Spare spaces; what happens to them?

Eleven Plus (11+) in Kent

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scaredkentmum
Posts: 82
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2011 8:26 am

Spare spaces; what happens to them?

Post by scaredkentmum »

Hypothetically speaking...... :-)

I understand that there are some grammar schools in East Kent with places. What happens if they still have spaces next term after all the appeals have been held? Do they consider later appeals or do they start the year empty or does KCC allocate them someone?
penguin
Posts: 264
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2011 3:49 pm

Re: Spare spaces; what happens to them?

Post by penguin »

:?

I'd like to know as well please - as I keep panicking periodically and they could form part of my plan C.
scaredkentmum
Posts: 82
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2011 8:26 am

Re: Spare spaces; what happens to them?

Post by scaredkentmum »

This has had more than 100 views so look like others would like to know too. I had a playground discussion with another mum about our plan C too, which was why I was asking and wondered if other people knew from last year although I suppose it might be different with lots of academies. I'll see if I can phone KCC and ask. I will be on first name terms with them soon lol
Aline
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Mar 11, 2012 10:25 pm

Re: Spare spaces; what happens to them?

Post by Aline »

On which page are the more than 100 views?
Etienne
Posts: 8978
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:26 pm

Re: Spare spaces; what happens to them?

Post by Etienne »

Since children can only have a place at a grammar school if qualified (either via the 11+ or an appeal), any spare places would remain unfilled.

If refused a place, you can have an appeal when the main batch of hearings takes place - or later. There is no statutory deadline - just an administrative deadline for inclusion in the main batch of hearings.

Normally you can only have one appeal per school for entry in a particular academic year.
Etienne
scaredkentmum
Posts: 82
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2011 8:26 am

Re: Spare spaces; what happens to them?

Post by scaredkentmum »

Thanks Etienne

Not sure whether its stupid to think about travelling miles and miles to school. I suppose time will tell how desperate we become!
WillowTheWisp
Posts: 36
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2012 1:49 pm

Re: Spare spaces; what happens to them?

Post by WillowTheWisp »

A school in EK may well start the year with spaces in Y7, in fact it is quite possible with some school's as they can not offer to children who are not assessed with the correct ability (here we could enter the WK / EK / OOC debate about tutoring / preperation etc. etc. because it does have an impact on numbers being assessed G / H where parents are less clued up about education - it does happen) and why should a panel allow appeals if the child would struggle? Of course the school want to fill their places and there are a significant number of places offered at these school's on appeal to children who have evidenced suitable ability but were not masters of NVR / VR tests, having perfected the techniques :shock: .

I would be considering how important a 'Grammar' education is before thinking about sending a child on a very long journey to school. Shouldn't the decision be based on which school is best, not accepting whatever is left of those GS's if that school isn't suitable for the DC? From experience I have found that some of the EK GS's which had a number of spaces actually perform very well, holding respectable league table positions and have glowing Ofsted reports when taking the time to look in depth at them. Finally how you 'feel' about the school when you visit it is a factor. On that basis I might lean towards allowing DC to travel a distance but not because it is a Grammar School as such.

As for 'Spare Spaces', time will tell if these become so large that the school have no choice but to reduce their PAN because of lack of demand.....
U400JB9
Posts: 778
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 5:29 pm
Location: East Kent

Re: Spare spaces; what happens to them?

Post by U400JB9 »

I may be wrong but I have a daughter in year 8 and when we appealed to the schools in east Kent the ones in Faversham, Canterbury and Ramsgate, as well as the girls in Dover , were well over subscribed, and all of them went over PAN that year with appeals.

I know of several people who put in late appeals to the remaining `local` Grammars having not been successful at the above mentioned......most of them got offered a place, but they all had good reasons for the borderline fail and hadn`t been successful at the other appeals because of the over subscription element.

WAY back in december DD2 was invited to an open day at the Girls school in Folkestone, and she`s in year 5....they really seem to have `upped` their game since we were at the appeal stage....I`m assuming they are the school with places?

I`ll be interested to see if the popularity of the FolkestoneBoys Grammar increases now the boys Grammar in Canterbury has gone super-selective and the co ed Grammar has always been over subscribed.

Just out of interest...do we have more Grammar schools in East Kent.....there seem to be alot
DC17C
Posts: 1197
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:34 pm

Re: Spare spaces; what happens to them?

Post by DC17C »

As for 'Spare Spaces', time will tell if these become so large that the school have no choice but to reduce their PAN because of lack of demand.....[/quote]

Could there be an element of a "lower birth rate" year so reducing the PAN could be short sighted?
WillowTheWisp
Posts: 36
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2012 1:49 pm

Re: Spare spaces; what happens to them?

Post by WillowTheWisp »

I think that both of the Folkestone (boys and girls) and Ashford girls GS's are under subscribed this year based on allocation from 'KT passes', but they will undoubtedly fill and some may even go slightly over PAN after appeals but not all. When DS started in Folkestone a couple of years ago they were taking the odd one in the first term still from further afield than you might normally expect and still have a couple of 'spaces'. Dover always fills because they do their own entrance testing too, and is oversubscribed as are the Canterbury / Ramsgate too. I think the issue is there is a quite even distribution of 'places' but more demand in WK because of the pressure of OOC.... not a problem in many school's in the East given that side of the County is bordered more by water and from France is a long way to travel in reality for a school place :lol:

It is true that the tide is turning (too many cliche's here....) and that the historically less popular GS's are being seen for the good education provisions that they are. Then you get the anomoly of a school, like at Highworth this year, which can be oversubscribed one year and then way under another.

Wouldn't want to be the person who has to try and plan allocations!!!!
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