Siblings and allocation

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Nerdymum
Posts: 18
Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2008 2:37 pm

Siblings and allocation

Post by Nerdymum »

I have a question on behalf of a friend of mine. She forgot to tick the sibling box when applying for her grammar of choice (where an older sibling attends). Due to a tighter catchment her child did not get in!!!! She has contacted KCC - do you think the child will be allowed straight in due to her error - or will it have to go to appeal?? Does anyone have any experience of this??? People must make errors on the forms all the time? Thanks in advance
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Post by Sally-Anne »

Hi nerdymum

It is hard to say exactly what will happen. If that situation arose in Bucks I am guessing that the child would be moved up to first place on the waiting list, and that would deliver a place in the next round of allocations, likely as not. If a place didn't materialise, then an appeal against over-subscription might be required.

A less sympathetic LA might insist on it being taken to straight to appeal.

My personal view is that an appeal would be a pretty pointless exercise though - one would hope that any reasonable panel would feel that a child's entire future should not be shaped by a missing tick in a box!

Sally-Anne
capers123
Posts: 1865
Joined: Sun May 13, 2007 9:03 pm
Location: Gloucestershire

Post by capers123 »

As I understand it in my area, having a sibling only comes into play where there are two pupils with an equal score - the one with the sibling being ranked higher of the two. So If there were pupils with scores: a:219 b:219 c:218 d:218 and e:217, and d: had a sibling already at the school, they would be admitted in the order a b d c e. If that school only had 2 places, d, c & e would not get in irrespective of the sibling. So say there were 200 pupils who had passed for 120 places, they would not take all the children with siblings first over and above any non-siblinged but higher scoring children, as that would make a mockery of testing for ability, surely.
Capers
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Post by Sally-Anne »

It depends on the admissions criteria in the area.

In areas with a "cut off" pass mark, such as Bucks (and, I think, Kent), a child deemed to have passed will be given higher priority for places if a sibling already attends the school.

In Bucks, a child attaining the pass mark of 121, living in catchment and with a sibling in years 7 - 10 at the school will take priority over any child without a sibling living nearer to the school.

Sally-Anne
piers3
Posts: 37
Joined: Fri Jan 30, 2009 1:08 pm
Location: Clapham

Siblings and allocation

Post by piers3 »

Schools admission code
Prohibition of unfair oversubscription criteria
2.16 In setting oversubscription criteria admission
authorities must not:

m) in the case of designated grammar schools
that rank all children according to a predetermined
pass mark and allocate places
to those who score highest, give priority to
siblings of current or former pupils
Schools that select more than 10% of their pupils are not allowed to give siblings priority :cry: . An appeal on those grounds are without any foundation.
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Post by Sally-Anne »

Hi Piers3

That is the situation where school places are allocated in descending order by 11+ score.

Where there is a fixed pass mark, such as the 121 pass mark in Bucks, and then other criteria (primarily distance) are applied, priority can be given to siblings.

Sally-Anne
Etienne
Posts: 8978
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:26 pm

Post by Etienne »

People must make errors on the forms all the time
And that's before one starts counting the missing forms! - Every year there are appeals from parents who say they posted their CAF in time but it never arrived. They didn't use recorded delivery and never requested a receipt.

I think an appeal panel might have some sympathy if there is a sibling criterion, and parents would otherwise have got a place. But oversubscription appeals are a balancing exercise - other factors come into play, such as how strong a case the school puts forward to resist further admissions, and the strength of other appellants' cases.
Etienne
capers123
Posts: 1865
Joined: Sun May 13, 2007 9:03 pm
Location: Gloucestershire

Post by capers123 »

Etienne wrote:
People must make errors on the forms all the time
And that's before one starts counting the missing forms! - Every year there are appeals from parents who say they posted their CAF in time but it never arrived. They didn't use recorded delivery and never requested a receipt.
Gloucestershire now uses a Capita online system, so you can enter you preferences directly, and print out a receipt. You also get to go on line at 1 min after midnight on allocation day to see the result :-) Of course, you can still sent the form for the post office to loose...
Capers
Nerdymum
Posts: 18
Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2008 2:37 pm

Post by Nerdymum »

Thanks for all your helpful replies!! I have just this minute had a phone call from my friend to say that the LEA have been sympathetic and that he is in to the school!!
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Post by Sally-Anne »

Thank goodness - common sense has prevailed! :D
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