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

[Hersetta427]

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.

That's interesting! What sort of time did the cut-off scores come out, do you remember? DD has also sat the SW Herts consortium (a school there is our second choice) and she's totally borderline for her score. It's actually slightly closer but the bus takes longer.

Now I'm going to be hitting refresh on that site too

Can I join in please?

DD2 moves up to secondary this year, and following a few interesting months in our towns secondary schools, I’m now actually hoping she gets her second choice rather than first. We’re so nervous!

@tiggytape -could I ask a query about waiting lists? Once the appeals panels have started for a particular school in May/June is the waiting list for that specific school suspended or does it remain active during the process?

How do you put your child on the waiting list? Do you do that through the school you want?

I'll join the thread.

I have my youngest going to Secondary this year. I'm considerably less anxious this time around than first time.

My dd went up in 2016. We got our second choice. It's been such a good school for her so far that I'm thankful most days that we didn't get our first choice.
I have friends with dcs at our first choice and it's not so great. I think we were wooed by a fancy open evening looking back.

This time around, I'm pretty certain to get a sibling place, but we're just within the normal 'catchment' range anyway even though it's a different LEA.

So if appeals are underway but the panel have not yet made their decisions and a PAN goes to -1 during this time then the 1st on the waiting list can still be offered a place?

I'm in the South West.

In 2016, when we got our second choice - we were sent a bundle of forms asking if we wanted to accept our second choice, accept second choice but go on waiting list for first, or just go on the waiting list for first.

Also, our second choice school were aware they weren't our first choice as they sent a 'welcoming' letter addressed to my dd about what the school could offer her.

Thank God I found this! Just happy I am not the only nervous wreck here :D And while I (the dad) and DW bite our fingers off (the nails were long gone), DH is snoring away to glory after a harrowing day at school.

1st Choice is LGGS and we live in Kirkham at the moment. Will shift to Lancaster once we get the confirmation. Still very nervous about the distance. Anyone here knows if kids living in Kirkham are accepted usually at LGGS/LRGS?

Cheers!

DD is snoring away...not DH... DH would be me!! Damnit!

Relieved to know it's not just me counting in hours .

Does anyone know what time the South Glos results are available?

All of the schools here are Academies, so do we have to call every one individually to go on the waiting list?

Calmdownandbreathe my friend lives in Preston and they are out of catchment for LGGS but last year their daughter got a place confirmed.

So pleased I found this thread, feeling somewhat jittery. Wishing I put nearest school somewhere on the left list, in case.

Thank you!! That gives me a little hope.

Just got another bloody reminder from herts....I bloody know when allocation day is !!

How they are just torturing you now aren't they...

Coming to join you all! I was hoping the snow might be a distraction this week, but not a flake here and my head is spinning. Hurry up Thursday!

Hersetta - I know, right?! I keep hoping they've accidentally sent out the result by mistake, but no..

Just had a thought, not that it's likely to happen in our case, but what happens if you get #1 or #2 but then decide you'd like #3 after all? Can you go on waiting lists even if you get your #1 choice?

I didn't put our nearest school down because it is not doing well at the moment, and had less than 50 people put it down as a first choice last year!

Because they measure the distance as the crow flies though, distance-wise there is less than a mile in it between our three nearest schools although they are all in completely different directions (and two of them come under a different Council). The ones that do come under the Council we pay our Council Tax to are further away

It occurs to me that the primary schools probably know by now. I need to find the Senco and stare at her until she twitches a smile or a sympathetic shrug