Offers Day 1st March 2012

[gazzalw]

Anyone else feeling like we do about the impending Offers Day?

Not at all a foregone conclusion that DS will get into any of first five choices (all selective, two 11+ passes, one 11+ result due this coming week) so rather up in the air.... Sixth choice is okayish but DS has talked it down to the point that he is now desperately hoping it's not his one and only choice! Otherwise DS is being quite mature about considering that he could end up at any of the schools and is already thinking about which friends from primary school he is likely to stay in touch with etc.....

It all feels a bit as if life is on hold till 1st March.....

That would be the ideal scenario CustardCake. No doubt data protection is the primary reason for them not doing that.

Those who have gone through the 'site crash' scenario before in previous years, how long did it take before you could finally get online?

It smacks of some form of sadism to me - surely they can build an IT system which is capable of accommodating the number of hits that there are children applying for secondary school places - sorry not very well-worded but you know what I mean.

It's not as if it's a surprise that every parent will want to find out immediately.....is it????? Or is this some type of lesson in delayed gratification???

Well it makes no sense for it to be the 1st March and not the 29th of February given that there's an extra day this year!!!

And if there's going to be a pan-UK Offers Day how come different counties/boroughs give out the information at different times of the day using different tools for doing so???

Heyho....can't believe that somewhere amongst Mumsnetters there's not a 'suit' (or two) who is involved in policy-making for such things

The wait is nearly over - DS is now saying that he can't wait till Thursday but I am not sure he fully understands quite how nervous we are about it...think he thinks he's got one of his five selective options no probs....

I shall be staying up till midnight for results online. I'm trying not to think about it as I feel a bit sick/tight chested when I do. DD has passed the 11+ but its 50/50 as to whether she'll get a place or not as they're allocated on distance.

Good luck VivaLeBeaver! Not even sure what our DS's odds are - not easy to work out when several grammar schools are involved and the pass rates seem to vary considerably!

Thanks. Good luck for your ds as well.

Hi All- I am thinking of all of us at this highly stressful time. Here in Hertfordshire, I have no idea what time to expect an outcome, so since I usually work late, will try and look at about 1am on Thursday morning and then go to bed, wake up early and see if there is anything - if not received earlier.
As we are 14km from the selective school dd tried for, I have always known there was little hope- but there are children from here who have got in previously, so we thought it was at least worth trying.
So I need to see what is offered and then if not good news, will reluctantly fill in and return the acceptance form to one of the indies that offered a place.
Looking forward to this wait being over.
Take care everyone and I hope all our "Mumsnet friends" on this blog get some peace soon.

Hi StressedSian, is the selective school your dd has applied for one that goes on catchment first and foremost? Only time will tell - at least if girls have got in from your area previously that's a good sign....

I think the thing is this year that the tightening hold of the recession might make more people choose state over indie - I think this might be an issue for those of us who are going down the selective route, as it's quite possible (having looked at some of the private secondary school threads) that people will be opting in to the state sector rather than out of it as they might have done in previous years.

Heyho.....yes, the wait is nearly over.....

Hi gazzalw and Custardcake- I share the same observations up here in Herts. I agree that most "normal" people do not have more disposable income available but I think there is greater concern about trying to get a place at a school with pupils who share the same goals and wish to work rather than negotiate behavioural issues and those of conduct- that's why we left state primary after year 4.
Our lack of optimism about our chances of dd getting the selective place on Thursday is that there were 65 selective places offered in a year group of 180 (approx). Approx 3000 applicants for the exam for the 65 selective places. Our area is in the local priority area, but if her 11+ mark ties with another child who lives nearer, then the distance rule is invoked. Hence- not much chance!!! The main attendees from here next September will be the siblings of those already in- many of which got in on well deserved music places etc. See what I mean? Pretty hopeless.
I'll let you all know on Thursday. Still feel very wound up about all of this. Thought now that we had all the independent offers through, it would make us happy, but my dh and I seem heavy hearted.
Bye for now

Stressed Sian - We are in the same position, we have 3 indie offers, but no bursaries/scholarships, hence very apprehensive, especially when we have to think of DS2. The only salvation now is a any adecent offer on Thursday.

Fingers crossed for everybody.

We should get a sibling place for DS, but I won't relax until we get the proper say so. And I am hoping that all his friends who won't get sibling places get an offer that they are happy with. It's a very unsettling time.

I am on tenterhooks too for DD as there is no catchment school for us so we have to fit into whichever of the various close-ish schools have places left.

We only get 3 choices too - other boroughs get up to 7 which seems to me so unfair; surely as there is a centralised system there should be similar numbers of choices?

Also the nearest borough says they can log on at 00.01 on 1st March to find out but we have to wait for an email ...

You may find an email is a better option when the neighboring borough system crashes at midnight - it happened last year in one borough I know and parents were left waiting for a couple of days until it was fixed !

I keep trying to tell myself that if DD doesn't get into the Grammar school it won't be the end of the world. She only just scraped the pass mark at the 11+, was literally on the passmark. So maybe if she does end up at the local comp she will "shine" more.

I don't understand why different boroughs in London have different log-in times. Surely it should be the same rule for all applying under the Pan-Londodn rules?

And how come you only got 3 choices whiskers? I guess you aren't in the Pan-London thing?

Thanks kravings and Custardcake and everyone. None of us can change what we are about to hear, but I have found this all quite lonely and you guys are providing much needed shoulders.
Fingers crossed for all of us for Thursday and some good news. :)

I know the end is in sight but this is torture! Not sure how on earth I will get through next 3 days......Kalms, Nytol and Prosecco me thinks!

Custardcake now you've got me really worried......part of me thinks DS will get one of his preferred schools and then we panic and think he might not get any - Prosecco for me too Busymummy!

Thanks CustardCake you have reassured me but still can't be 100% confident for fear of tempting Fate!

I am so impatient that I just keep logging on just in case the information is up there already (but it's not).

Does anyone think that with the extra day in February this year they might actually have it ready to roll ahead of schedule or is that being too wishful thinking for words.....

I find all of your comments about more people applying for indies (rather than fewer as I would have naturally summized) than in previous years interesting.... A couple at our ds's school friends have done as a fall-back option (but hoping to get bursaries so think they might have been disappointed given that their children aren't particularly sporty and/or academic) but no trend really observed but then we are not really one of the affluent catchment schools.....

Certainly quite a lot of the boys (about 8/15) did the grammar school exams (and 3 girls) of whom thus far two boys passed three, one girl passed two and one girl passed one and sadly none of the others passed any..... that is an upward trend - not in the results - but in the number of parents considering selectives as an option