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Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Secondary education

What Would You Do?

25 replies

WhichChoice · 14/10/2017 18:36

I'm just wondering what other parents would do really. We are currently applying for secondary school places and my head is spinning. I think I know what to do but I'm just curious, really.

DS has been offered a place at a secondary school as a result of a non-compulsory 'aptitude gor modern languages' test. This school is rated 'Good', the exam results are fine and we liked it on viewing the school. However, there is another school that we prefer that is heavily over-subcribed. 900 kids sat the compulsory banding exam, 12 places are offered to students who show promise in 'aptitude for MFL'. This school is rated as outstanding and it's exam results are fantastic. We loved this school when we visited. 1 in 6 applicants are offered a place after the usual criteria has been applied.

Would you just accept the first offer? Or hold out for a place at the superior school (which we are unlikely to get) and potentially forfeit the first school and get a place at another school?

OP posts:

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HarrietVane99 · 14/10/2017 18:40

What about other factors, such as distance/journey to school? I'd always go for the easier or shorter journey, if other things were equal.

BackforGood · 14/10/2017 18:44

If it is possible so to do, then I'd wait until I had all the options in, to know if there was a decision to make or not.

lljkk · 14/10/2017 18:44

What does your DD want to do?

lljkk · 14/10/2017 18:45

oops... DS! Anyway, I'd try to go with the decision they felt best about.

WhichChoice · 14/10/2017 18:45

Thanks for replying. There's less than 0.5 of aile difference in distance and both schools have dedicated buses.

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clary · 14/10/2017 18:45

I don't understand how you have already been offered a place? Or is this a private school?

when do you have to decide about the first offer? YY how far away is the other school and never mind 1 in 6 getting a place, how likely are you to get a place - ie do you live in catchment area etc?

WhichChoice · 14/10/2017 18:47

He feels like me, if we get an offer from the better school we'd jump at the chance but it's unlikely a place will be offered on aptitude for MFL. He liked both schools but preferred the better one.

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WhichChoice · 14/10/2017 18:48

No it's not a private school. If it came down to distance which would be unlikely then the less well performing school would be nearer.

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WhichChoice · 14/10/2017 18:50

A few schools here offer a places on aptitude for music or MFL. If a student is successful in gaining a place based on aptitude then parents are notified before submitting the council application form. This is so you put the school that has offered you the place as your first choice.

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clary · 14/10/2017 18:55

Oh I see.

Well can't you put the outstanding school as first choice and then if/when (same word in German!) you don't get a place, your second choice will be the one where you have been offered a place?

WhichChoice · 14/10/2017 19:10

Thanks clary. Unfortunately to guarantee the place on the less good school we'd have to put it as first choice!

Me and DH are going to ask to view the school that has offered the place again and we think we'll probably just accept the place. Parents of kids at that school seem happy with it so it may be best to just accept it.

It was easier in my day (when it were all fields) when you just went to the local comp!

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Clavinova · 14/10/2017 19:19

Unfortunately to guarantee the place on the less good school we'd have to put it as first choice!

No, you don't - who told you that? Neither school will know which order you place them on the CAF form unless you tell them. Just accept the language place and pretend you are going to put them first if they ask.

titchy · 14/10/2017 19:26

You absolutely do NOT need to put them first in order to get an offer - that was made illegal many years ago.

Put the school you'd prefer first, safe in the knowledge that if you don't get a place you have one at the first offer.

Hersetta427 · 14/10/2017 19:34

That certainly is different from how our county runs aptitude tests. You get told your score and the lowest score that was offered an aptitude place last year so although you might be confident if you had a very high score you still don't really know until offers day.

WhichChoice · 14/10/2017 19:39

Wow, that's interesting! Some of the school's we've viewed have told us that to secure a place we'd have to put them as first choice. The 'outstanding' preferred school was particularly emphatic about that.

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clary · 14/10/2017 19:45

No, as others say, no one will know.

How it works is that the highest preference there is a place at is the one you get. So if there is a place for you at the outstanding school, you'll get it; if not, the other one will be a banker.

Schools that say otherwise are telling porkie pies. It doesn't surprise me tho that school staff know little about admissions, I know a teacher (primary, but still) who swore her son got a place at his out of catchment school "because he is really good at sport and they like that". Errr no, you were next on the list is all!

spanieleyes · 14/10/2017 19:45

The "outstanding" school lied!

WhichChoice · 14/10/2017 19:57

Well thank you all. Most informative! Funnily enough it's the high achieving schools that have peddled the lies of ''you must put us first!" at each open evening. Is there a league table that shows how many parents out that school as first choice then? So it gives them extra kudos?

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TeenTimesTwo · 14/10/2017 20:09

re you must put us first - It depends what other words they say around it:

If we are your preferred choice then you must put us first (as otherwise you may get given the school you actually put first) - this is reasonable

If you want to get offered a place by us then you must put us first - this is not reasonable as it implies that if you put them lower then you won't be considered by them at all.

WhichChoice · 14/10/2017 20:14

It was definitely 'you must put us first or you won't be considered as we are massively oversubscribed'. Everything I thought I knew about the application process has gone out of the window.

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BlueBelle123 · 14/10/2017 20:41

whichchoice I don't know how admissions work so I could be completely wrong in my assumption. however, if everyone puts down 3 schools in order of preference and then the LA looks at everyone's first choice and allocates then if this school fills all its places at this stage then when the LA then looks at all the applicants who are left so effectively your second choice becomes your first it then allocates to school places that are still available....this would then make sense what they have told you....not sure I have put my point over very well

titchy · 14/10/2017 21:06

That's not how it works bell.

Applicants are ranked against all the schools they put. If they are for example 102nd for school 1, their first choice, which has 100 places their rank at school 2 is looked at. If they rank 90th at school 2 which also has 100 places they have an offer for school 2. However before offers are posted the system then looks at all those with an offer for school 1 to see if in fact any of them had another school higher on their list which they also have an offer at. If so then they are removed from school 1's list. If there are 10 such applicants then the person initially at rank 102 is moved up to position 92 and thus offered a place. Their offer from school 2 is removed and everyone below their position on school 2s list moves up a place.

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BlueBelle123 · 14/10/2017 21:08

Actually following on from what I said, if your second choice is full then presumable LA will apply admission criteria, say distance from school so if you are closer that someone who was allocated in first round then you would knock them out, so actually the school is not right in what they are saying........You can tell I don't watch X-factor!!!

BlueBelle123 · 14/10/2017 21:10

thanks titchy, posted before I saw your post!

cricketballs · 15/10/2017 08:54

Is there a league table that shows how many parents out that school as first choice then? So it gives them extra kudos?

Yes, the number of 1st choice is published together with how many places offered

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