Piya Slough Appeal

[mad?]

Allocation distances can be found here on the Bucks allocations thread.

[scary mum]

Last year if you weren't in catchment or a sibling you wouldn't have got a place. I think a few (or maybe one?) were offered later but less than half a mile from school - presumably they moved close to the school.in order to get in.

[Proud-Dad]

Just wondering why you sat the Bucks test as it seems you didn't want a place there? With that score (which you've posted) it will have affected the cohort statistics maybe against another child who really wanted a place at a Bucks grammar. A friend's child has just scored 120.4 and are all crying.

Realistically we always wanted Langley but we decided to try for the Buckinghamshire area as a backup.

Our choices were

1. Langley
2. Upton Court
3. Herchel
4. Burnham (10.2 miles - out of Catchment but only 30 mins by direct train)
5. St Bernard's
6. Local school

If we get any of the top 3, We will automatically cancel the Buckinghamshire area anyway so I'm sure those waiting will get a chance.

[hermanmunster]

Just wondering why you sat the Bucks test as it seems you didn't want a place there? With that score (which you've posted) it will have affected the cohort statistics maybe against another child who really wanted a place at a Bucks grammar. A friend's child has just scored 120.4 and are all crying.

Realistically we always wanted Langley but we decided to try for the Buckinghamshire area as a backup.

Our choices were

1. Langley
2. Upton Court
3. Herchel
4. Burnham
5. St Bernard's
6. Local school

If we get any of the top 3, We will automatically cancel the Buckinghamshire area anyway so I'm sure those waiting will get a chance.

It isn't so much that "those waiting will get a chance" - the problem with people taking the test and having no intention of taking the place has an effect of the position of the 121 in the cohort of those taking the test, so some would have got 121 + if the test was only bucks residents end up at 120 say and have to go to review / appeal with all the added stress

[scary mum]

If we get any of the top 3, We will automatically cancel the Buckinghamshire area anyway so I'm sure those waiting will get a chance

Unfortunately it doesn't work like that. Other local children may already have missed out on qualifying because of out of county sitters who don't intend to take a place. In recent years you would never have got a place at Burnham Grammar living that far away so it was a waste of time (& the council's resources) sitting the test, as well as potentially displacing other children.

[Piya]

I'm struggling with the CAF. I want to put Herschel first (even though we don't qualify) as I read somewhere (maybe on this forum) that Herschel won't look favourably at an appeal if its not first and then becky high second (have passed test but out of catchment), burnham third. For all three my chances I suspect are not high (Herschel nil at the moment) which then leaves me with what else to put down? If I select a local secondary will this jeopardise my chances at an appeal? - i.e. I'll be asked why not just accept the local as I stated that as an acceptable option? There is only really one local school I might consider acceptable and even that one I don't know what our chances are as distance from home is not a criteria and it's an oversubscribed school.

[loobylou]

I'm no expert (and one will be along I'm sure) but...
1) You're not appealing against the school you've been allocated; you're appealing for the school you want. They will expect you to have filled your CAF form with schools and that you are appealing for a school you prefer to the ones lower down. Leaving a gap on the CAF would be foolish.
2) You should check the likelihood of being offered a place at your other choices. If your daughter is not offered any of your choices she will almost certainly be offered an under-subscribed school and it will probably be under-subscribed for a reason. You won't be offered a school you want just because you don't consider any of the others are acceptable. It would be much better to check the criteria of your local schools and choose your favourite of those where you are highly likely to get an offer.
3) Please make sure your daughter doesn't hear you saying that the local schools are not acceptable for her. From what you've written, she's very likely to be offered one of them (and presumably then attend that, unless you have a plan C or D) and it's not a good start if she feels it's not a good place to be.

[hermanmunster]

I'm no expert (and one will be along I'm sure) but...
1) You're not appealing against the school you've been allocated; you're appealing for the school you want. They will expect you to have filled your CAF form with schools and that you are appealing for a school you prefer to the ones lower down. Leaving a gap on the CAF would be foolish.
2) You should check the likelihood of being offered a place at your other choices. If your daughter is not offered any of your choices she will almost certainly be offered an under-subscribed school and it will probably be under-subscribed for a reason. You won't be offered a school you want just because you don't consider any of the others are acceptable. It would be much better to check the criteria of your local schools and choose your favourite of those where you are highly likely to get an offer.
3) Please make sure your daughter doesn't hear you saying that the local schools are not acceptable for her. From what you've written, she's very likely to be offered one of them (and presumably then attend that, unless you have a plan C or D) and it's not a good start if she feels it's not a good place to be.

This is spot-on advice Piya. Please make sure you do put a school that you would accept and is a reasonably certain choice otherwise you really are at risk of just having one allocated.

[Piya]

Thank you both - and yes my thoughts about our local schools are on this forum and not in earshot or sight of my child
I've tried to stay as neutral about the whole 11+ as I can, and thankfully she has taken it in her stride that she fell short on the slough test.
I'm in a really difficult position in that the school that is my catchment school is a definite no-no for lots of reasons. And all other good schools in Slough are over-subscribed with only the one that realistically we can attend. It is feeling like I'm going to have to gear up for several appeals.

[scary mum]

Are you close enough to Burnham Grammar to be hopeful of getting a place? Plenty of children go from Slough.