to think it must be possible to register for the 11+ late?

[Rememberremember]

My friend has just found out that her ex husband has failed to register her son for the 11+ (or Kent test I think it is now) by the deadlines, despite promising he would do...
Her son has been working so hard towards this for 18 months and it now looks like he won't be allowed to take it due to his irresponsible father.
How is it fair to punish him for something his father hasn't done - and especially something that could have a massive impact on his education .
Contacting the council has got her nowhere as they won't budge...
AIBU to think there must be some way to get him to be able to take that test?
Any suggestions or advice very much appreciated..

I don't think that there is a way if KCC won't budge.
She may have to send pupil to non selective secondary and then go the in year admission route.

A deadline is just that. It's unfortunate but I doubt anything can be done.

In my 11+ area the only way you can register late is if you moved into the area after the deadline. There is a second deadline for this though. You also don't register with the council.

Unfortunately, I think he won't be able to sit the exam now, but hoping someone who knows the Kent system will be along to help soon.

If not try the 11plus forum. Go to the Kent area, they are the experts.

Didn't we have a thread on this exact situation (father saying he would do it but not...) about a year ago?

Is there still a 12 +? That could be an option at a later stage.

If I recall there was a thread a year or two ago that was exactly this scenario (can't remember location) in the end I think the child was allowed to sit the exam. The mom was beyond despair at her DH and his attitude- but I think he (finally) owned up to his fault and persuaded some leniency be given.

I think there does come a time when the deadline is fixed and they mean it. There appear to be no extenuating circumstances in this case (because yes, the truly exceptional cases might be accommodated, but 'couldn't get round to doing it in time, despite reminders' really isn't one of them).

It is a great shame that your friend relied on the wrong person, rather than dealing with the application herself (as she sounds more clued up than the XH). The XH should be the one who explains this to her DS, but something tells me that he probably won't bother with that either.

Your friend will need to work out what she will say to her DS if he asks 'why didn't you just do it?'

Yes there was a thread exactly the same last year although I don't know if it was Kent or another 11+ area. If I recall the poster contacted the organisers and was indeed able to submit a late application.

thanks for your replies... it doesn't soubd good.

To be fair she should be able to rely on his father to do this if he said he was going to, and just because she is the mother does not make her automatically the one responsible.

I will search for the ither thread now. Thanks folks.

How old is he? When was the deadline?

Yes, she should be able to rely in the other parent.

But if you know/suspect you can't, then you simply don't, when the consequences matter. Yes of course it's annoying if you are cast as 'the responsible one', and that might be one of the reasons why he's an XH. Some people just cannot be relied on, whether mother, father or unrelated.

I doubt she'll be leaving anything important about her DS in his hands again (or I'd think her a fool if she did). Because the DS's interests come ahead of who should be capable of acting responsibly, and depend rather on who does

In our area there's the possibility of sitting the school's test too. Although the deadline for that has also probably passed.
The school administer it themselves so there may be more flexibility.

How awful and disappointing for the child.
I remember the previous thread on this, I think in the end the education authority did relent, but not easily. Forgetting a deadline is not a good reason.

I remember that thread. I don’t think it was the Kent test because I like in Kent and have a primary aged child so I tend to notice threads about the Kent test.I thought it was some kind common entrance exam not the actual 11 plus the boy hadn’t been registered for. He was allowed to sit it in the end though.

It might be best if your friend speaks directly to the grammar school she’s aiming for, she may be able to come to some kind of arrangement with them. I know the one we’re looking at for DD has some discretionary places, although I don’t know the criteria for applying for one.

the deadline was earlier this month - he is just coming to the end of year 5 and the test is in the first week or two of year 6

I’m pretty sure there is no late registration for the Kent Test. And there is no 12+. You can apply to individual grammar schools once you are in year 7, and they have their own tests for late entries. But getting a place depends on there being a vacancy, and there usually aren’t. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

I thought Kent was fully selective, i.e. all pupils sat 11+, then secondaries allocated?

The other thread related to a husband with very serious mental health problems who had missed the deadline. KCC allowed them to apply late because they could prove his disability had caused them to miss the deadline.

In general, no, I don’t believe you can apply after the deadline.

Kent is fully selective, but the 11+ is not compulsory.

It's not really any different to parents who forget to apply for a school place by the deadline and so child ends up at school out of catchment. At some point a deadline has to be final. It sucks for the child but ultimately parents have to take some responsibility instead of expecting the state to pick up the pieces all the time.

As a mum with a child sitting their 11+ in September I sympathise with your friend and their DC; a lot of prep has gone in for us and to miss out because of someone else's mistake seems cruel.

I must admit though- I don't think I would have left something I deemed important for my DH to do; I love him but he has to be reminded to put the bins out on he same day every week!

The Kent test isn’t compulsory. For children who have SEN or just struggle academically making them take it would be unnecessarily stressful. From what I know around two thirds of DDs class are sitting it.

If my dh said he was going to submit the application, I would have checked and double checked in the days running up to the deadline that it had definitely been submitted. Where we are, the 11+ is not a straightforward application, involves having passport photo of child taken and multiple proofs of address asked for. So they should have been communicating the process with each other.

Kent isn't fully selective on the 11+ except for the grammar schools obviously. And like BluthsFrozenBananas, the vast majority of kids in my DD's Year 5 are taking it in September. But it's not just those who have SEN or struggle that don't take it - my DD won't be as not all parents (and my DH is very very firnly in this camp) for political reasons agree with the Grammar School system. It will depend on where your friend lives but if really is no bending on the 11+ entry then the only thing she can do is start investigating alternatives asap! Some of the private schools have scholarship places (not a route we're going down because of the above but they do!). A handful of the better performing secondary schools with specialities might take out of area kids with abilities in certain areas like Art or Performing Arts (the route we're going down, quite why the DH is ok with our bright DD singing for entry rather than sitting a written test I don't know but am not challenging him on it!). There are also the Religeous schools if that's a possibility. So there will be options for your friend other than the local secondary if that's not great but will probably involve hoops to jump through and waiting lists and she'll need her act in gear!