FILLING IN YOUR CAF - ALWAYS PUT PREFERRED SCHOOL FIRST

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nervousmom
Posts: 1687
Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2012 9:38 am
Location: Warwickshire

FILLING IN YOUR CAF - ALWAYS PUT PREFERRED SCHOOL FIRST

Post by nervousmom »

Some people get a little confused filling it their CAF and worry listing one school above another may jeopardise chances of another school.

WHATEVER YOUR PREFERENCE ORDER THE SCHOOLS ARE NOT AWARE

Always out your first choice school first on your CAF even if you don't think you will get it. Things constantly change and you just never know.

DO NOT place a school in preference 1 that has a lower AQS than a school you have placed in preference 2. Doing this is a waste of one of your choices.


YOU WILL ONLY BE PLACED ON THE WAITING LISTS OF THE SCHOOLS THAT WERE ON YOUR PREFERENCE FORM ABOVE YOUR ALLOCATED SCHOOL.

Example

Your DS scored 240 and you really want CHB but as last year showed 243 you believe you won't get it, so realistically you're thinking more likely FW .

Put CHB as FIRST choice and FW as second. This way even if not offered initially at 240 you will be placed on the waiting list where you are more than likely to get the place.

If you put FW first then CHB second and scores for CHB are 238, you WILL NOT be given CHB you will be given FW and won't be on the waiting list for CHB, even though you have a high enough score.

All preferences from all councils are input onto a computer programme. It is the computer that allocates the schools, based on the information it has.

SO REMEMBER - always out your schools in order that you want them and in order of their qualifying scores.
Thumbsup
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Re: FILLING IN YOUR CAF - ALWAYS PUT PREFERRED SCHOOL FIRST

Post by Thumbsup »

Thank you nervousmom. Very useful post.

My DS scored 202 Bham, 319 WSC (not pp)

First 2 Preferences on CAF will be AGS & QMGS (unsure as to which order yet). There doesn't seem to be much info on last place from waiting list. I think it was 319. I really don't know how the new catchment and pp policy will affect for AGS, but will probably put AGS first, so there is hope from the waiting list (plus this is school we really like!). If not allocated first preference than hopefully should get QMGS as they are expecting score to drop below 319.

Then I'm thinking of putting Handsworth Boys as 3rd preference on CAF and then two local comprehensive schools as preference 4 & 5.

Any advice greatly appreciated. Is 202 too low for Handsworth? Worth a shot or should I put another local comprehensive as 3rd preference?

Can't wait to submit CAF and then try to forget about this until March!
Petitpois
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Re: FILLING IN YOUR CAF - ALWAYS PUT PREFERRED SCHOOL FIRST

Post by Petitpois »

top blogger NM. much appreciated :)
ToadMum
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Re: FILLING IN YOUR CAF - ALWAYS PUT PREFERRED SCHOOL FIRST

Post by ToadMum »

Thumbsup wrote:
Then I'm thinking of putting Handsworth Boys as 3rd preference on CAF and then two local comprehensive schools as preference 4 & 5.

Any advice greatly appreciated. Is 202 too low for Handsworth? Worth a shot or should I put another local comprehensive as 3rd preference?
If you have a good chance of getting a place at either of the comprehensive schools you are aiming to put 4th and 5th (and, obviously, would be okay with being given a place at them should it all go rear-shaped with your grammar preferences), then it doesn't matter if Handsworth is a long shot - if you don't get either of your first two, you might be lucky there, but if not, you should get number 4 or number 5. However, if the two comprehensives are 'risky' but there is one which would be a safe bet, you would be better off listing that school somewhere and dropping the least favourite out of Handsworth / Comp a / Comp b. It doesn't matter if you put it last (in fact, you ought to if you would really prefer one of the others), the school just judges the application against its published criteria and 'position on CAF' cannot be one of them.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
nervousmom
Posts: 1687
Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2012 9:38 am
Location: Warwickshire

Re: FILLING IN YOUR CAF - ALWAYS PUT PREFERRED SCHOOL FIRST

Post by nervousmom »

Thumbsup wrote:Thank you nervousmom. Very useful post.

My DS scored 202 Bham, 319 WSC (not pp)

First 2 Preferences on CAF will be AGS & QMGS (unsure as to which order yet). There doesn't seem to be much info on last place from waiting list. I think it was 319. I really don't know how the new catchment and pp policy will affect for AGS, but will probably put AGS first, so there is hope from the waiting list (plus this is school we really like!). If not allocated first preference than hopefully should get QMGS as they are expecting score to drop below 319.

Then I'm thinking of putting Handsworth Boys as 3rd preference on CAF and then two local comprehensive schools as preference 4 & 5.

