How to get second option in caf

[confusedsw]

Hello all,

I am in a dillemma,i am hoping someone would have some experience in similar lines.We are living almost same distance to nonsuch girls and tiffin girls.So in Caf i put tiffins as my first choice and nonsuch as my second.Now we have offered a house which is like very close to nonsuch and makes it very far from tiffins.I wonder if there is any option to change this preference after national offer day.Please advise.

[mitasol]

Most LAs will accept a change or new application after offer day. Have a look at your LA website for details. Keep in mind that after offer day the schools will be full so you will be hoping for a place from the waiting list.

[tiffinboys]

You can go on waitlist immediately after National offers are made and if you daughter has scored higher than the initial cutoff score, she stands a good chance to get a place from first allocation from waitlist. Such change of heart happens all the time. Good Luck.

[kindsoul]

If someone want to get to waiting list of CAF-2 school. do they have to surrender CAF-1 school or can hold on to CAF-1 school till CAF-2 school offered a place ?

do they need to submit a new CAF to LA ? or directly contact the school?

Thanks in advance for any inputs.

[bridge]

Accept what ever offer your LA gives you. Then ask to go onto waiting list of school you are after - this must be done if you are after a lower option school but is automatic for higher option schools. You don't hand a second CAF in. Last time we applied even though we got our first choice the lower ranked schools wrote to ask if our daughter would like to go on their waiting list.

[Daogroupie]

The council will allocate you the highest school on your preference list that allocates you an offer.

So if you get an offer from your first ranked school then the council will turn down all other offers as you have been allocated your highest preference.

So it is not possible to go on the waiting list for your second ranked school if you are holding an offer from your first ranked school because any offer for your second ranked school has already been turned down om your behalf.

DG

[ToadMum]

The council will allocate you the highest school on your preference list that allocates you an offer.

So if you get an offer from your first ranked school then the council will turn down all other offers as you have been allocated your highest preference.

So it is not possible to go on the waiting list for your second ranked school if you are holding an offer from your first ranked school because any offer for your second ranked school has already been turned down om your behalf.

DG

Is that specific to your LA? It isn't the case everywhere. Reapplying for a place at a school originally ranked lower on the CAF would be allowed pre-term start, as a 'change of preference', in a lot of places, although in Bromley, I think, it used to be the case that a new application would only be accepted as a mid-year application. On the whole, there isn't a deliberate process to encourage parents to leave their DC with no school place at all.

OP, please don't turn down any place you are allocated on March 1st without first speaking to the Admissions Team at the LA concerning your options.

[mad?]

OP, please don't turn down any place you are allocated on March 1st without first speaking to the Admissions Team at the LA concerning your options.

This ^^^.
I’m only familiar with LAs where you can go ‘back on the waiting list’ for a lower choice school but either way you need to be sure that you get advice on the specific process in your area from your LA.

[streathammum]

Agree. Speak to your local authority now about what the procedure will be. In my case (a London borough), we were offered our first preference on offer day but changed our mind to a lower preference school. We accepted our offer and had to fill out new CAF on paper to re-apply to our new preference.

It's a good idea to check with the local authority now about what you will need to do as the team will be very busy immediately after offer day.

[ToadMum]

Agree. Speak to your local authority now about what the procedure will be. In my case (a London borough), we were offered our first preference on offer day but changed our mind to a lower preference school. We accepted our offer and had to fill out new CAF on paper to re-apply to our new preference.

It's a good idea to check with the local authority now about what you will need to do as the team will be very busy immediately after offer day.

If they are different (?Kingston / Sutton?), then check with both, so that you know what you need to do all the way through the process, because you will at some point change from being the responsibility of one to the of the other.

Just don't turn your initial place down - this would only be an in any way reasonable thing to do if you were moving completely out of range of your current first preference, rather than just a few miles.