decision on 1st March? Anyone want to sit and sweat it out with me?

Got my fingers crossed that you are allocated one of your preferences. I know that the last two week countdown is unbearable and can send you quite insane!

Sounds good !

It's probably the only time ever that two assignments will be welcome - should distract you sufficiently!

Another fretter here. DD1 sat the 11+ for a consortium and got good enough marks that she would have got in to the school she wants any other year, even though we are out of area.
But who knows, there are 18 places and about 300 girls sat for them.
Our second choice is a good local comp, much closer and we will almost certainly get in there so I swing from preferring one over the other almost daily!
I just want to know now.
We are in London, so will spend the whole day wishing it was 5pm.

Hope you've all got something to keep you well occupied during the day otherwise you will spend the whole time just glued to the computer!

I think our allocations get sent out in batches from 00:01 on the 1st.

I will want to stay up or set the alarm to wake me, DH, who is so laid back he is horizontal, will laugh at me if I do.

BoringSchool,

They are much more than unconfirmed mutterings, the arrangements are currently being consulted on. Wilsons, Sutton Grammar and Wallington Boys are suggesting they have a joint first stage exam which is just multichoice. Those who "pass" that first stage can then sit each school's individual test which will include a written English paper and maths paper.

No similar suggestions as yet for girls grammars though Nonsuch have suggested their exam will only consist of VR and English comprehension. Again multichoice and interestingly no maths or NVR.

Yes, I see where you are coming from. It's a bit 'off' though to just use the 11+ tests as mocks - there should be some way of charging for those who are doing so. I know that we did put our DS's name down to sit the Tiffin exam but then decided not to put it on our CAF form, we let the school know directly that DS wouldn't be sitting the exam and I got a feeling that they were grateful to be saving the money - certainly got that impression! It is an awfully high expenditure for the grammars which seem to get less funding than other secondaries if their seen-better-days-facilities are anything to go by .

Yes, we are fortunate enough to still be in 'catchment' although with a walk to the bus stop it would be a good hour for our DD (should she be lucky enough...), door to door on a rush-hour schedule. And we are in SW London!

Do you think that putting catchment areas in situ makes any difference to the caliber of the DCs who get places - I imagine not!

It will be interesting to see if numbers do decrease or flatline. It might be that if they do markedly decrease, other parents who have been put off by high numbers of applicants feel that it is worth their DCs having a go.... I guess only time will tell.

I do think that the whole thing seems to have spiraled out of control though. There is such a lot of spin about the 11+ and getting into grammar schools in SWLondon that it seems to be as much about competitive parenting as it is about the child(ren)'s abilities....

There are also unconfirmed mutterings I've heard about the Sutton Grammars going to a two stage process, multiple choice followed by a written English test for the top X% - the idea is to enable them to determine the truly talented more effectively, but it would be much more expensive, hence the need to cut numbers.

Tiggytape, do you think that's why schools such as Tiffin Girls are now bringing in designated catchment areas - they can see how ridiculous it's going to be, in terms of numbers of candidates sitting the 11+, in a matter of a year or so, that they are acting now before you get situations where they will be processing over 2000 applications for 120 - 150 places?

gazzalw, thanks for tip about phoning schools (til they get completely fed up with me!) when we go on their waiting lists. May have to do that. Re: your dd, the grammar school competition will only get worse, may have to start prep earlier or try a prep school for y3-6 as some include vr and nvr in their curriculum. It's not for us, can see dc2 following dc1 into a school where they'll be less stressed trying to keep up. Doesn't quite stop the guilt of not doing enough for grammar entry though! Good luck!!

Gosh Tiggytape, I just remember you being so helpful last year at around this time! I can't believe you had major probs getting a school for your DS - thank goodness it all worked out in the end...

Yes, I remember having 'clocked' the logging on in the dead of night on the off-chance that the offers would be 'up' but it didn't happen in our London Borough. I suspect that for whatever reason (possibly it's related to the number of disgruntled parents there are going to be!), the London Boroughs run a very tight ship on Offers Day.

A tip though....if you are on a waiting list for your DC's preferred choice school keep up the contact with them. DS got his 3rd choice grammar school but really wanted the second choice one and we discovered that he was 9th on the waiting list, having got the cut-off score but living further away than a lot of the other boys. Well, within a month he had his place - the irony was that the school sent us the offer directly and then we confirmed with them and our local Borough too - the latter was not happy that they'd been circumvented in the offers process! I think we'd possibly have waited another two weeks if it had gone thro' official channels first. If you build up a good rapport with a school's admissions department it really helps as they will give it to you 'straight'

Good luck everyone! We have friends with DCs in Year 6 this year so it's stressful again. Curiously though a lot have gone down the private school back-up option route, just in case.

I am dreading this whole thing with DD as she, as with your second DC, Tiggytape, will be part of the baby-boom cohort. I cannot help but think that the Boroughs/Education Authorities have not really acted to increase the number of secondary school places in anticipation of the upturn in demand which is just around the corner. .

In Kent apparently we get an email at 4pm bu this has been know to take a few hours to get to some!! A couple of years back a friend of mine logged on to the admissions website on the Sunday when the allocations were due out on the Monday and the allocations were there! Don't think I'll be able to resist checking the admissions website during the day despite being at work all day arrrggghhh

Haha !!

Yes, can imagine it!

Think I might still try at 00:01 though, they might be nice in our area.

5pm!!! I was to log on at one minute past midnight!!