Age Standardisation

[Janita]

It is utterly depressing. I honestly do hope that DS can move up the waiting list to secure a place at CRGS or KEGS as SouthEndBoys are too far (2 round trips each day 4-5hours) - although its only 30 miles...it takes forever.

I'm sorry, but seriously - why apply, in that case? If it's going to take your DS that long to get to school on a normal day, how is he going to get in when it snows? We have more than a decade's experience with SHSB and I can only remember a very few occasions when the school has not opened, or has had to close early.

And forgive me for nit-picking, but it's Southend High School for Boys / Southend Boys' / SHSB. Not 'SouthEndBoys'. It's an excellent school, very popular with those of us who live in the area.

We only have 4 Grammar Schools in Essex.
We live in Great Dunmow Essex
CAF was
1. Colchester (waiting list)
2. Kegs (waiting list) i/c
3. Westcliff - not offered o/c
4. SouthEnd - offered o/c
5. Non selective - not offered
6. Non selective - not offered

All 4 Grammars are brilliant. DS is fortunate to have been able to secure a place.
We NEVER even anticipated being offered Southend - but this years AgeSTD moved the greens for us to AMBER.

So - hopefully we can move up on waiting list to free OCC for SouthEnd to someone else. We did not get any other offer - so where to go from here if not offered anything else. Probably take our motorhome to a SouthEND camping resort and husband and son camp out during the week? Don't know. Time will tell.

[Tinkers]

It is utterly depressing. I honestly do hope that DS can move up the waiting list to secure a place at CRGS or KEGS as SouthEndBoys are too far (2 round trips each day 4-5hours) - although its only 30 miles...it takes forever.

I'm sorry, but seriously - why apply, in that case? If it's going to take your DS that long to get to school on a normal day, how is he going to get in when it snows? We have more than a decade's experience with SHSB and I can only remember a very few occasions when the school has not opened, or has had to close early.

And forgive me for nit-picking, but it's Southend High School for Boys / Southend Boys' / SHSB. Not 'SouthEndBoys'. It's an excellent school, very popular with those of us who live in the area.

We only have 4 Grammar Schools in Essex.
We live in Great Dunmow Essex
CAF was
1. Colchester
2. Kegs
3. Westcliff
4. SouthEnd
5. State school
6. State school

All 4 Grammars are brilliant. DS is fortunate to have been able to secure a place.
We NEVER even anticipated being offered Southend - but this years AgeSTD moved the greens for us to AMBER.

So - hopefully we can move up on waiting list to free OCC for SouthEnd to someone else. We did not get any other offer - so where to go from here if not offered anything else. Probably take our motorhome to a SouthEND camping resort and husband and son camp out during the week? Don't know.

You’ve got two ‘state schools’ at the end of your list that I’m assuming you would be reasonably happy with (Bear in mind that grammars are state schools too, but that’s an aside) that you could and by the sounds of it should now consider instead of an unsustainable commute or campervans.

[clairew]

We live about 3 miles from Kegs. Only put this down as I could not see any reasonable way of getting to any other grammar school. All our other choices were local comprehensives. Luckily my son has been offered a place there and I feel this is the right place for him. We never even looked at any others as I would not want him doing that journey every day!

[Janita]

We only have 4 Grammar Schools in Essex.
We live in Great Dunmow Essex
CAF was
1. Colchester (waiting list)
2. Kegs (waiting list) i/c
3. Westcliff - not offered o/c
4. SouthEnd - offered o/c
5. Non selective - not offered
6. Non selective - not offered

No other option but for my son to pursue his dream. We wait. We wait...or we move to South End...

[Tinkers]

You were not offered the two non selective, as you were offered Southend, which you’d placed higher than them. You LA has to take your order of preference as you’ve put them down. If you hadn’t put down Southend, you could well have been allocated one of them.

The LA will only offer you one school place, and it will offer you the highest school on your list that can offer you a place.

I don’t know the area so local people are better placed to give advice on the likelihood of you getting a place at one of your first three choices, but I’d suggest you ask to go on the WL for your non selective choices as well and also start looking at moving in case none of those options work out.

[ToadMum]

It is utterly depressing. I honestly do hope that DS can move up the waiting list to secure a place at CRGS or KEGS as SouthEndBoys are too far (2 round trips each day 4-5hours) - although its only 30 miles...it takes forever.

