Secondary admission conundrum

[Newbie061980]

Hi there - I'm hoping for a bit of advice. My DC is a bright, inquisitive and happy child that is currently well above average academically in her class (top 5). We live in an area where most of our local schools for year 7 entry are partially selective (3 out of our closest 5) and we have been told by our current school it is unlikely DC will get in to these as there are so few academic places and we live more than 200m away (the majority of the remaining places go to siblings and music / academic children outside the school catchment). A new non-academic school was built recently which we love the look of, and is our nearest school. However, that is now over-subscribed and we are 0.5km outside the distance rule. This will mean DC will likely be allocated a particular school that we know has a problem with bullying and teaching. I know of two children near us who are very unhappy there (and parents have noticed the children have lost their love of learning). My DC dreads the idea of going there (that's without us saying anything about it). So I was wondering if anyone can think of any other options - we are considering private but £20k+ per year (and a sibling) puts a real stretch on us. Any advice very welcomed!! 

Thanks - I'm glad to see that it did work out for your DD a couple of years back. That is reassuring. I also agree there is no harm to go for a musical aptitude place (it doesn't reduce our chances).

On the applications numbed, I was thinking that it was a red herring too as there are 4 options for each child I think. Although, when I look at preferences, it was chosen as a 1st or 2nd preference for c400 applicants in 2021. So becoming quite popular.

The whole process feels like it needs a revamp but I imagine it's very difficult to unwind.

Thanks all for all the input! Very helpful.

In any case, apply for the SW Herts tests, both academic and music first and don't miss the deadline. Check which schools you are in priority postcodes for. It is complicated but all details are on the school's website.

If your DC is in the top set, then they have as good a chance as anyone to get a place. There are actually quite a few selective places in the system. But you do need to prep for Maths and verbal reasoning. The scores needed for the Watford boys and girls and Parmiters are high, but Rickmansworth and Queens not so much.

As said above, the music test is well worth taking, as it doesn't require much prep and quite a few places available. The first round you can get online materials to practice (for familiarisation of test format), the audition can be any instrument, voice included. The scores required for Rickmansworth is not that high, the music score for Croxley Danes is actually quite low. The main hurdle would be clearing the first round, it can be unpredictable but defo not dependent on grades. My DC went thru it this year and they found it quite fun and not at all stressful.

Thank you so much for your advice.

We will be putting our energy in to the next few months and hopefully it reaps rewards. We feel more reassured than when I first posted this. Also we have done some data crunching (there is a lot of historical data if you search hard enough!). And the % of children who get an academic place at one of the consortium schools is higher than we have been led to believe. And the music option is also great!

Fingers crossed everything works out!

Sounds like a good plan, very similar to ours in SW London. My ds is current Y6 and got a music place at a good school out of our catchment area and a place at a local private school.

The music assessment was straightforward, but stressful as ds’s class bubble burst less than 24hrs before the test and we only had a week until submitting school application form but they were great and set him up on zoom instead so I saw the assessment. They asked him general music questions including naming pictures of instruments, naming types of notes, asked him to point out the treble clef and time stamp, questions about what ‘tempo, melody, pitch’ mean, the difference between a minor and major scale. Then he played one piece on his clarinet and that was it. He’d only started clarinet in Y5 and was yet to take grade 1 at that point but he’s pretty musical, enjoys listening to music (headphones on 24/7) and had been doing music production club since Y3.

They emailed the next day to say he had successfully passed the assessment and scored highly enough that they’d expect him to get a place through the music criteria if we listed the school as first choice. This was October so just before the deadline to submit form! He did get offered a place on 1st March as his 1st choice. Good luck!

@ProfessorPootle

Sounds like a good plan, very similar to ours in SW London. My ds is current Y6 and got a music place at a good school out of our catchment area and a place at a local private school.

The music assessment was straightforward, but stressful as ds’s class bubble burst less than 24hrs before the test and we only had a week until submitting school application form but they were great and set him up on zoom instead so I saw the assessment. They asked him general music questions including naming pictures of instruments, naming types of notes, asked him to point out the treble clef and time stamp, questions about what ‘tempo, melody, pitch’ mean, the difference between a minor and major scale. Then he played one piece on his clarinet and that was it. He’d only started clarinet in Y5 and was yet to take grade 1 at that point but he’s pretty musical, enjoys listening to music (headphones on 24/7) and had been doing music production club since Y3.

They emailed the next day to say he had successfully passed the assessment and scored highly enough that they’d expect him to get a place through the music criteria if we listed the school as first choice. This was October so just before the deadline to submit form! He did get offered a place on 1st March as his 1st choice. Good luck!

Congratulations @ProfessorPootle If this was a state school though, as I understand it you wouldn't have missed out on the music place by putting the school second or lower down, as long as you listed it. Schools aren't allowed to give priority to children based on where they are listed on the form- they probably just meant to put them first if you wanted the place to ensure that they were the school you were offered, not one you'd listed as a higher preference.

Yes, that’s what I meant! They said put it as 1st preference if he really wanted the place, and they expected he would get it. They couldn’t guarantee a music space but likewise if we listed somewhere else higher then he may have got that one instead.

@ProfessorPootle

Yes, that’s what I meant! They said put it as 1st preference if he really wanted the place, and they expected he would get it. They couldn’t guarantee a music space but likewise if we listed somewhere else higher then he may have got that one instead.

Great, sorry. I just wanted to clarify in case others read it that you had to put a school first to get a place, as it still seems be a widely held myth that 'X school fills up with people who put it first' etc!

Ir you are practicing Catholics you have an excellent chance of getting a place at Loreto College in St. Albans. They normally can offer to every baptized catholic from Hertfordshire who applies.