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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Its 2018....countdown to 1st March secondary school allocations!

632 replies

Hersetta427 · 02/01/2018 12:10

Well two months down and two to go to 1st March. I have been fairly chilled since applications were submitted however now that 2018 is here it is creeping into my thoughts more frequently.

We are truly lucky to live in a town with very good secondary schools but I know DD would be heartbroken if she didn't get her first choice (a top 10 non selective girls school).

Realistically we should be virtually sure of a place as if we don't qualify on distance within our feeder school group then she should get a sports aptitude place (she score 10 percentage points higher than the required score for the last 3 years). However a part of me is still nervous as I imagine what if all 200 girls taking the aptitude test got amazing scores too. Logically I know this isn't the case as other girls at her school score 20-25 marks lower than DD but there are only 9 places available so the margin of error is small.

Anyone else beginning to get jittery? Please tell me I'm not alone.

OP posts:
CotswoldStrife · 25/02/2018 16:17

I am getting slightly more nervous as the day ticks closer, I had a chat with DD yesterday pointing out (yet again) that her first choice might be tricky (it's a single sex school going co-ed for the first time, so effectively halving the number of places available for her!) but any of her list would be good. She got another excellent report this week, so I know wherever she goes she'll do her best even if it's the one I don't want and keep saying it would be difficult to travel to

I'm making the day a celebration whatever we get, so I've just ordered some merchandise for her favourite group so I'll make it a good day whatever we get!

PipnJo · 25/02/2018 19:53

Hii

I'm feeling incredibly nervous now.
We're hoping for 1st choice, out of catchment but linked school. I know all the numbers from who got in last year and it will be very close.
So i keep saying to DS that if he doesn't get in to 1st choice he will definitely get in to 2nd choice (always very under subscribed catchment).

I'll be honest, if he doesn't get 1st choice i'll be absolutely gutted.

FuckYouDailyMail · 25/02/2018 20:27

Glad I've found you, first time I've had to go through this for years and I'm very nervous for DFS. He should get in to the best school for him the looked after children criteria is applied but as his circumstances changed after the application we aren't totally sure if that's being taken into account. Might be having to fight after 1st March.

BeesAndChiscuits · 25/02/2018 21:21

I have just ordered a little present for ds, inspired by this thread, so he has something to either celebrate with or act as a distraction on Thursday. I will be checking online at a minute past midnight.

Rewn7 · 25/02/2018 21:33

Last year I woke DD up at 5 past midnight to tell her the thankfully good news. She smiled and rolled over back to sleep.

I really hope all your DC’s get the school they want but I think the little gift is a lovely idea to either celebrate or distract.

ineedamoreadultieradult · 25/02/2018 21:46

I don't know what time we can find out in my area but I will definitely be checking constantly after midnight! We are going out for a meal on the evening as it's our wedding anniversary so it will either be a double celebration or a way of taking all our minds off it.

PipnJo · 25/02/2018 22:05

I think E-mails were sent out at midnight here previous years.
I'll be staying up and then probably won't be able to sleep Grin

Original poster
Hersetta427 · 25/02/2018 22:05

We have said to dd that if we get good news on Thursday that we will all go out for dinner and she can choose where. She is obviously not your typical 10 yr old as instead of pizza or burgers etc she has asked to go to a Toby carvery so she can have a roast dinner !

OP posts:
Rewn7 · 25/02/2018 22:09

Our system let you log in at midnight but email didn’t ping through until just after 8am. Glad that I could log in as I was ridiculously worried.

Gileswithachainsaw · 25/02/2018 22:25

I'm very Envy at all these midnight results.

I have to wait til 2pm. I'm going to he going nuts

CotswoldStrife · 25/02/2018 22:58

I didn't think about a meal out, DD will probably want that!

