Explanation of Make Offers for Aptitude Banded Receivers

The Make Offers routine for banded receivers is identical to the routine for phased, non-banded receivers up to the point where applications with no parental preferences are added to the No Application base (step 5 of the process as detailed in Explanation of the Make Offers Process (Phased)).

However, One uses a different process to allocate students to banded receivers, as opposed to non-banded receivers. Furthermore, the allocation process for banded schools differs depending on whether the school in question is an Edit Rank school or not. The process below details the routines One uses to allocate students to bases where aptitude banding is in use.

Schools using aptitude banding must have at least two bands: one aptitude (this would normally be a level 1, highest priority band) and one mainstream (non-aptitude). If a school has more than one specialism (for example Music and Art) then it can have a level 1 band for each specialism. In this case children are considered for bands based upon the priority defined by the applicant rather than the priority of the aptitude bands defined for the school.

Unlike assessed ability banding, One does not check for test scores for aptitude bands, although LAs can use test scores in the oversubscription criteria for the aptitude band if they wish.

Non-Edit Rank Receivers

  1. If the school has more than one aptitude band, then the children are sorted according to the band with the highest priority on their application.
  2. One ranks the children who have applied for the aptitude band(s) by the oversubscription criteria defined for the band(s), or by the sub group oversubscription criteria if these criteria have been indicated in the band details. The students are sorted on the first oversubscription criterion, then sorted on the second criterion in sets of the first, and so on.
  3. One makes offers for the aptitude band(s) up to the PAN. Students ranked within the band PAN are given a status of O (Offer), while students ranked outside the PAN are given a status of N (No Current Offer).
  4. One creates a band record in the mainstream band for those students who were not offered a place in the aptitude band(s) but have indicated that the also wish to be considered for the mainstream school (i.e. the student does not have the Do Not Consider For Mainstream School preferences reason selected).
  5. One sorts the children in the mainstream band by oversubscription criteria.
  6. One makes offers for the mainstream band, up to the PAN of that band.
  7. One resolves offers for students who applied to more than one band.
    • If the student's offer status is O (Offer) in the higher priority band then One updates the lower priority band offer status for the same preference to Q (No Longer Required).
    • If the student's offer status is N (No Current Offer) in the higher priority band, but O (Offer) in the lower priority band, then the N status in the higher band is retained.
    • If the student is offered a place in either of the bands then the main preference offer status is updated to O (Offer). If the student receives N (No Current Offer) in both bands, then the main preference offer status is updated to N (No Current Offer).

Edit Rank Receivers

  1. If the school has more than one aptitude band, then the children are sorted according to the band with the highest priority on their application.
  2. One sorts any ranked preferences for a home LA school which uses aptitude banding in an Edit Rank subgroup. These preferences are sorted according to the existing band rank.
  3. One updates student offer statuses for the aptitude band(s):
    • Students ranked within the band PAN are given a status of O (Offer).
    • Students ranked below the band PAN are given a status of N (No Current Offer).
    • Unranked preferences for a Home LA school that uses aptitude banding in an Edit Rank sub group are updated to R (Refused by LA).
  4. One processes the students who applied for the mainstream band.

    Students for whom Do Not Consider For Mainstream is not selected and who are not offered a place in an aptitude band at an Edit Rank school are not automatically added to the mainstream band. It is up to the school to rank these students.

  5. One resolves offers for students who applied to both bands:
    • If the student's offer status is O (Offer) in the higher priority band, then One updates the lower priority band offer status for the same preference to Q (No Longer Required).
    • If the student's offer status is N (No Current Offer) in the higher priority band, but O (Offer) in the lower priority band, then the N status in the higher band is retained.
    • If the student is offered a place in either of the bands then the main preference offer status is updated to O (Offer). If the student gets N (No Current Offer) in both bands, then the main preference offer status is updated to N (No Current Offer).

      All changes to the main offer status are reflected in the Preference History.