Anyone else got butterflies after the Big School Lottery

[fsmail]

Just watched the Big School Lottery and we live on the border of three different LEAs including one which is Birmingham and one of our choices is a Birmingham school. Now getting nervous. Is there anyone else feeling a bit wobbly about their choices?

I am not feeling wobbly, there is no point. DD is going to a rather grim school, we just have to make the best of it. I did the same and did very well. She has bags more going for her than I ever did. She will succeed

Yes me, I can't decide if I should watch the others. Good luck with your year fsmail we are in the same boat.

I watched it out if interest as I live in Birmingham too. I am already worrying about it now and DD1's only just gone into Y1 so can't imagine how you are feeling lol! Our two local comps are really terrible though.

*of interest

I went through the birmingham system some years ago with Dd1 it was scary, have since been lucky enough to move to another area, still scary with Dd2 but not as bad.
I did notice though that they didn't mention that the grammar scores are also adjusted for age, which in my opinion should be made clear for those with Autumn birthday children. When Dd2 moved up none of the older [bright] girls got grammar places!! coincidence? I don't know.

I sometimes wish that we lived in a grammar school area, but after seeing all of the cramming the poor children go though, I'm having second thoughts.

Children don't really get a choice as such here. If you are close enough to your catchment school, you get in, otherwise you have to travel to the undersubscribed schools.

Nobody has a choice they only have the opportunity to express 6 preferences.

I was very surprised by the comment at the end that only 20 odd appeals were successful out of 800 appeals. That is a very low figure. It would have been very useful to have known what the breakdown of the figures was. I wonder whether many of the appeals were for the grammar schools and were from parents of children who had not met the required standard. Those appeals would have a very low likelyhood of success as would any that were primary school appeals under the infant class size regulations.

Made me glad we're in Scotland. How we laughed in the first episode when the LEA woman explained how part of their role was to help parents to work out where they lived..... and that some people would be "very happy" and some would be "less happy" - no-one sad or angry or upset just "less happy". DP and I couldn't work out if she would be an absolute nightmare to work with or a wonderful positive boss.

When we went to appeal for Dd1 we were just shown a large map of brum with loads of different coloured circles on it showing the distance cut off for each school. I had prepared a kind of case and had letters from her primary school. They were not interested. I was not surprised that only around 20 won there case. We did eventually get a lovely school for her on appeal, out of brum, where she did very well.
Believe me lal.. there were lots of sad, angry people at the education offices when we were there!!

Good luck everybody who is applying. It appeared that most kids got their chosen schools. Sofia was very bright so not surprised she got into Kind Edwards Camp Hill. It would be interesting to see how many places go to prep school kids and how many to kids from normal schools. My child is younger in the year at did not put him in for King Edwards because he is not in the really top niche of the class. My two neighbours are training their children (now aged 4 and one 5) with Kumon to get them into King Edwards. I personally believe a good comp would suit mine. Fingers crossed my DS gets his choice.

Had to laugh at the tutor-dad sending his daughter into the first 11+ exam with TWENTY FOUR pencils!

I am glad I live in an area with neither 75 schools to choose from, nor Grammar schools.

I have butterflies, and mine are 4 and 5! unfortunately in Manchester, it mostly comes straight down to money, my house is 50% more expensive than one with no 'good' schools nearby, and that only primary! I'm a bit stuck for secondary, and would love to move, but will cripple us. my DS is very understandingsick of hearing me going on about schools and has caved for an easy life so we will hopefully move, but of course primaries all full so hard to get in to good area.