Nervous about Secondary School allocations out this week!

@BunsyGirl think we're in a similar position. The grammar we're waiting for normally offers out to around place 220 on offers day and we're over 300, so not close. But would have got a place in 3 out of the last 4 years by September. As far as I can tell there are normally offers throughout the summer term. But just no idea whether this year will be different or not. So hard to tell! That said we're very lucky to have a decent comprehensive option as our second choice which we should be in catchment for and would be happy with if the grammar doesn't work out.

@Meredusoleil That’s a really positive outcome to hear. Thanks for sharing. I won’t buy my DCs uniform until the last minute of we’re still in a waiting list in the summer!

@Vinorosso74 My LA waiting lists go up to 31 August....but what happens in between is not entirely clear

@ChildOfFriday Thanks. I think that what happens in my LA, or at least after 16 March when they publish the waiting lists. However, it doesn’t actually say it officially anywhere that I can see! So confusing!

I think it must vary between LAs. I asked for some info about September cut off distances and the person told me the waiting lists go to schools in July.

[quote BunsyGirl]@pipsqueakbollock I don’t think that’s the case for grammar schools in my LA as I can see from another forum that people were getting waiting place offers in March last year.[/quote]
I may be wrong here so I'm prepared to be corrected, but I think the 'second round' thing differs by LEA, and some don't really have this and just offer to the next person on the waiting list as soon as a place is available. There are experts on here who can clarify that though!

Just to give some words of encouragement to those not expecting their high preferences and hoping for waiting list movements:

Our situation last year was got offered 6th choice on 2nd March (our closest OK ish comp) . That was an admin error though as dd1 had passed an aptitude test for our 5th choice out of borough school. So that got sorted straight away thankfully! So we were expecting her to go to the 5th choice school.

In April we got offered our 3rd choice grammar school which was OOC. We had to decline as had planned to move house to reduce the 1.5 hour commute but due to covid we're unable to!

So we had been offered school 6, 5 and 3 by the end of Apirl.

In July we were all set to buy the new uniform for school 5, when lo and behold we got an offer for school 4 which was our 2nd closest school and my favourite!

So that's where dd1 has been since September. Schools 2 and 1 we never really had a good chance of her getting into due to popularity and distance (1) and score (2).

We are all very happy with how things worked out, although it was very stressful at the time going through all the waiting and uncertainty.

The thing I learnt is however much I tried to second guess things, you never really know what will happen 😉

I’m so anxious. We don’t have a grammar school option where I live. Our nearest school is an ‘over my dead body school’ (just 2% got 5 GCSEs at 5 or above) last year only 40 pupils went there - most probably the kids from our village and the next village who live just too far to get into our first choice school. I didn’t even preference that school.
My first choice is always over subscribed as excellent school but very unlikely to get as live just outside where the cut off usually is for distance - I put it anyway in the hopes I might be able to appeal. Second choice is also great school but Catholic and we are not Catholic so come very far down on the priority list. Our third choice is possibly my favourite school and is never oversubscribed but is in a village 10 miles away - it’s a pretty rural area which is why despite being a great school is undersubscribed as low population area. If we get third choice school we will have to move house closer to the school which isn’t ideal.
The only other option available was the school my eldest son started at before moving to a special school. They are apparently ‘outstanding’ but the way they treated my child was anything but! So I didn’t preference them. All the children in my child’s primary school are usually split 50:50 between our first choice and the outstanding school I didn’t pick but we live in a different village to the primary school.

That was long! - In a nutshell, feeling very anxious especially as the outcome could see us having to move house.

@pipsqueakbollock I don’t think that’s the case for grammar schools in my LA as I can see from another forum that people were getting waiting place offers in March last year.

The second round is finalised by the LA in April. Late April.

After that, schools manage their own waiting lists.

In simple terms - parents reject the offer (usually for Indie at this point). Schools cannot offer these places. They have to inform the LA.

The LA do a second run at the process picking up those who forgot to apply, people who moved house and those who reject the school over their dead body (don't do this - it's not a good idea)

They apply places again under the same rules. Like Siblings and distance.
They give this to the schools.
There's another 10 day period where 2nd round is accepted / declined.

Only after this do schools manage the lists.
Once appeals get heard in summer, then places begin to get declined again. Then schools can offer if they have spaces strictly according to the the wait list which is structured the same sibling distance etc rules.

Once Sept rolls round, if a student doesn't turn up, schools inform the LA and investigations take place. Only the LA can tell the school to release the space. So sometimes late Sept things move again. Not so much by then.

@Stokey I have the same question! I’m not expecting my DS to get his first choice grammar tomorrow (he would have done last year, but only just). His independent school offers have to be accepted by tomorrow and Friday but it’s not clear to me when the grammars start issuing their waiting place offers.

Does anyone have experience of when waiting lists start to move? I'm guessing not that much before 16 March which is the LEA acceptance date. Although presumably the independent kids offers have to accept earlier so may release some offers.

I know DD won't get her 1st or 2nd choice tomorrow. She would have just missed 3rd choice on offer day last year! So it could be 4th or 6th choice. We're hoping for a lot of waiting list movement.

So nervous! We put 3 grammars and a non grammar on the list, but we still don't have a stand out favourite. It was so hard not being able to visit the schools.

No idea what time ours will be out so I'll check at midnight and if its not online then I'll check it first thing... I'm sure previously I've always woken up with the offers in my emails but they were primary so not sure if that would be different process.

Ours should be out after midnight tonight. DS has been offered an academic scholarship at his current school but it’s a tiny amount and we can’t really afford to keep him there.

Just found out we get results at 8.30am tomorrow here so no need to stay up until midnight tonight.

I’ve hardly slept since 1st Feb when we found out ds was on waiting list for first choice (only) independent. He did a music assessment for first choice local school that in this area you wouldn’t get a place at unless you pass the performing arts criteria with a high score. He took that in October and achieved a high score and they said they’d expect him to be offered a place but not guaranteed. The other schools on our list are unlikely as everywhere is oversubscribed here. Nearest local school is requiring improvement and has been for 10years or so, it’s last on the list, will probably be allocated that or there’s another with no transport links that’s also terrible that parents keep being allocated in this area despite not listing it. Am hoping waitlist for independent starts moving once LA schools out, their deadline for acceptance is 1st March but I imagine lots of people have agreed to let them know 2nd as allocation comes out so late on 1st. Round here emails don’t appear until after 6pm, I know I didn’t get infants until about 8.30pm.

Hardly slept a wink last night!

What is everyone doing during these last 24 hours of agonising waiting? I feel I need to keep myself busy but can't focus on anything.
Perfect time for a spring clean

I've given up on sleep. Literally can think of nothing else right now... think I'm so stressed because our 1st choice is very popular and in demand. Very stressful!

That must be very stressful for those
families involved.
We are also cross county but never heard of anyone not getting their offer when they should have.

Ah I’ll keep everything crossed for you then 🤞

It is a relief yes, however the whole cross-county thing does make me worry as it relies on them communicating with each other and in previous years there have been failings in this department that have resulted in offers not being given on offer day (but then later corrected)...I’d rather it was a straightforward “yes he’s in” than having to go through further rigamarole to correct an error iyswim.

louisejxxx that's fantastic, you must be relieved.
My dd scored very well in her 11+ and if it was done by score she would be in our 1st choice grammar but sadly they don't. They have a list of who passed and then go on distance from school.
Most years they get in where I live but every few year they don't and we have no way of knowing what sort of distance they will reach as it varies quite a lot from one year to the next.