Someone on the thread (I won't say who just in case they don't want to reveal themselves) has helpfully pointed me towards the fact that a grammar school in my area looks like it might be running a bit of a recruitment campaign when the results come out. The school my DD put first has a 'preferred catchment area' which tbh, we're not in despite it being our second nearest school by less than a mile. We may stand more of a chance with our second place school which is in the same borough and 10 minutes by bus. The council boundaries are a wonder to behold in our area Hmm

GrockleBocs · 26/02/2018 01:05

Dd is aware that we are incredibly unlikely to have 'won' at this stage so I've prepped her for that. We're ready for the worst :(
I'm gratified that she and our Senco know I don't go down without a fight Grin

PipnJo · 26/02/2018 06:48

@GrockleBocs Parent power! My DS's Senco said "don't worry, we'll sort it" , when i said i was very worried he wouldn't get in to 1st choice.

MedusaBadHairDay · 26/02/2018 10:02

Not long now....62 hours and counting till the midnight reveal - fingers crossed for you all

Gileswithachainsaw · 26/02/2018 10:16

Oh god counting in hours now Shock

So nervous..

bellabelly · 26/02/2018 10:34

Just want to fast forward to Thursday now. Good luck to everyone, hope it's good news all round. Am dreading DT2 being disappointed and really, really hoping he gets his first choice (local grammar school). He has his heart set on it but his 11+ score wasn't great...

gussyfinknottle · 26/02/2018 11:07

Had a chat with DD. She'd be pretty happy with any of the ones we put down. Her main fear is going to a school where there have recently been a police verified: stabbing, two beatings and a pitch battle. Sadly this local school is down as a "good" school. Nice. I haven't filled her head with this stuff. She heard on the grapevine and I had already seen news of it.
We are at a feeder school for this one.
It's not on our list and, in the unlikely event she is put there, I will appeal it.
Fingers crossed. And I hope the kids that do go there get noticed for a change. No one deserves that.

tiggytape · 26/02/2018 11:19

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Message withdrawn at poster's request.

gussyfinknottle · 26/02/2018 11:33

Already got my schtick planned but thanks for the reminder. I will pay for Interhigh as last resort if she is unable to avoid this particular school.

Shattered04 · 26/02/2018 15:27

I'm glad it's an email, not a letter in an envelope. I hate opening letters like this. It's such a physical thing - your DC's future for the next 5-7 years. Something many of us have been worried about for up to a decade in some cases!

You can't help yourself staring through the folded paper, making out a few letters and wondering if you've misread or not. Then when you open it, let's face it, who is going to look at the preamble? You're looking for just one word and you have to find it quickly.

Whereas with an email there's not the same physical ritual of having to open an envelope. You just click on it, and scroll down. No half-seen glimpses, it'll just be there.

Yes, I'm totally overthinking this!

gussyfinknottle · 26/02/2018 15:31

Shattered, they doing an email for you. We are getting online posting from midnight if you log in to your application page.
I was born in the sixties so I'm more used to opening letters. Thank god this isn't the way it's done here, though.

TheWoollybacksWife · 26/02/2018 15:38

I agree with you Shattered. With DD1 the whole process was done by paper. Paper application forms sent through the post and offer letters. I remember coming home from work at lunchtime and finding the offer letter on the doormat. I opened it, read it and sat sobbing (with relief) on the stairs. This is my third time - I was naive with DD1, a little more comfortable with DD2 as we had a sibling link but with DS we have nothing and I'm anxious.

Essaywritingserviceuk · 26/02/2018 15:44

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Shattered04 · 26/02/2018 15:47

We get an email from "the afternoon onwards". They do have it online too, but they say the online information won't be there until the emails have been sent out.

That's the other thing about letters - what if they get lost in the post? I couldn't cope! Nor the waiting for the post delivery.

DD sat the 11+ and that result was postal only. I wasn't looking for any words on that letter, just a number! Thankfully the post worked fine that day, but I drove myself mad wondering all day at work.

Sittinginthesun · 26/02/2018 16:39

With DS1, I somehow saw the cutoff scores, before I received the email (SW Herts consortium). It was a bit weird - the cut-off scores and distances were on the school websites before the emails came out, and before we could access the online site.