School offers day 2023

[UsernameOfMine]

So.... secondary school offer day is almost upon us. How is everyone dealing with the wait?

My DD is thinking about it far more than I would have hoped, is counting down the days and asking everyday if they will come out early. She's angry at the council that they can't sort the whole process out in a week. Apparently it's "not that hard to sort it out"🤔 I have tried to explain the process and that it's not just her it's every other child in the district (and neighbouring district as we've applied for schools there too), but she's just being impatient to know.

I'm thinking about it...but I thought I'd be worse with her been dc2 and wanting her to go to the same school as dc1. (No sibling priority at that school) but she's got a good chance of it so trying not to stress.

So how about everyone else?

@MoggyMittens23 here there’s 1 super selective grammar per sex. You sit the exam in November, put the school on your CAF and you don’t hear a thing until Offers Day. No mark, no indication of pass or fail, nothing. The top 180 boys (or girls at the other school) get offered a place and you find out March 1st if your kid is one of them.

@Tappetytap I'd keep a record of conversations & maybe email them.
I've also heard of staff covering the switchboard giving poor information out.

Anyone had an update in Hertfordshire? No email and no update on portal yet x

@snowtrees I will. Good idea. The first person was worryingly ill informed and the second one didn't seem to ring true either.

Any admissions experts- does this go against the Admissions Code? I thought grammar test results were meant to be released before parents list their preferences on the CAF these days so they know whether they are making realistic choices?

Yes, that is contrary to the Admissions Code. For tests other than banding tests, the admission authority is required to take all reasonable steps to give parents the outcome of the test before 31st October. Note that this particular failure to conform won't win an appeal.

We don't get the email until anytime from 4:30 today

I agree with prh47bridge. It’s poor (and outdated) practice, but all applications have been handled the same, so it’s hard to see how this might help any appeal.

That’s interesting. This is Tiffin school/Tiffin girls
school.
you sit test 1 in September, around 1800 kids per school
600 kids per school get invited back for test 2 in Nov. If you get invited back then you are advised to put Tiffin on the CAF if you want to go there.
180 places per school

Thanks @prh47bridge and @PanelChair- that's interesting. It must make it much more stressful @FlamingoSocks!

We got ours a couple of hours ago - DD got our first choice, which is good.

That's good news MadameSzyszkoBohusz.
We got ours a little while ago, also first choice x

We got our first choice! Dudley went early at 10am instead of 2pm and the individual school emailed at 9.30. So relieved!

We got ours in Hertfordshire.
got 1st choice only because of sibling rule. Friend got her 2nd choice even though 1st choice is closer

I don't know you but for some reason I really wanted to see if your kiddo got first choice. So happy for you and them, eventhough this American doesn't really understand your system haha

@gumball37 Thanks gumball ,our system is stressful you have to wait months to find out if your child gets a place .

I'm in a similar position, we got our third choice but now we want a different (undersubscribed) school, it wasn't in our choices to start but our circumstances have changed and it is actually our catchment school, I don't want to reject the offer until I know if I can get DS changed to the other school otherwise we're left with nothing!

Tiffin use the 2nd stage for ranking purposes only. I don't think that contravenes any rule? (If you look at the Sutton grammars nearby, they pass more candidates).

This is absolute torture. I have to go out in a minute and won't be back before 5 to check. London is so late!

@WisteriaLodge what did your council advise? I called again and got different info yet again. This time I was told oh you don't submit a late application you need to email us to cancel that we can add you to the want list today. I said what wait list I was told it the school I was considering swapping too was undersubscribed this year. Oh well its not she said. I said just leave it all for now. So I've emailed admissions to cancel the "late application" as that didn't sound right and I'm back to square one and confused. I think I'm gonna leave it all until Monday now as my heads gone and noone gives me the same info twice!!

*wait list

I emailed the admissions about our situation but all I got was an automated reply, I imagine they're very busy today which is understandable, however I will try and phone them on my day off and see if I can change. The whole thing is a nightmare!

Tappetytap - when you email the admissions team, include a summary of what they’ve told you so far and ask them to confirm it. You are wise to hang onto the offered place until you have a firm offer of a place from the other school’s waiting list.

Feel for the London people having to wait until 5pm. Good luck!

London allocations are out and I don't know how as we're a very far distance but we got first choice due to religious criteria. I am overwhelmed. I love the school and it's got the best reputation but my son didn't like it and couldn't really articulate why! I now need to break the news to him, but going to wait until I calm down. Any advice?