CAF form guidance

Eleven Plus (11+) in Surrey (Sutton, Kingston and Wandsworth)

Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators

mamu
Posts: 48
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2014 6:06 pm

CAF form guidance

Post by mamu »

I am still slightly confused on how the waiting list works.

So if I have the preference of schools in order like A, B, C, D, E and F.
On 1st March, if I get an offer from say B, i hope i will be in the waiting list for A.......my question is will we be still in the waiting list for C, D, E and F. So that if we need to change our mind for any reason in between now and 1st March then we get an opportunity to correct our decision?
We are OOC to all our preferred schools so we wont be sure till 1st March which school we get.
tiffinboys
Posts: 8022
Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2011 11:00 pm
Location: Surrey

Re: CAF form guidance

Post by tiffinboys »

No, you will not be on the waiting list of C onwards. But you can request to go on their wait list after the allocation day.
SunlampVexesEel
Posts: 1245
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 9:31 pm

Re: CAF form guidance

Post by SunlampVexesEel »

Always put the schools in the order you want them.

You will only be offered a school if it is your higher preference, not the other way around.

If you find yourself surprised to be eligible for a school you did not expect then you can only be offered then you will be eligible iff it is a higher preference on your list.

Regards
SVE
Animis opibusque parati
mamu
Posts: 48
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2014 6:06 pm

Re: CAF form guidance

Post by mamu »

tiffinboys wrote:No, you will not be on the waiting list of C onwards. But you can request to go on their wait list after the allocation day.
Thanks.
So if I go for the waiting list and in few weeks we get thru can we then reject the 1st offer and go for the second?
tiffinboys
Posts: 8022
Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2011 11:00 pm
Location: Surrey

Re: CAF form guidance

Post by tiffinboys »

If you get offer from other schools, you would accept that and decline the earlier offer.

But it would be lot less hassle if you carefully decide your true order of preference before submitting CAF.
loopylou
Posts: 403
Joined: Wed Feb 24, 2010 9:08 am

Re: CAF form guidance

Post by loopylou »

It is best not to decline anything unless or until you have a new offer from the waiting list of the school you had changed your mind about wanting a place at.
Otherwise you would risk ending up with no offer of a school place at all in the event that the waiting list you joined didn't move or didn't move quite enough.

As tiffins says though, waiting lists are not for the faint-hearted!
They don't start moving until everyone has declined or accepted their March offers (and they have to chase people up for this - they don't just whisk their place away of they don't bother replying). That can take weeks.
They tend to come to a grinding halt over Easter and half term and of course over summer.
You might end up with a waiting list offer after the school has done induction days and uniform sale days which can leave your child feeling upset or left out or worried.
They are a glimmer of hope for many people who would otherwise not get an offer and people in that position can just about tolerate the stress for the prospect of a happy outcome. However, it would be crazy to deliberately leave yourself at the mercy of waiting lists if you have the chance before then to really think about which school you like best and potentially get a straight forward offer in March.
mamu
Posts: 48
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2014 6:06 pm

Re: CAF form guidance

Post by mamu »

Thanks Loopylou and Tiffinboys.
After the allocation day can I then request to be in the waiting list to a completely new school for which my DD did qualify but was not in our earlier 6 choices in the CAF form?
newdud
Posts: 141
Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2014 9:30 pm

Re: CAF form guidance

Post by newdud »

After the allocation day can I then request to be in the waiting list to a completely new school for which my DD did qualify but was not in our earlier 6 choices in the CAF form?
I am not sure why you want to do that ?
You list 6 schools on the CAF then you go on the waiting list for a 7th school , that suggests that your prefrence is not correct. The CAF system is designed such that you will be allocated a places which takes your preference into account.
Putting school B in to 2nd does not prejudice your chance of getting into school A which may be your 1st choice. The schools do not know your preference when they receive your application via the CAF system as such they assign places based on the admission criteria only.

There is an excellent diagram on this site which shows how the system works.
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... 30&t=28833" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As far as I understand, you can contact the 7th school and ask to go on the list.
ToadMum
Posts: 11947
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:41 pm
Location: Essex

Re: CAF form guidance

Post by ToadMum »

Mamu, you have commented elsewhere that you are OOC for all the schools that you are interested in. This is a rather risky strategy a) with the possibility that you get none of your choices, but also b) if the school that you are allocated is nowhere near the school(s) you go on the waiting list for, you run the risk of having to move house at the drop of a hat if the waiting list place comes up. When our DD was offered an in-year place at her current grammar school, we had three days to respond to the offer and she was expected to start at her new school three days after that deadline. Is it really not possible for you to decide on a school / area and stick to that?
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
Dadcool
Posts: 27
Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2015 10:29 pm

Re: CAF form guidance

Post by Dadcool »

newdud wrote:
After the allocation day can I then request to be in the waiting list to a completely new school for which my DD did qualify but was not in our earlier 6 choices in the CAF form?
I am not sure why you want to do that ?
Not everyone is having luxury of 6 choices on CAF form :( . Unfortunately, we have option of only 4 choices .... and I had exactly the same question.
Post Reply