Getting on the waiting list for a school you ranked lower

Eleven Plus (11+) in South West Hertfordshire

Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators

Post Reply
Daogroupie
Posts: 11099
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:01 pm
Location: Herts

Getting on the waiting list for a school you ranked lower

Post by Daogroupie »

Once again there is a student who wanted to go to DAO but her mother put it third because she thought she need to keep the local comps happy by putting them first or second. She has called Herts County Council and been told that there is nothing she can do. I think she should turn down 1 and 2 and go on the waiting list for DAO on allocation day when she will go to the top of the listing as the allocations will be sure to go past her rank.

WP, I know you think she can go on the waiting list for DAO on allocation day and still hold onto her first ranked school?

Who should she talk to in HCC to confirm this because she is being stonewalled by the switchboard?

Thanks

DG
hermanmunster
Posts: 12815
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Re: Getting on the waiting list for a school you ranked lowe

Post by hermanmunster »

I don't think she should turn down the allocated school, if she doesn't get DAO for some reason then she may end up with a school that wasn't on the list
Daogroupie
Posts: 11099
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:01 pm
Location: Herts

Re: Getting on the waiting list for a school you ranked lowe

Post by Daogroupie »

Believe me , she could get back the school easily enough! She is close enough to easily get a place. The issue is will she be allowed to go on the DAO waiting list without turning down her allocated school? HCC did not even tell her that they would be an option of going on the waiting list. She was told that there was nothing she could do. I know she will be allocated her first ranked school because people much further away than her get it every year. DG
Hera
Posts: 856
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 3:50 pm

Re: Getting on the waiting list for a school you ranked lowe

Post by Hera »

You can accept the place offered and then amend your preferences after the first round of allocations. It details the process in the Secondary Transfer Booklet. You can do this from about the 3rd week in March. There is no need to turn down the higher ranked schools as it will make no difference to the application.
2014 Moving On booklet, page 16 wrote:If you wish to amend your preferences for continuing interest, for example to apply for a school that was not included on your initial application form, you must make that application to the county council. Any new preferences for voluntary aided, foundation schools or academies will be forwarded to the relevant school for consideration in accordance with that school’s published admission rules. Amended preferences for continuing interest will overwrite your initial application. If you wish to retain any of your initial preferences they must be included in any amended continuing interest application. Full details of the continuing interest process will be available at http://www.hertsdirect.org/admissions" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and in the “What Can You Do Now” leaflet.
mum1969
Posts: 82
Joined: Tue Mar 06, 2012 11:33 am

Re: Getting on the waiting list for a school you ranked lowe

Post by mum1969 »

All the information re. CI and waiting lists is on the Herts County Council website under secondary admissions. The relevant section is 'Allocation Day and beyond' in the Moving On 2014 booklet . From my understanding of it they should accept the place and then ask to remain on the waiting list for DAO, they should also contact DAO and ask to be put on their waiting list (think they manage their own CI list but all offers are made through the LEA so both need to be contacted). By remaining on the CI list for DAO this automatically becomes the first preference over the school originally ranked as 1st. Have they contacted DAO and asked their advice? Am sure they have dealt with this numerous times and would prefer to answer the question now rather than in 3 weeks time when the phone lines go mad.
ToadMum
Posts: 11944
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:41 pm
Location: Essex

Re: Getting on the waiting list for a school you ranked lowe

Post by ToadMum »

Your friend's DD may rank highly enough to get a certain place at the school she misguidedly put first, but if the place is given up, unless the school is under PAN there is no guarantee that she would be able to get her place back if a place at DAO doesn't materialise after all. She may not really want the place she gets, but there may be lots of other DC on the waiting list. The place you are allocated on 1st (3rd) March is your guaranteed school place for year 7; unless the parents have an indie back-up or would be willing to home-school, they should not give up the place unless and until one is confirmed at DAO.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
Post Reply