Can we have a sticky please on how school allocation works?

Eleven Plus (11+) in Kent

Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators

11 Plus Mocks - Practise the real exam experience - Book Now
kentsussexborder
Posts: 247
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2009 8:01 pm

Can we have a sticky please on how school allocation works?

Post by kentsussexborder »

Mods - having read lots of threads over the last 9 months or so, it seems that there is quite a bit of confusion about how allocation through the LEA works.

Is it possible to have a sticky detailing the process (including some pointers as to the order to put on your CAF) in easy to understand terms, so that if people post having taken misleading advice as truth we can point them in the direction of the sticky rather than repeating the same information again?
yoyo123
Posts: 8099
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: East Kent

Post by yoyo123 »

I'll pass the idea on.

Might take a while to organise, I haven;t looked at a CAF form since 2003!
kentsussexborder
Posts: 247
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2009 8:01 pm

Post by kentsussexborder »

I'm happy to draft my understanding of the situation (from a current applicant's POV) for it to be amended as necessary.
yoyo123
Posts: 8099
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: East Kent

Post by yoyo123 »

OK, that would be a help..
SSM
Posts: 646
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2009 12:09 pm

Post by SSM »

That's a good idea, but remember to point out that things do change year on year, eg last year if KCC couldn't offer you a GS from your CAF they offered a GS where there were spaces, this year however they are offerring 'all ability schools' which are close by.

So people should still read the Admissions booklet from cover to cover and back again. Or is it just us neurotic people that do that :oops:
kentsussexborder
Posts: 247
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2009 8:01 pm

Post by kentsussexborder »

SSM I understand that it changes from year to year so wouldn't presume to replace the reading of the Admissions Bible!

I was hoping to provide a general idea of the process behind the allocation e.g. do the schools know your preference order, what does the LEA do with CAFs, how does your preference order affect the school you are given. I suppose a FAQ but certainly not a definitive guide to each individual school's selection policy - that's up to the parent to research as I only know about my small corner of Kent/Sussex.
SSM
Posts: 646
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2009 12:09 pm

Post by SSM »

kentsussexborder wrote:SSM I understand that it changes from year to year so wouldn't presume to replace the reading of the Admissions Bible!
I'm sure you wouldn't have, :lol: :lol:
WP
Posts: 1331
Joined: Thu Jan 03, 2008 9:26 am
Location: Watford, Herts

Post by WP »

kentsussexborder wrote:I was hoping to provide a general idea of the process behind the allocation e.g. do the schools know your preference order, what does the LEA do with CAFs, how does your preference order affect the school you are given.
Here's at attempt at summarizing the process:
  1. For each school, take the list of children who have listed them somewhere on their CAF, and allocate places up to the school's Published Admission Number, using the school's oversubscription criteria. (This is done by the school's admissions authority, either the school or its LA, but this shouldn't matter, as they will be following the published criteria.) This step does not use your rankings - unless the admissions authority is your home LA, they won't even know your rankings.
  2. If any child has a place at more than one school, use their preferences to identify the one they prefer, and release the other places. (This is done by the child's home LA.)
  3. For each school, offer the places so released to the next most qualified applicants.
  4. If anyone now has more than one place, go back to step 2.
  5. Allocate anyone without an offer a place at a school with free places. (This is done by their home LA.)
Thus each applicant should end up with a single offer, which they are sent on Allocation Day.

Moral: Rank schools in your true preference order, including a safe backup option.
kentsussexborder
Posts: 247
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2009 8:01 pm

Post by kentsussexborder »

Thanks WP that is exactly what happens but I think as soon as you start talking about PAN and other such jargon, people 'not in the know' will become confused.

Here's my take on it:

In Kent you can select up to 4 preferences on your CAF. In Sussex, you can select 3 and in other counties/boroughs you may be lucky enough to select 5 or 6 preferences. You always apply through the LEA in which you live/pay your council tax.

So, you have been to see schools A, B, C, D, E, F, and G but have preferences for A, B, C and D. You list these schools on your CAF in your order of preference ie. the one you want the most is at the top.

The CAF is submitted to your LEA, who then submit a list of names to schools A, B, C, D. At no time do the schools have any idea of your preference.

The schools then apply their particular selection criteria to the list of names they have been supplied. So it might be on score, it might be on distance, it might be on faith. They might also give preference to siblings and to whether or not you are in county or out of county or out of area. They work their way down the list until all the places are filled and all the applicants are listed in rank/qualification order.

The lists are then returned to the LEA who check the names against the application forms.

Now at this point, if you are very lucky you might have four schools who have accepted your application e.g. you scored 420 so can gain a place at the super-selective, live close to another grammar school which takes pupils on distance and also attend church regularly so fulfil the faith requirements. You are also in distance for a comprehensive. The LEA then looks at your preference list and selects your first choice. So it always pays to put your true first choice first!

If, however, you didn't get a place at your first choice (perhaps you didn't score highly enough or live too far away) the LEA will then look at your second choice school and if you have gained a place here you will receive this as your allocated school.

And so on, down the list. Any places not taken up by you/your child are released to other children further down on the list.

If you are really unlucky, you may not gain a place at any of your preferences and will then be allocated a school by the LEA. This is where you may end up without a grammar school at all, or be allocated a school on the other side of the county.
pheasantchick
Posts: 2439
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 10:28 pm

Post by pheasantchick »

PAN?
Post Reply
11 Plus Mocks - Practise the real exam experience - Book Now