School Preference - Tiffin/Sutton/WCGS/Wilson

[svg123]

Hello all,

I am after general feedback about the above schools and the preference you will give them on the CAF.
Thanks in advance.

- svg123

[ThreeKids]

Tricky one I suspect for people to answer. I am doing girls this year and we have made a decision. Our order will be:
1. Tiffin
2. Local comprehensive (we are well within catchment so this is a guaranteed place)
3. Nonsuch
4. WHSG

Now clearly putting Nonsuch & WHSG below the comprehensive means that whether DD passes or not she will not be offered a place at either. So why? Well we really didn't warm to WHSG, and have misgivings about Nonsuch. Neither seem the right fit for DD. However there is a chance that a number of her friends may get into Nonsuch and that come March she will wish that she had put it higher on her form (assuming that she would have been eligible for a place!). She has done the test, and should the day come when she suddenly changes her mind then having put them on the form we stand some slight chance of being able to change our minds.

Tiffin and the comprehensive weigh up pretty equally. Tiffin is obviously very difficult to get in to, will push her which concerns me a little - but if she does get in then I suspect that she can cope with that - and the journey time will be considerably longer. On the plus side the areas of the curriculum which most interest her are much better catered for there. The local school is very sound, would be a 10 minute walk each way and was equally friendly and all her school friends would be local. We felt like both schools were 'home' which is something that we didn't feel about either Nonsuch or WHSG. Tiffin was more inspirational, though the local school does very well with bright kids. DD likes doing well and coming top so if she were to get into Tiffin we would have to consider that a bit as though she is strong across the board she is not stellar in any one area, so she is likely to always do well but rarely come top.

When we were looking for DS we had a different scenario. DS is quiet, not sporty, very self motivated, had started to 'drop' marks so that he didn't come top every time, and took to heart when he was teased for being a nerd. He is pretty bright and excels in maths & science with other subjects not as strong. For him WCGS felt like 'home'.

DS2 is a different kettle of fish altogether. We have yet to cross that bridge! He is again not particulalry sporty, but much more fiesty and 'boy' like. Again the sciences are his thing, but not so much maths. For me it would clearly be great if he could get into WCGS, but when the time comes I will have a fresh look at all the available schools and determine where is 'home' for him.

[svg123]

Thanks ThreeKids.
You have the first hand experience of WCGS. How do you rate it?
I am not local but what I have heard from others is that its a small school with friendly atmosphere and focus on academics.
If you have to make another decision for your DS1, will you still choose WCGS? or, you will go for another school?

Many thanks in advance.

[ThreeKids]

If I had my time again I would definitely still go for WCGS for DS1. He is doing very comfortably there and loves it. There are things about the school that make it a bit 'tatty' around the edges, but the heart is there. There are things I would like to improve on occasion, but nothing huge and to be honest I have yet to come across a school that could not do a little better in some areas. WCGS does seem to have the bit between it's teeth to improve, but for me and for DS1 they have the key ingredients spot on already. He and it fit well.

The pastoral care and general enthusiasm of the teachers etc is perfect for DS1, and there is a calmness about the place. DS2? I'm not sure. I dont think it would do him any harm at all, but I wonder if there is a better fit for him as a person both because he is a different child and because it may be good for him not to be in his brother's shadow. Having said that he's keen to go there and it would certainly suit me!

[rejim2]

Had a doubt regarding filling the CAF.
My DS passed WCGS . Wilson will come hopefully next week.
About to write Sutton and Tiffins exam too as most of the kids.
The question is if he pass Sutton / Tiffin and not in the top bits, will he be missed out for wallington too being putting WCGS after these schools. Somewhere in the forum I have read that if he don’t pass any of the schools which is put before the school which DC has passed in the CAF, then that school ( where the child has passed) will come automatically the first choice of the applicant. Is my understanding right- could anyone help with the queries.

[ThreeKids]

Under the equal preference system in theory places are allocated I guess as follows.

For example 'School A' says - offer a place to these 120 boys (the top 120) no matter where on the form they put us. The allocation system is 'run' to allocate all of those places, and all other schools are similarly allocated in that way at the same time. Then examine what's happened. There are 3 scenarios:-

1. A place has gone to a boy that has put School A first on their form - they are done - remove that application from the allocation process.
2. A boy gets allocated a place at School A but also gets allocated a place at a school they put above School A on their form. So 'remove' School A as one of their options and they are done if the school they are currently allocated is their first preference, if it isn't they re-enter the process but with the 'request' for a place at School A removed and the place allocated is then released for the next run of the allocation process.
3. A boy gets allocated School A but it isn't their first preference and they have yet to be offered a place by their preferred school. They 'hang onto' their School A place for the moment and get put back into the allocation process to see if they now pick up a place at a school they prefer.

So from 2 above there will be some places spare from School A, and there are boys who still haven't got their first preference. So I guess the system is re-run in this way until there are no places left over to be allocated from any school.

Clear as mud!

[catcool]

It is actually quite simple as the attached explains. It only gets complicated when parents try to box clever and end up making a mess of it. The simple rule is list the schools in the order you prefer and you can't go wrong.

http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/school ... nce-system" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[rejim2]

Hi all,
Thank u so much for the clarifications

[rejim2]

Could someone please clarify these?

If we give the school preference as say, tiffin, sutton, wilson and wallington and if the child is in the waiting list for all the schools, does the preference we make in the CAF ( as aforesaid) affect the place allocation.

Thankyou so much!

[ThreeKids]

Could someone please clarify these?

If we give the school preference as say, tiffin, sutton, wilson and wallington and if the child is in the waiting list for all the schools, does the preference we make in the CAF ( as aforesaid) affect the place allocation.

Thankyou so much!

As I understand it - you are on the waiting list period. They have no idea what your preference is. So say you are on the waiting list for all and you get offered a place at Wilson's at - et's say - Easter. You should then removed your son from the Wallington witing list, as even if you were offered a place you would not take it, as you prefer Wilson's, but you would remian on the WL for Sutton & Tiffin hoping for an offer from one of them. I guess there is a cut-off at some point, but I think most of the schools keep their WL open at least until the end of the first term. However as a parent you may decide that you would rather buy 1 school uniform, prepare for one school and commit to the induction days etc etc, and therefore decide at some point to remove your son's name from the waiting list of higher placed schools once you have accepted a place at a school that you are possibly just as happy with.