Am I being Paranoid.......? Urgent advice needed...!

CatSmile · Post by **CatSmile** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 1:59 pm

With less than 24 hours to results for school selections I am having horrible guilt pangs that I might have screwed up my son's chances of getting the school he wants.

Having got through the selection tests for both Bexley and Kent (though not in top 180 for Bexley) I thought the worst was over. By then I was so numb brained that when I filled in the online CAF I stupidly put down 6 schools! The last three were supposed to be emergency choices if one of first three didn't come up. Now I've been told that the order I put them in makes no difference and I could get any one (probably the least popular) as an offer. I was told I should never have added the last three school to the list.

As you can imagine I'm devestated - after all the struggle and hard work to pass the tests how could I have been so stupid! I read the instructions twice! How could I have missed this or misunderstood them so badly??

I'm dreading tomorrow now more than ever...I can't bear to see my DSs face if it all goes horribly wrong... I'm in tears just thinking about it.

PLease advise........Catsmile

Frankie · Post by **Frankie** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 2:51 pm

I'm no expert and think I too have made an error on my DC's CAF which I have only recently realised! But as far as your concerns, I thought that if for example you wanted your child to attend either a Bexley Grammar or a Kent Grammar you should also put down a couple of other schools (whether they be selective or not) just to make sure you weren't leaving it blank! If for instance there were no available places at the three preferred schools you listed and the rest of the form was blank then it would be down to the LA's decision as to where they would allocate a place for your child. That could be anywhere and let's face it the spaces are more likely to be at the least desirable schools! If however you put down your preferred three choices and then filled the other three places with lower preference schools you would in theory be ensuring (as much as possible) that your wishes are taken into account rather than the LA taking the choice in to their own hands.

Hope that makes sense - but really hope that this message is of no consequence to you as by this time tomorrow you will have been offered your first choice anyway - Goodluck!

CatSmile · Post by **CatSmile** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 2:58 pm

Thank you Frankie - your words are much appreciated! - Good luck with tomorrow!

Catsmile

CHmum · Post by **CHmum** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 3:03 pm

CatSmile, I've pm'd you.

dadofkent · Post by **dadofkent** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 3:07 pm

http://www.bexley.gov.uk/service/school ... te_caf.pdf

bigrob · Post by **bigrob** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 3:09 pm

I think you are wrong Catsmile.

First on the form - means your first choice, second = second choice etc down to 6th.

Is that how you did it?

CHmum · Post by **CHmum** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 3:20 pm

I've just pm'd you again CatSmile. Hope you've stopped crying now by the way!

Bexley Mum 2 · Post by **Bexley Mum 2** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 5:22 pm

CatSmile - it's amazing how much misinformation surrounds the 11+ process! You live in Bexley so your application will be handled by Bexley. In Bexley you are meant to list 6 schools in order of preference - as you have done. The LEA looks at your first preference and, if your child is eligible for that, then that's what you get. If they're not, they look at your second preference and so on, working down the list of preferences until they find one that your child is eligible for.

There are still parents around who think that, if they only list schools they want, then the LEA has to give them one of those. It doesn't work like that: if your child isn't eligible for any of the schools you've listed, then they get what's left over after everyone else has been allocated a place. I know someone who put BBA first and BG second, on the basis that, if he passed the 11+, they'd igore her first preference and give her son a place at BG! What you ask for first is what you will get if the LEA is able to give it to you.

Having gone through this process twice, and with one more time to go, I sympathise with how you are feeling. I wish you and your son the very very best of luck.

CatSmile · Post by **CatSmile** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 6:16 pm

Thank you sooooooooo very much everybody - have gone back and reread the text as per Bexley admissions booklet. Absolutely what I should have done straight away when my well wishing aquaintance convinced me otherwise.

You are all absolutely right - "The order of prefernce in very important. If more than one school can make an offer, the system will select the one that ranked highest on your CAF" - Couldn't be clearer than that could it!?

Just as well I didn't have to sit the 11+ then!

But the next sentence is probably what might have caused confusion "All preferences are considered as equal....." If you don't read on to the very end of this paragraph this sounds like a contradiction. This is what I had quoted to me (out of context!

) - will go back and explain when I see her - hopefully after finding out which school we did get!

Good luck to everybody out there - you have all been brilliant - last hurdle nearly done!

Thanks guys!

Catsmile

bigrob · Post by **bigrob** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 6:19 pm

Glad you got that cleared up.

If Beths is your first choice and he gets in read this

http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... php?t=9376