There is nothing to stop you holding onto both QE and the private school until the day your ds needs to turn up at the private school.

Lots of people do this and I know of a set of twins whose parents held onto a total of 6 places from March 1st all through the summer as they said "they earned them"

As you know you have QE you can let go of the private places now or you can pay the deposit and keep them longer.

If you are in Herts the allocations will start coming through before the evening. What time is your indie deadline? Some of them tend to do midday rather than end of working day.

DG

But I will add...in my opinion the parents of the twins DG speaks about, were incredibly selfish to do this, as is any parent who holds onto an offer from a GS and a private. You have had weeks to consider that you might be offered a place at both and must have mad some sort of decision, so, seriously, the hat would you be waiting for? And knowing that you are preventing another child from being offered a place? Shudder...

May make you or me shudder, KCG, but plenty obviously have no such scruples

Looking at their websites, I thought that I saw March 4th or 5th as the deadline for both MTS and Habs, but perhaps I was mistaken?

_________________
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx

There will be many who will do this, that is why places continue to come up all over the summer and even after term has started.

When a close family member started at St Albans girls there were two girls on the register who did not turn up on the first day. It turned out that they had both been holding two offers and decided to go to the other one and did not inform the school.

When dd2 started secondary school there was a girl on the register whose family had moved to the US in July and not told the school. There was an older sibling at well so two places that could have been allocated in July to other students.

I am sure the huge size of the deposits is designed to prevent this. 10 plus at City has a deposit of over 5.5 thousand pounds this year. But still we hear stories of students not turning up on the first day who turn out to be not coming at all.

In terms of the deadlines for MTS and Habs I have not heard of them being before allocation day before or it being an issue for those with marks in the high 220s at QE who really do not know if they will get a place on allocation day or not.

DG

From your previous posts it would seem that the schools you are still considering are QE, HABS & MTS.

You appear to be confident about your QE score & it's pretty clear if you've spent any time on this forum what score will get you in.

Your question above is slightly misleading....March 1 is the deadline at MTS ONLY if you have a bursary or scholarship offer, otherwise it is March 6....similar to the other indies.

Are you in the same position at HABS? You appeared not to like HABS so I'm assuming you have a scholarship offer from MTS?

If you want QE then you presumably won't be accepting the bursary/scholarship.....which would go to someone else & may enable them to accept the school. Hence the reason for the slightly earlier acceptance date - surely you know this already?

You appear to be in a very good position. You must know which school is your first choice by now?