What if my daughter doesn't want her place?

[liesauk]

If my daughter should decide in March that she doesn't want the grammar school place she has been offered, what happens then?

I am not saying she will definately not want a place offered to her, but it never crossed my mind that if she is offered a place at Sutton girls school she won't want it.

do the authorities only offer her one place even if that is grammar school or do they offer you two one from grammar and one from comp?

confushuld



liesa

[Kent99]

If your lea is the same as mine (and I'm pretty sure that it will be) you will be offered a place at only one state school. You will be sent acceptance/ resusal forms and will have until a certain date in which to accept the offer. If you do not accept the place by that date it will be offered to someone on the waiting list (if there is one).

[Guest55]

The problem is that then you are at the back of the list for any other school .. You will probably have to appeal for a place at a preferred school and may not be successful.

So it is important that you CAF form lists schools in the order preferred.

[KES Parent]

If my daughter should decide in March that she doesn't want the grammar school place she has been offered, what happens then?

I am not saying she will definately not want a place offered to her, but it never crossed my mind that if she is offered a place at Sutton girls school she won't want it.

do the authorities only offer her one place even if that is grammar school or do they offer you two one from grammar and one from comp?

confushuld



liesa

You must make sure when you send in your LEA application form that you have named schools that she wants to go to and that you are happy for her to attend, and then put them in your (and her) genuine order of preference, even if this means putting the grammar school in second place. The LEA will look at your list and consider her for the school at the top of the list, and if she qualifies for that school that is where she will be offered a place. There is no question of being able to turn down the place you have been offered because you have suddenly decided you really prefer a school lower down your list. You would then have to go to appeal with all the hassle that involves and no guarantee of success. Far better to get your list right in the first place, so that if she passes the 11+ she does actually want a grammar school place, and if she doesn't pass then her second choice is a school that she would be happy with.

[perplexed]

You need to read the LEA admissions booklet in order to understand the system better. If it is too early to obtain the one for entry in September 2009, you should be able to look on your LEA website and read the one for admission in September 2008.. But things could change between the two so don't be caught out.

The trick with the application form is to understand that you put down a certain number of PREFERENCES in your preferred order .... 3 in Kent, I doon't know how many in Birmingham. You might not get any of them, but you do have to put them down in your preferred order. So your daughter needs to be open-minded about which school she does end up at, but mature enough not to change her mind at the last minute about her first choice once that places have been allocated.

In Kent we do now get the 11+ results before you fill in the application form. This enables you to decide not to put down a grammar school on the form if you have not passed. What happens in your area?

[KES Parent]

You need to read the LEA admissions booklet in order to understand the system better. If it is too early to obtain the one for entry in September 2009, you should be able to look on your LEA website and read the one for admission in September 2008.. But things could change between the two so don't be caught out.

The trick with the application form is to understand that you put down a certain number of PREFERENCES in your preferred order .... 3 in Kent, I doon't know how many in Birmingham. You might not get any of them, but you do have to put them down in your preferred order. So your daughter needs to be open-minded about which school she does end up at, but mature enough not to change her mind at the last minute about her first choice once that places have been allocated.

In Kent we do now get the 11+ results before you fill in the application form. This enables you to decide not to put down a grammar school on the form if you have not passed. What happens in your area?

There are 6 choices on the Birmingham form, which I guess is the reason Birmingham aren't rushing to get the 11+ results published before the preference forms are due in. People can apply to 3 grammar schools and still have as many choices remaining as most of the rest of the country.

[liesauk]

eeek!

we have already done the preference form.

she put a very good state school as first choice.

her grammar school choice was 4th!

Oh well, too late now. So even if she passes, if she meets the criteria for the grammar school she will possibly be offered the comp before the grammar!

oh i hate all this, I really feel like giving up



liesa

[Guest55]

You can change before the closing date for applications - check with your LA and ask for another form.

[KES Parent]

eeek!

we have already done the preference form.

she put a very good state school as first choice.

her grammar school choice was 4th!

Oh well, too late now. So even if she passes, if she meets the criteria for the grammar school she will possibly be offered the comp before the grammar!

oh i hate all this, I really feel like giving up



liesa

No, it's not too late, you can change it for several months yet - the final date will be published on the LEA website. But if you have a very good school as your first choice, and you believe you fulfil the entry criteria for admission to it, eg distance from the school, etc, do you need to change it? You will still have the grammar school as back up if she passes the 11+. A good comp is like gold dust, and most people in Birmingham don't have access to one which is why there is this mad rush for the grammar schools. You might want to look again at choices 2 and 3, but I can't see a problem with putting a good comp above the grammar school if this is what your daughter wants, especially if it is near your home.

[liesauk]

thanks Guest.
I did it online, so I just went back and altered it. It did say for my changes to take effect that I would need to resubmit, so I pressume that means I am allowed to change my mind.

I have put Sutton Girls school as her first choice and then I have put Plantsbrook, Fairfax etc... I just hope that they allow the change.

I have also explained to my daughter what it means to have the grammar school preference as first as she got a bit worried about me changing it all around.

I think I worry about this whole process more than the kids do!!

thanks again for all the help and I shall be here for a few more years as I have one going up to year 6, one going to year 5 and one to year 3!!

liesa
xx