Any advice greatly appreciated. Is 202 too low for Handsworth? Worth a shot or should I put another local comprehensive as 3rd preference?

Can't wait to submit CAF and then try to forget about this until March!
I can't help with AGS & QMGS as I've never had dealings with these. However, put the one on your form first that has the highest QS. If AGS has higher QS and is your preferred choice put it first. If AGS has highest QS but you want QM, put QM first and don't bother putting AGS on as this would be a wasted preference.

Last score offered got Handsworth boys this year was 204, we don't know yet whether this will go up or down, so 202 may or may not be enough.

However, if you have 5 preferences on your CAF definitely put Handsworth as 3rd preference, because you have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Then put your comps in preferred order.
Last edited by nervousmom on Sun Oct 18, 2015 4:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
nervousmom
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Re: FILLING IN YOUR CAF - ALWAYS PUT PREFERRED SCHOOL FIRST

Post by nervousmom »

Petitpois wrote:top blogger NM. much appreciated :)
:D

I may not know much about the SD equations that you, Bob and MSD were quoting, but I do know how to fill a CAF :lol:
Thumbsup
Posts: 120
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2014 8:51 am

Re: FILLING IN YOUR CAF - ALWAYS PUT PREFERRED SCHOOL FIRST

Post by Thumbsup »

nervousmom wrote:
Petitpois wrote:top blogger NM. much appreciated :)
:D

I may not know much about the SD equations that you, Bob and MSD were quoting, but I do know how to fill a CAF :lol:
Thank you sooo much. It's nice to run things by someone who knows how to fill a CAF!! I've had sleepless nights regarding what order etc! I really appreciate your post and your comments are very useful.

Thanks again! x
Petitpois
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Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2015 7:44 am

Re: FILLING IN YOUR CAF - ALWAYS PUT PREFERRED SCHOOL FIRST

Post by Petitpois »

KEHGS and CHG are very close pref. With a leaning for KEHGS. So I suppose that Makes KEHGS 1st pref.

If I do that I lose any remote chance there is of CHG from waiting list. Realistically I would have need 225/6 for that.

Being spooked by 223 and worried about a rise in cut off scores and uncertain about what others will do, I have have to entertain the chance that I'll end up with a certain offer from WGHS, which I don't really want (lovely school but don't want the commute).

So to maximise my chances of the above two KE schools I need to get on the waiting list list for CHG and the only way to do that is to put CHG first. The trade off being am I willing to gamble a small risk to my 1st choice (KEHGS) to gain a small rise in the probability that I will successfully avoid a near certain offer from WGHS.

If I put KEHGS first its simple, either I make cut off or I don't and then they will revert to offering me WGHS.

Surely a case to consider. First and foremost I want KEHGS, but secondly I want a KE over WSC, I think I might be in a rare case where I put my 1st choice second to ensure I get on the waiting list and maximise. I need to hope chg drops, but not so much it scuppers my first choice

We ruled out KEFW because it was mixed and it didn't look like much money was being ploughed in, but that is an aside - we just ruled it out. If we had ruled it in, given the score we have it would have made sense to get on the wait list for them both, if were trying to avoid the certain offer from WGHS. That said if any off them offer on 1/3 that is first choice gone forever. There is a trade off of risk to be made
KenR
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Re: FILLING IN YOUR CAF - ALWAYS PUT PREFERRED SCHOOL FIRST

Post by KenR »

Always out your first choice school first on your CAF even if you don't think you will get it. Things constantly change and you just never know.
This is correct is the vast majority of situations(certainly for B/Ham and Solihull residents), but those living in Worcs who have only 3 preferences on the CAF form might need to be careful. For example, if they score say 229 and would really like KECHB but would be happy with either KEFW or KES Stratford but need also a fallback then what do they do?

In this situation I would probably not put KECHB down as the 1st choice(based on historical scores), but would probably do the best available by putting KEFW as 1, KES Stratford as 2 (if they are in the Southern priority Circle) and the local Worcs catchment as 3rd. I might also put a comment on the form along the lines that if I had more choices on the CAF form (as recommended by by the FO but rejected by Worcs Council) then I would would have put KECHB as the 1st choice. (so in the event that the KECHB pass mark dropped then I could try to escalate with the FO and get the preferences changes.
nervousmom
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Location: Warwickshire

Re: FILLING IN YOUR CAF - ALWAYS PUT PREFERRED SCHOOL FIRST

Post by nervousmom »

PP, you've got it :) If you are on the waiting list for CHG and get offered Handsworth you'll be happy. If at a later stage you do get offered CHG but decide you don't really want it and want to stay with Handsworth, then you don't accept the CHG place , so you really have nothing to lose by putting CHG first.

Ken - I keep forgetting about poor Worcester only having 3 choices. So you are right, they have to be a lot more careful.
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