Private school closing and pupils allowed late 11+ test

[Thegirlrider]

My daughter scored 94.5 out of 140 (75 pass mark), and was given 3 x yes on results day as an idea as to wether she would be likely offered a place at our 2 grammars and our selective stream at a local comp. We duly applied to our nearest grammar (0.5 miles away) as 1st choice and the further away grammar as 2nd choice. We were allocated our 3rd choice school which is a popular local comp. I have contacted both grammars today to find out where she is on the waiting lists. She is 10th and 8th respectively. Both have said this gives us little to no hope of a place. In an email to me one of the admissions officers explains why she didn’t get a grammar place this year, when she would have strolled in last year (and previous years)he explained that our local private school is closing and the children were allowed to take the exam in January. A full term after my child. My grounds are that my child would have got the 5pts she needed for a place if she had taken the test a term into year 6. Does anyone have any advice as to how I go about appealing on these grounds

[mad?]

Welcome to the forum. Gosh what a strange situation. I am amazed that they allowed this many late sitters but it might be worth checking on their admissions page to see if they have a late sitting date? In the mean time I'm sure an expert will be along shortly but I imagine it would be helpful if you said which area this is?

[Thegirlrider]

Yes we were informed of another sitting less than 2 weeks later for children that were unable to sit the exam due to illness or other circumstances. I wasn’t informed at any point of a group of children being allowed to sit the exam many weeks later. My area is Torbay.

[The Lamp Post]

You should appeal and contact your local councillor. Seems very unfair, if they were doing that they should have weighted the scores differently and also laid on an extra class

[kenyancowgirl]

I think you should start by reading your own council's admissions rules. They will (or should be) clearly laid out about late testing. I suspect that this is all above board - the people in the private school probably found out after the "normal" test date that teh school was closing and thereofre applied for late testing under the councils rules - I am summising, as I don't have time to check the rules for your area, but that is what would happen in our area. Rightly, none of those late applicants would have been given an offer in the first round of allocations (which would have happened on 1st March). But now there is a waiting list, they will feed in, again, as per the council rules. There may be that there are other criteria they consider too (for example distance on equal scores etc).

I get what you are saying about your child possibly scoring more later - playing devil's advocate, arguably you had that option (to wait and take your chances as a late applicant) - and, I do have sympathy for parents who have the school pulled out of them at a late date too. You could look to appeal and see if a panel looks favourably on it but you would have to prove academic ability first as well as overcoming oversubscription. I don't agree with Lamp post that scores should have been weighted differently, if the council iis following it's own admissions rules.

[ToadMum]

If the scores are age-standardised, then the late sitters will presumably have been compared with those main date sitters who were the age when they sat then that the late sitters were in January. That is, with main date sitters who are three months older than they are.

[Thegirlrider]

In the “original” exam in September we were told the ages would be standardised. So I assume they would do the same for the January pupils. But even so it does seem a little unfair to have accepted so many late applications when the other families had completed the CAF on the basis their child had received 3 x Yes on results day.

[mad?]

In the “original” exam in September we were told the ages would be standardised. So I assume they would do the same for the January pupils. But even so it does seem a little unfair to have accepted so many late applications when the other families had completed the CAF on the basis their child had received 3 x Yes on results day.

It does, as usually late applications are not considered until afterthe first round of allocations, so as KCG says this then affects the waiting list, but not first allocations... Are you sure they have been included in the main round and have you checked the admissions procedures to see how they outline they will deal with late applications?

[Thegirlrider]

This is a snippet from the admissions officers email to me today, he was explaining why my child didn’t get a place even though she “passed” the exam.

Tower House closed and pupils there were allowed to take the test late - we had children moving into the area and because they applied to their previous school at the right time were treated as on-time applications here - and a number of children who took the test at another school chose to put Churston as their first preference.

[mitasol]

Unfortunately, qualifying on GS tests does not guarantee a place.

The coordinated admissions information for Torbay should help you decide if school places have been allocated correctly. http://www.torbay.gov.uk/media/10986/se ... e-2018.doc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Where a Common Application Form is received by the deadline of 31 October 2017 preferencing a selective place it will be treated as an on-time application even if the child has not taken the test. Selecive schools will make arrangements for alternative test dates where required.

This clearly states late testing is an option.

There is also a section on late applications and exceptional circumstances.

I don't think this is strong basis for an appeal unless you could demonstrate that the LA had not followed its own published allocation policy.