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Secondary education

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Original poster

Nervous about Secondary School allocations out this week!

334 replies

PinotLover · 23/02/2021 09:25

Just another to thing to stress about but it's for my PFB so never been through it before. We find out on the 1st March, am being a silly stress head on here rather than in real life. Any one else? We are in the same postcode as the school we prefer, so it's a big deal if it goes wrong!

OP posts:
louisejxxx · 28/02/2021 06:24

You have my sympathies @Bati

I am lucky in that the county we have applied for the grammar school (different to the county we live in) posted the scores required to get in on Friday afternoon, so now I definitely know he should have a place because he’s scored higher. Still a wait to see it written down and I’ll also be staying up till 12.30 to do so Grin

Bati · 28/02/2021 06:06

That's it, I give up trying to sleep, I have been waking throughout the night thinking about which high school dd will get.
Roll on 12.30 tonight when I can find out.

pipsqueakbollock · 27/02/2021 23:35

@MissMezzo
Secondaries and primaries know already. No point asking your head though, legally they are not allowed to tell you.

They get it about ten days to a week before depending on LA

The point of that is last minute fact checking - missing students, glaring mistakes.

FairfaxHigh · 27/02/2021 22:48

Can I join? Have been looking for a thread like this as finding myself increasingly unable to concentrate on anything else Blush

Don't think we'll get our 1st choice (nearest secondary to us but recently switched to a feeder primary system which doesn't include ours). DS1 actually wants our 2nd choice- good school too but a bit further away and think he's been swayed by the fact that it was the only one that did an in-person open evening so it's the only one he's actually been in! Was very impressed though and will be more than happy if he gets it. Looking at previous admission data we should be ok, but know there are no guarantees. Third choice isn't terrible, but would definitely be more comfortable with one of the others.

From memory of primary admissions for DS2 four years ago the portal updates in our LA shortly after midnight after refreshing a stupid amount few times. Don't know if it's the same for secondary though. Monday will be a looong day if not!

Good luck everyone Smile

BunsyGirl · 27/02/2021 22:48

Anxiously waiting for Monday. DS1 has a high enough score to get him into our first and second choice grammar schools on all previous years but not high enough for me to believe that it’s a done deal. Plus his current independent school are putting pressure on us to accept his offer for their senior school by 4pm on Monday.

PorcelainCatStack · 27/02/2021 22:43

Cross posts with you there PatricuaHolm Smile

PorcelainCatStack · 27/02/2021 22:41

Also, depending on the primary, it’s likely teachers might not know as it’ll be dealt with by office support staff not teachers.

PatriciaHolm · 27/02/2021 22:41

@ChildOfFriday

In a normal year, when it's not lockdown, do the children find out which secondary they'll go to from their teachers at school?

No- the system this year with parents finding out online/by post is the usual one.

Indeed - your primary teachers are not supposed to tell you! In fact the teachers themselves may not know, schools often keep it to a small admin team until the day.
PorcelainCatStack · 27/02/2021 22:40

No the primary school teachers should not be telling the Y6 students even if they know. That’s for parents to discuss with children as it’s not always 1st choice and some children might be upset.

ChildOfFriday · 27/02/2021 22:32

In a normal year, when it's not lockdown, do the children find out which secondary they'll go to from their teachers at school?

No- the system this year with parents finding out online/by post is the usual one.

starbrightstarlight8888 · 27/02/2021 22:23

I just want to know what time to expect to find out. I know it varies by region. The website here doesn't specify a time.

MissMezzo · 27/02/2021 21:59

@PorcelainCatStack

16th April is offer day for primary places in YR. I think the PP was asking when do primaries get told where their Y6 students will be going to Secondary school? They are informed before offer day on 1 March. I’m just not sure how far before.
Thank you. So the primary schools already know where their y6 pupils will go, interesting.

In a normal year, when it's not lockdown, do the children find out which secondary they'll go to from their teachers at school?

PorcelainCatStack · 27/02/2021 21:44

16th April is offer day for primary places in YR.
I think the PP was asking when do primaries get told where their Y6 students will be going to Secondary school? They are informed before offer day on 1 March. I’m just not sure how far before.

SJaneS49 · 27/02/2021 21:41

16th of April Google says

PorcelainCatStack · 27/02/2021 21:34

I’m not sure when the Primaries are told?

PorcelainCatStack · 27/02/2021 21:33

@MissMezzo I’m secondary. We get our final list anywhere from a week or a couple of days before offer day. Presume it varies between LA’s.

SJaneS49 · 27/02/2021 21:30

Honestly, the initial offers are just round one. There is so much movement on waiting lists over the next couple of months. Its really important to know if your area automatically adds you, in Kent for example you have to request a waitlist place.

If your child achieved an on the edge score for a grammar and you haven’t tutored (professionally or yourself) - pursue it! Many of the kids with higher scores will have had 2 years worth of tutoring!

bex12345 · 27/02/2021 21:26

I wondered that too...

MissMezzo · 27/02/2021 21:24

When do councils inform the primary schools about which schools have been allocated to y6 dc? Does this happen on Monday too?

PorcelainCatStack · 27/02/2021 20:45

@Vinorosso74

I always imagine them pressing send, logging off and running out the door.
This year our LA’s will arrive midnight on the portal so the admissions team can have a queue of parents on the phone when they get to work Monday morning. Definitely no running out ha ha Grin

I’m glad I’m not part of the central council team but I’m betting I’ll get some calls at school Monday too.

cautiouscovidity · 26/02/2021 15:54

@SnowyBranches

I’m also stressed about it - DS did 11 plus and has a score on the cusp, but I believe he wouldn’t have got in with that score last year so I don’t think he will get in. Which is a shame because he really wants to go, his brother is there and it is a 3 minute walk from our house, while the school he has probably got into is 30 minute walk and starts much earlier in the morning. On the other hand, I feel maybe with a cusp score the grammar school might not be the place for him, I worry that he would be constantly judging himself against others, and the work might be too fast paced, so then I worry that he has got in! And then I think well he wasn’t tutored, and so many others were, so actually he might do OK if he did go - so then I start to stress that he hasn’t got in, and how unfair that is! Hopefully once we know one way or another we can put it to one side and concentrate on bigging up whichever school he is going to.
Ha - this is me. We didn't have a tutor for DD and although she said she wanted to try for the grammar, she wasn't particularly keen to do any of the preparation work in fact she did almost nothing. She's bright, but not exceptional and also scored on the cusp.
Vinorosso74 · 26/02/2021 15:34

I always imagine them pressing send, logging off and running out the door.

PatriciaHolm · 26/02/2021 14:46

@eddiemairswife

I was sitting on an in-year appeal panel on March 1st a few years ago when the head of admissions came in to be the presenting officer just to be away from the phone.
Ha! I always assumed that was why results went out in the evening, to give parents time to sleep on results and reduce the amount of knee jerk phone calls....
eddiemairswife · 26/02/2021 14:00

I was sitting on an in-year appeal panel on March 1st a few years ago when the head of admissions came in to be the presenting officer just to be away from the phone.

Stokey · 26/02/2021 13:44

Thanks all. We're in London Vinorusso so hopefully will just go on the WL.

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