CAF form done-now the wait (support thread)

No, absolutely not. You should always list the schools in your genuine order of preference. The schools don’t know where you listed them, and the order only matters if you are able to be offered a place at more than one school, in which case you’ll be offered the one you listed highest. Think of each school you list as an entirely separate application, and in the very last step the computer will look at it and think “They can be offered a place at schools 2, 3 and 5, so offer school 2”. It doesn’t matter in the slightest that it was number 2 rather than number 1.

Hi can I ask from people who have experience of the form. I have a dilemma. I was considering putting a school at the top choice whose stage 2 results have not yet come out so its a long shot. Our second place school is also super selective though my son has the score for that. Is it a risk putting an oversubscribed superselective second as could you loose a place because of this positioning if someone with lower marks has put it first?

Oh that's just what you need, primary having new ideas at the same time! I'm just dreading doing it all again next year as DS is going into yr 6 so next 11+ and then CAF stress starts again in a few weeks lol

I got the calculator today.

And the Primary school (which you ger DD is still at) has decided that all the children will wear watches so she needs something suitable for that.

Ooh, yay for a thread revival, I could do with people to stress with counting down to start of September! Glad your DS enjoyed his induction days @SweetsAndChocolates . DD certainly loved hers and cannot wait for September now.

Yes the uniform buying thing does seem endless doesn't it, I mean I did know it would be worse for secondary, but still was about of a shock. We had a uniform fitting appointment at the school which sorted most things and ensured me not messing up sizes for things like blazer, kilts etc. The sports kit list was endless though, shorts, skort, trousers, 2 shirts, sweater, swimming costume, socks and swim caps in house colours, shin pads, gum shield etc etc I managed to get a few bits preloved from the PTA which helped a bit with cost at least.
Next task, sorting out the bus journeys...

We went uniform shopping today... got the blazer, tie, pe socks and PE tops. Need to order the shirts and kilt as they didn't have her size. Then there's shin pads, bags, stationary...

Gosh @SweetsAndChocolates that was unexpected, just spotted your other thread, hope it all works out for your DS.

Yay, I did fill on the correct form, the relief here is palpable! Accepted to first choice grammar, will be a happy little girl that wakes up. Hope the rest of you get your choices you want, fingers crossed for you all and thankyou to the OP for starting this hand hold thread a few months back, I needed it!

@Zoflorabore bless you, that does sound stressful. My DC 2 has a diagnosis of ASD and we'll be looking at secondary for him next year and I'm already worried so totally understand how you feel. Re the bus situation would it be a reassurance if you promised to do practice bus journeys in the holidays and maybe even still travel with them the first week of starting? ( assuming it's a service bus and not a school bus.) My DD is really worried about buses too so that's what I've told her we'll do.

Hi everyone, haven’t posted anywhere on MN for a while but I need some buddies for this agonising wait!

This is quite triggering for me as 8 years ago I went through it all with ds ( almost 19 ) and to cut a long story short he never got our first choice and we appealed with a brilliant case with loads of medical evidence as he has ASD and didn’t win. He ended up going to a school out of the area where he was bullied and I only found out after 6 months and when school were useless I pulled him out and put him in a school in our borough ( one of the lowest attaining boroughs in the whole country ) where his friends were and it was the best decision I made. The school had quite a historic bad reputation but got a new head and turned itself around. Ds achieved fantastic GCSE results and then got BBB at A level and is currently on a gap year with his university place secured for September.

However, the stress and anxiety the bullying and appeal caused has left me a nervous wreck, on medication still and am worried I’ve done the wrong thing with dd’s application for this September.

I’ve explained the above as it may make sense why I’m worried. The school that ds didn’t get in is arguably the best in the city we live on the outskirts of ( different borough ) and we have no feeder/catchment here and once music places/siblings etc have been offered a place it’s then decided by random allocation so there is nothing to lose really by applying.
Dd is a very clever child and is currently on the ASD pathway ( literally 2 weeks ago ) as referral been delayed to due Covid and she would thrive in that school as they are known for their great results and extensive facilities. I’ve put it first. Dd wants to go to brothers school. I’ve put that second and no other choices as there are none that aren’t single sex which I don’t want for her ( I went to the one most of her class are wanting and I wouldn’t send her there as it has changed so much ) so it’s fabulous school in neighbouring city (1 bus away) or brothers school in our borough (2 buses away) and she has said if she is offered school 1 she will refuse to go.
She admitted last night that she’s been extremely anxious about the bus situation as she has social anxiety and I don’t drive. Her dad does but he will be in work earlier than she needs to be at school.

Lastly, to top it all off, her best friend has applied for school 2 in our borough to be with dd and it would upset them both terribly if dd gets school 1 as it would be a sin to refuse it. I’m really bloody sorry for this epic long post.
Even if nobody reads it all I feel much better for getting it out!!

Ds said the irony if we appealed and couldn’t get him in and dd gets a place ( highly unlikely ) and doesn’t want it. I don’t sleep anyway as have chronic insomnia and fibromyalgia and think it’s going to be a long night. I remember in 2014 with ds the email came through at 8.37am

If anyone has any advice I would hugely appreciate it and again I apologise for the length of this post...

Good luck everyone, not long now!

Our results come out 5.00pm but I hear some are released at midnight on the 1st - I'm not sure who get's a better night's sleep that night those that know or those that don't!!!

@SweetsAndChocolates I rang the council too, and am still paranoid! @LetItGoToRuin and Sweets, Glad to know I'm not alone though 🤣

I, too, am counting down the days.

It's really silly to worry in our case, because DD should get her first choice, and in fact I believe she would be offered whichever of our five choices she listed first, which makes us extremely fortunate.

However, just like @ElvenDreamer I worry that I might have made some silly mistake with the form, even though DH and DD checked it too...

I'm also worried for a couple of DD's friends, who are either borderline with their grammar scores or distance from schools (no catchments here, apart from one set of grammars) or who chose not to include a banker school on their form...

Best of luck to everyone!

Yes it's so close now, just want to know so I can start looking in to buses etc and getting mentally prepared, we live in a very rural location so nothing is simple lol. I am a nervous wreck, mainly because I've convinced myself I filled in the wrong form or something stupid like that and will therefore get nowhere....