help I have to rank choices for secondary

[zenlikecalm]

No doubt this has been covered a zillion times, but my eldest is yet again turning me into a frazzled newbie.

OK if I put down secondary school A as our number one fave, and she doesn't get a place in A, does that mean we won't get a place in school B which we quite like too but put second, if it is already full of people who sensibly put it as their first choice?

why o why did I have an August baby?? everything seems to come at me so fast.

Ps we live in Hertfordshire

It could well be so, zen....

I think you have to be realistic and weigh up the odds of your child getting in to school A. Just because it is your fave isn't enough. What is the criteria? How far away did last year's entrants live? Is it selective? How many applicants did it have last year, how many successful? Things like that.

I'm in Hertfordshire, a part which isnt blessed for good schools. It's a gamble I'm pleased I won't have to take again. I've seen so many people end up with disappointments because they aren't realistic.

In London, schools are not allowed to know what their ranking is. Therefore, if you like A best, but are a bit far away, you can put it as first preference. School B may be your catchment school, which you are OK with, but not wild about. If you put it 2nd, and are in area, then you will be allocated a place at B. If by a lucky chance there is a place at A, you will be offered A, and the place at B will go to the next child on the list.

This all happens behind the scenes, and you just get one offer on allocation day. It is called the equal preference system.

The key thing about the equal preference system is to put a school that you have a realistic chance of getting a place in somewhere on the form. If you do not, then your child will be allocated school Z, miles away from your home and a place that you would never consider.

East Herts operates the equal preference system as well.

Your primary school should be able to clarify but in Essex you are advised to put your catchment school somewhere on your form - if it's not your favourite then put it last so that your child does not end up at a school miles away etc. As for the other choices - in our authority you will get the highest priority and it does not matter if you have ranked the school 1st, 2nd or 3rd. Hope this helps.

zenlikecalm - Which area do you live in? Most areas use the common application form now, and in that, preference, as others have said, is something the school won't know.

I have a feeling that schools generally are not allowed to state preference position as an admission criteria. Though I couls be a. wrong, and b. religious schools might have some lee-way with that.

'Phone your LEA. If you're in an area with a common application form your LEA will be scrupulous in telling you to list your schools in order of preference. (Because a lot of people still aren't doing that, with unfortunate results).

The equal preference system applies everywhere, not just in the areas already mentioned. That means that your chances of getting into a particular school are unaffected by whether you put it as your 1st choice or your 6th.

Admissions for each school are considered independently. If your child gets a place at more than one school your preference order will be used to decide which one is actually offered. So, for example, if the admissions process gives places at your 2nd and 4th choice schools your child will be offered the place at your 2nd choice school.

You should therefore put your choices in your preference order. If you really want your child to go to a very popular school where they are unlikely to get a place, put that as your first choice. I would, however, recommend putting an unpopular school you are reasonably happy with as your last choice. That means you will have a good chance of getting that school if all else fails. If you don't do that it is possible you won't get any of your preferences, in which case you will be allocated to the nearest school with places available. That may be a school you are really unhappy with.

Yup, IF you have the equal preference system then it boils down to

1. put the schools in absolute order of preference, even if that means your first choice is one you only have a small chance of.

If you place it second or lower & then meet it's criteria, the place will be automatically declined if your first choice offers you a place.

2)put at least one realistic choice that you would accept, even if it's your least favourite & you put it last.

The schools are not supposed to know your ranking.

But do check if equal preference is in operation in your area...

Animula - You are right and religious schools don't have any leeway with that, nor do academies. If the school handles its own admissions they will be sent details of all the children applying but they won't be told whether the parents have made the school their 1st choice or their 6th choice.

Psammyad - The OP doesn't need to check if equal preference is in operation in her area. It MUST be in operation by law.

You are put on the list for all your choices as if they were your first choice. They then allocate the places. If you get a place at your first choice you are taken off the list for 2nd and 3rd freeing up places for other people. If you don't get first but do get second then you go there. Whether a school is 1st, 2nd or 3rd doesn't affect whether you get a place there but you only get told of the choice at your highest placed school. One of them should be somewhere you should get into otherwise you could be placed anywhere with a space. The advice from the experts is

1. Desirable but probably wont get a place
2. Ok and good chance of getting in.
3. Unpopular but acceptable

Zen, I also have an August baby, and like you this seems to be upon us mightily fast. Last night dd1 and I went to an open evening together. She had a little wobble on the way, saying that she did not feel ready for secondary school. She said that she hated the way that time goes so quickly when you are happy. She thought it might be better to have a miserable Y6, because then at least time would go slowly! The logic of a ten year old.

She loved the open evening though. The science department allowed the children to use a bunsen burner to test metals and have a go on other equipment too. She did some felt tip chromatography, and the science teacher said that she would keep it safe for her and she could collect it at the end of the evening. I don't think that she expect dd to come back, because her work had been put away. She gave dd another child's one which pleased her anyway .

ok that is helpful-tra la la now we are off to spend the next few working evenings visiting schools, and hope to get some answers and useful impressions.

After that, I shall put down whichever one seems best for DD1, first on the form.

The primary school has been pants, they didn't even send home the forms in July like the herts website said. All they have done is tell us yet again not to park in their car park if we go to visit the neighbouring secondary.