Three choices in Herts unfair

[nadri]

Hi first post!

My son has started year 4 and thinking about secondary schools.

I had planned to apply for both Herts and Barnett schools which would have been on 2 forms. I now understand as a Herts resident I only get 3 choices and I am very upset as all the schools I like are over subscribed.

People in Barnet and Harrow can apply to Herts schools with little impact on their choices. Seems unfair.

I am thinking about making a complaint to the county council and/or start a petition to help Herts children to get equal rights. I know there has been a WD3 action group that campaigned on this point. The Council think this is isolated but WD7 6 and 23 in my area are all hit too. Herts also have said they are worried about change choice on rural communities and on transport. However all schools have their own admission rules and catchment areas so I can't see this point.

I wanted to know if any one else feels passionately about this matter or just me!

[mad?]

Hi, not my area at all but it does seem unfair. There was a thread earlier this year addressing this issue in Surrey (sorry I can't post the link) and a sginificant number of comlpaints were made...not sure where they got with it but worth trying to hunt the thread down as there was definitely a groundswell of opinion in agreement with you and action was taken to try to change things. Good luck.

[nadri]

Thanks. I'll look in Surrey thread. I think it is mad too. If you want to apply for a selective school in Herts under 3 options there is a clear risk of getting no good school. Things are worse for me. I live in Radlett and we have no local secondary school and not a priority for any school. So we need more choice.

I am hoping to start an E petition on Herts county system. Hoping people will support me!

[WP]

Nadri, you're certainly not alone in resenting this. Since Surrey changed to 6 preferences this year, I think Herts is now the only LA bordering London with only 3 preferences. The county have received lots of complaints but never acted on it. One year they considered consulting on a change, but dropped it at the pre-consultation stage. They see it as a problem only for the southwest corner of the county, and think it will be fixed by changing to getting test results before filling out the preference form. (I don't see that myself.)

[nadri]

Are they changing to tests pre the form? If so pretty pointless unless you know your ranking in each school.

The 3 best schools Parmiters Watford Grammar and Dame Alice have so few academic spaces that you should be able to apply for all and have a reserve. Even 4 choices would be better.

Why are Herts so backward. I am on Herts Harrow Barnet border so this is clearly a big issues in Hertsmere too and not isolated on SW.

[WP]

The recent draft of the new Admissions Code proposed making early testing obligatory everywhere. I agree that it wouldn't help much here. (It would create extra problems, though.)

[nadri]

WP do you know how the early testing is meant to work and how I can find out about it?

[WP]

The proposed revised Admissions Code put up for consultation has disappeared.

The current Code recommends, but does not require, that test results be available before the form is due. This is useful where there is a fixed cutoff, as in the Bucks system, but isn't very helpful for schools that admit by rank order. I don't think anyone knows how it would be done in Herts.

[nadri]

WP do you think there would be enough support from people for an e-petition to show Hertfordshire that we want equality?

[pabrighton0]

I agree this is really unfair.

I wonder if KPIs have anything to do with it? It must sound great to say a very high percentage of children got their 1st, 2nd or 3rd choice of school!!!

Now seriously, they are failing Herts children's. Behind this may be a belief in a purely comprehensive school system.

But there is nothing more unequal than the equal treatment of unequal people...