11 Plus Exams Forum

Question for Etienne or oter moderator (or anyone who knows). Do all counties other than Bucks perform the oversubscription appeal at the same time as the IAP?

Is there a difference between a transfer appeal and an oversubscription appeal?

It can vary from school to school can't it?

It may vary, but it shouldn't, as I understand it from the Schools Admissions Appeals Policy, which intimates that they should take place at the same time (or at least with the same panel).

Ah yes, I agree, but I meant it's no good asking about counties - I think in Kent I'm right in saying that some admission authorities do them at the same time, and others don't.

I'm in bucks. All county website material I've seen refers to non-qualification appeals and transfer appeals. There is nothing on oversubscription appeals so I am assuming transfer appeals and oversubscription appeals are the same thing...?

I think "transfer appeal" is a Bucks term for what is often referred to as an oversubscription appeal - most counties' literature simply refers to "appeals" not the type.

Without wishing to get into semantics, if a Bucks appeal is referred to as a transfer appeal, then this indicates that there must be a transfer from somewhere to somewhere, so someone who has qualified for their local school and lived in catchment at the time of allocations should not need to 'transfer'?

Alex is correct, in that a "transfer appeal" is the same as an oversubscription appeal.

tobyprice wrote:someone who has qualified for their local school and lived in catchment at the time of allocations should not need to 'transfer'?

Not necessarily. There are certain Bucks schools that are regularly oversubscribed from within catchment. The most notorious is Dr Challoners Boys, but it has been known to happen at other schools as well.

but even with DCGS, as long as you live close enough, there should be no reason to transfer (my son went there without needing to appeal hurrah!). I believe the transfers in their case tend to be from the Gerrards Cross area.