Changing Secondary School Choice 2009 on Borough Council form

[Claudia6251]

I have just found out that my third choice of secondary school for my son is not a good choice and I would like to change it. Has anyone done this before. I know I need to contact the borough council but as its the weekend I just wondered if anyone could help with this? The third choice I thought was a grammar school but infact it is a school which accepts 30 places for children who have passed their 11+ but the school results I just looked at are not that great and I want to change this choice to a grammar school. Looking forward to anyone's help as I am worried now.

What are the chances of your being granted the third choice? Is it worth it?
It might be dealt with as a late entry, but don't really know, sorry.

Presumably grammar school is no. 4 on your form and not-popular school is no. 3, which means that your dc has taken the exams for both (or all 4).
So, your problem is that if dc doesn't get into 1 or 2 but passes 3 and 4, he will be allocated a place at no. 3 but not only lose the place at no. 4, also not be put on waiting list for no. 4.

If I were you, I would 'phone the LEA but I would also phone school no. 4. I would tell them that I was unfamiliar with the application procedure and had messed it up. That's also the line I would try taking with the LEA.

If you're new to the area, I would definitely bring that up. I might also try telling school no. 4 they were dc's choice.

I would aim to get the school to keep dc on the waiting list if it turns out that the LEA are inflexible. If the LEA don't let you change the order, I don't see that they can allocate a place in the first round. However, the waiting list situation is sometimes (and only sometimes,) a bit more flexible and it's a rare school that doesn't offer places from the waiting list.
If your dc has passed the grammar entrance exam, he will be top of the waiting list.
You'll have to make it v. clear to school no. 4 that, were they to offer your dc a place, you would definitely be declining place at no. 3.

Thank you so much for your help clam and feelbetter.

Claudia