Frequently Asked Questions

The short answer is yes, though really it does depend on your postcode and the schools you intend to apply for.

The FAQs on the websites of all Consortium Schools will tell you there is no pass or fail. The Consortium Schools test is not an 11+ and there is no benchmark per se, however, there is such a thing as “the lowest score at which a place is offered”.

Again, there is a short answer and it is no, though it really does depend on your postcode and the schools you intend to apply for.

A surprising percentage of applicant’s children are offered their first preference and the number of children offered one of their four (or six if you live in the neighbouring London Boroughs) is extremely high. This is where the continuing interest list comes into play.

I can offer tailored guidance as to how you might interpret your waiting list positions for each of the Schools you have applied to and how you might change some of your preferences during continuing interest to effect a more favourable outcome.

Continuing Interest is the two round process during which you remain on the waiting list for a place at any school that you have placed higher on your preference list when you applied to your local authority. This process runs for a two to three week period after 1st March when further allocations are made after parents have accepted or declined their allocations. It runs again for a similar period usually after the Easter break.

The continuing interest list invariably “moves”, regardless of the popularity of a school, and further places are offered – even up to the beginning of term, in September.

It is not advisable to refuse your allocation, even if it is non-ranked (this means a school you did not put on your list of preferred schools). You cannot assume that you will be offered a place at one of your preference schools during continuing interest and ultimately you will be asked to provide evidence of educational provision by your local authority if a school place has not been offered/accepted by September. There are legal ramifications in the long run.

All schools – and your local authority – will offer guidance on the process of lodging an appeal. I can offer a more detailed overview upon request.

Again, the process is standard across all local authorities though, obviously, each appeal is based on a unique set of circumstances that are individual to your family. There is no magic formula; the success of an appeal is difficult to judge on face value as each school’s Governors’ Statement (their “defence” to an appeal) is individual to them in the same way the requirement for your child to attend a particular school is specific to you. I have considerable experience at appeal and can offer a more detailed summary and guidance if required.

There are millions of flamingoes in the world and each one is absolutely unique.

Just like your child.

Finding a path through the secondary transfer process that is right for your child is the key to satisfactory outcomes and HSAMS can tailor guidance that is right for your little flamingo.