12 +

[joop]

Starting to panic a bit now as allocation day is looming quickly.

Is it possible to go for the 12 + if you are unsuccessful at a transfer appeal for entry into year 7 for an over subscribed school?

Just thinking of possibilities for the future.

[Sally-Anne]

Hi joop

I'm not quite sure what you are asking here, but I'll guess that you are expecting to be allocated a Bucks GS, but not the one you want?

If so, the answer to your question may differ depending upon which school you prefer, so you will need to tell us that.

Sally-Anne

[joop]

No I am OOC living on South Oxon/Bucks border. Have put down SWB and JHG (did not put down RGS) as only have three choices. Would love to get a place at any of the grammar schools but transport only available to High Wycombe or Marlow from where we are. Looking at the first preferences early information I don't expect to get either. Not happy with our catchment comprehensive (not good for extension in maths/sciences my ds strengths and has no 6th form). Just thinking if there are any other options available at a later point in time like 12 + if not successful but am aware that places would be in short supply and we would still be out of catchment.

We were looking at an independent school but as we both work in the public sector slightly nervous about our job situations so am not happy to commit to 7 years fees.

Getting in a muddle a bit with it all at the minute.

[Sally-Anne]

Hi joop

I am OOC living on South Oxon/Bucks border. Have put down SWB and JHG (did not put down RGS) as only have three choices. Would love to get a place at any of the grammar schools but transport only available to High Wycombe or Marlow from where we are.

That is a reasonable point to make at a transfer appeal. You could be offered Burnham GS, so you need to prove how difficult it would be to get there and how long the journey time would be. As a rule of thumb a journey of up to 90 minutes is considered to be appropriate for children of secondary age.

Looking at the first preferences early information I don't expect to get either.

I wouldn't be quite that gloomy. I suspect that JHG could go further out of area this year than last, although you are very likely to have to sit on the waiting list. SWB will simply depend on "where everyone else lives", and even RGS could deliver surprises this year with the 1st preferences having dropped by so much. You can go on the waiting lists for all three schools after 1st March.

Just thinking if there are any other options available at a later point in time like 12 + if not successful but am aware that places would be in short supply and we would still be out of catchment.

Your son can take the 12+, but as you say, the chances of getting a place are probably almost non-existent from where you live. That would mean another transfer appeal ...

We were looking at an independent school but as we both work in the public sector slightly nervous about our job situations so am not happy to commit to 7 years fees.

A taxi (particularly a shared one) to and from Burnham GS for 7 years would be a lot cheaper than school fees, I would assume? It isn't ideal, but it is worth thinking about.

I think that all you can do is wait and see rather than hypothesising about what might happen. There are so many variables that we don't know - children who have passed the Berks tests, successful appeal numbers by school preference, etc.

We usually know the allocation profiles on 1st March itself, so we will try to post them up here the moment we receive them.

Sally-Anne

[Marylou]

We usually know the allocation profiles on 1st March itself, so we will try to post them up here the moment we receive them.

Sally-Anne

That would be greatly appreciated!

Good luck Joop!

[Sally-Anne]

A couple of my trusty 11+ elves are pretty reliable at finding a link on March 1st itself. If not, we always know the profile by March 2nd because it is included in all the posted allocation letters.

I will see if the Site Editor can add the information to the Bucks "Allocation Profile" page on the 1st or 2nd if possible so that comparative data year-on-year is available there.

I think that we should also add a further table to the allocations part of the Bucks Schools' pages that shows the first preferences against the final allocation profile for each year, but I just need to merge the data into a single spreadsheet and get it added to the site.

S-A

[guest666]

As regards a taxi to BGS, I doubt that any share would be an option. Over the years it has been very rare for any pupils to attend from an HP post code, with virtually all the more distant OOC pupils coming from the Western edges of London.

[Sally-Anne]

As regards a taxi to BGS, I doubt that any share would be an option. Over the years it has been very rare for any pupils to attend from an HP post code, with virtually all the more distant OOC pupils coming from the Western edges of London.

That will be because the Wycombe schools (JHG in particular) have not been heavily oversubscribed in the past. This year could be different, and I think there is at least one other forum member who lives in the same sort of area as joop, so a taxi-share might just be an option.

S-A

[joop]

Many thanks for the replies.

If I put my ds on a waiting list for a school we have not visited, is it then possible to visit the school if a place comes up ? I think my ds would find it difficult to go to a school if he had not seen it beforehand. Am thinking of RGS or BGS.

[Sally-Anne]

Almost every school in Bucks is willing to allow parents and children to visit outside open evenings.