I'm sorry, but seriously - why apply, in that case? If it's going to take your DS that long to get to school on a normal day, how is he going to get in when it snows? We have more than a decade's experience with SHSB and I can only remember a very few occasions when the school has not opened, or has had to close early.

And forgive me for nit-picking, but it's Southend High School for Boys / Southend Boys' / SHSB. Not 'SouthEndBoys'. It's an excellent school, very popular with those of us who live in the area.

We only have 4 Grammar Schools in Essex.
We live in Great Dunmow Essex
CAF was
1. Colchester
2. Kegs
3. Westcliff
4. SouthEnd
5. State school
6. State school

All 4 Grammars are brilliant. DS is fortunate to have been able to secure a place.
We NEVER even anticipated being offered Southend - but this years AgeSTD moved the greens for us to AMBER.

So - hopefully we can move up on waiting list to free OCC for SouthEnd to someone else. We did not get any other offer - so where to go from here if not offered anything else. Probably take our motorhome to a SouthEND camping resort and husband and son camp out during the week? Don't know.

But you included schools on your CAF that you cannot reasonably get your child to. That was your decision. Essex County Council was required to find your DS a school place, in the first place using your list of preferred schools, which you were invited to submit , ranking them in your order of preference. This they have done- not even needing to go all the way down to your lowest preference school before finding one which has a place to offer your DS, let alone having to offer you a place at your nearest undersubscribed school because none of your preferences could be met. The council has done what it assumed you meant it to do for you. No-one at County Hall was going to go, Blimey, how on earth are they going to get him from Dunmow to Southend every day? We'll have to give him a place at CRGS even though he doesn't actually tank high enough on the school's list to get in. Because getting your child to school is your responsibility and they will assume that if you name a school on your CAF, yravel is one of the things you have factored into your decision-making.

If you [i NEVER even anticipated being offered Southend[/i], then I'm sorry, but then it shouldn't have been on your CAF.

[Janita]

ToadMum: Please do not be so harsh and unnecessarily angry towards me.

We were told to put down all Gammar Schools in my county (Essex) - I'm not a tree. We can move. Everything is manageable within reason. I'm not at all unhappy about my CAF or about the offer - We will manage. The waiting list will move as well. Can't tell 2days in can we? We did not "steal" someones place. We got offered a place at one of the few Grammars in our county. The bus for Colchester leaves from outside my house. That was our first choice. Hopefully that will still realise for us and then all will be well.

[hermanmunster]

ToadMum: Please do not be so harsh and unnecessarily angry towards me.

We were told to put down all Gammar Schools in my county (Essex) - I'm not a tree. We can move. Everything is manageable within reason. I'm not at all unhappy about my CAF or about the offer - We will manage. The waiting list will move as well. Can't tell 2days in can we? We did not "steal" someones place. We got offered a place at one of the few Grammars in our county. The bus for Colchester leaves from outside my house. That was our first choice. Hopefully that will still realise for us and then all will be well.

Juanita I am aware that you have been reporting posts on the forum. I am sorry I am travelling at present so can't deal with the reports now.
You have to realise that one of the most frustrating things on the forum is when people apply for a school and then struggle to work out the transport issues.
Best to sit down as a family and have a think, the WL may help to clarify things.

[Janita]

Thank you. I'd like my own post to be deleted as I did not intend to upset people. Sometimes you just need to get things off your chest. We are already looking at worst case scenario - moving - which is fine as we CAN move closer. Without real disruption. But it is pre-mature, as we will have to wait for waiting lists.

As for many - there are not yet clear answers to all our questions. Stress levels are high. Scrolling the forum for some kind of hope, dim light in the tunnel. No reason to get personal or nasty.

[clairew]

Janita, try not to stress yourself. Grammar school is not the only good option and is certainly not always the best option for every child. I know someone at grammar school who is miserable, his parents wanted him to go and tutored him intensively and he cannot cope. It is the right place for some children. My daughter will be going to the local comprehensive, which I was very impressed with, she is bright but I don’t see grammar school as the right place for her. My son has always been destined for grammar school and has been unhappy and unchallenged at primary school. I hope that both will be happy and successful in life.