So who else is anxiously awaiting letters this week with offers of secondary school places?

[MummyPenguin]

Letters here go out tomorrow, so we should have them by Friday. It seems a long time ago since we were filling out our preference forms in September. These last few days, waiting for news, are the worst.

Oh, yes, I opened the letter - couldn't stand it any longer! I had told DD that I would, and luckily for me, she's very understanding

Mummypenguin, whereabouts are you? We used to have that system where, if you sat the 11+ and didn't pass, the good high school wouldn't take you. However, there was a recent ruling which meant that each school that you apply to does not know to which other schools you have applied, so they have no idea if your child sits the 11+ or not.

I'm in Bournemouth. Yes, they're changing it here too now. (Too late for us) what's going to happen now - apparently - is that kids can sit the 11 plus, and get their results of that, before they make their other choices. That way, if they fail the 11 plus, they can still get into the good secondaries, (Not that there are many of them round here. There's the Catholic one, and you have to be churchgoers and baptised catholic and the one that my friend missed out on, but we're out of catchment for that.)

So they will get both bites of the cherry, as my DH puts it. We'll be in a better situation then for DS's, currently in year 3 and year 2.

Going to pick DC up now, and tell DD what a clever girl she is. Will look in again later.

Ah, well done to your DD Mummypenguin!

Thank you

DD got offers at all the independants she sat for - I'm really proud of her.

Well done to all those dcs who passed the 11+ and good luck to all in September.

Well done to all. Such a relief to have it all out of the way - for the time being anyway. I have to go through this again in 2 years' time.

Congratulations to all of you, what a nerve racking experience. I am going to have sit DD for 3 or 4 ind schls, do any of you think this is too much to ask of her. Am doing so as the competition is so fierce and the places so few.

If you have offers from several - how do you choose? I know someone who is in dispute with her DP because he wants the DD to go to the only free grammar locally(horrendously difficult to get into - but DD managed it!) whereas she prefers the independent that DD got a part scholarship to. just to make it more interesting the girl herself prefers an independent she got into but would require full fees...
Any similar dilemmas - how do you resolve them,???

Well done everyone! MoreTeaVicar - my DD1 sat for 7, both ind and state, and coped really well. She says she's learnt lots from the experience and that exams will never worry her too much again! (Fortunately for me because, let's face it, it could have gone the other say and she could have had a breakdown!)

I see your point GameGirly. Perhaps, and I hope I am not just being naive here, but DD is a really laid back person and doesn't sweat about ANYTHING!, maybe she would cope with 3 or 4 exams and its just me being anxious for her. Thanks.

It's really interesting reading this thread. My dd is only 6 but when she leaves Year 6, there is the choice of the local comprehensive which is ok, or applying for an independent, which we can't afford. We have no 11+ so no Grammar Schools, no single sex schools either and all the schools within 10 miles are either the same as our local one or not as academically good.

So much for parental choice when you don't have one - not sure whether that makes life easier or not?

Mine also sat for 7 (independents). Didn't seem to be a problem to her.