Good luck to all dcs sitting DAO today

[Daogroupie]

The first batch are already in there beavering away and there are another three sessions today and four more tomorrow.

So glad it is actually happening and hope that we can get to the second round on 7th November.

Good luck to all.

Just VR today with 325 going through to the English and Maths second round.

Last year this was just 34 percent of the total who sat which means that 2 of each 3 who sit today and tomorrow will not return for the second round.

Not as bad as the 90% who will not return for the HBS second round but still quite a hit with 66% not making the cut. DG

[akb]

Thank you DG for the details. Best wishes to all the kids writing the exam..

[Mumof32018]

Thank you DG. My son was one of those sitting the exam today, 3rd session. I really feel for all these kids chasing so few places. I wish there were more good schools so we were not in this situation.

Quick question - we live in Islington. Am I right in thinking that my son has to get into the top 325 to get through and not the top 20? I understood that a minimum of 20 places are given to Islington kids so he kind of gets an extra chance in that 20 of those 325 places have to go to Islington kids but he still only has to be in the top 325, not the top 20. I may be overthinking it.

[tiffinboys]

What if top 50 include 20 children from Islington? Think.

[Daogroupie]

I think you might be mixing this up with the HBS catchment area which is for any Y6 dd who lives within 3 miles of the school. These dds need to pass the first round and sit the second round but they will be allocated a place no matter what their score is.

In March 2020 these dds took 30% of the places.

The 20 Islington places at DAO are a minimum of 20 places in each school year, but these places can come from siblings, staff places, music places or academic places. Only if the total Islington places in all these categories drops below 20 would another place be taken from the Islington academic waiting list. So there will not be a minimum of 20 places among the 65 academic places but there will be in the total year when each year group starts at the school. DG

[lastminmum]

Good luck to all the dc who sat the exam yesterday and to all those sitting today.
My dd is one of the student helpers. She says the list for yesterday and today is for 998 candidates. This seems less than other years and may increase the chances of getting in.
I must add this too; dd said she was shocked by the poor behaviour of some parents eg not following the one way system or ignoring instructions for which cone to stand by. She also mentioned that a parent had said their son had failed to get into QEB and had to do well in the Owens exam even though it was the ‘lesser‘ of the schools!!

[Mumof32018]

Thanks lastminute and DG. I am still confused about where my son needs to rank in order to get through to the second round, if applying for an Islington place. In the top 325 or the top 20? Top 325, right?

Lastminute, that doesn't surprise me at all. Some lovely parents and some horrid over-entitled pains in the neck!

[Enfparents]

Lastminmum - could this be because a significant proportion of children are not sitting yesterday/today due to covid isolation? But will be sitting round 1 at a later date?

[lastminmum]

I don’t know I’m afraid. I did ask dd twice if the 998 was just for the Saturday but she said it was definitely the number of candidates for both days

[Daogroupie]

There is no difference for Islington candidates apart from the total number of places that are reserved for Islington applicants in the total year group which is 20.

There could be no academic Islington candidates at all and all 20 could come from siblings and Music.

So you will need to rank in the 325 just like all the other academic candidates. DG