moving back to the UK Info on Princes Risborough needed.

[Craftymom100]

Hi There
My family is moving back to the UK after being in North America for 10 years. I have 3 young kids (5yrs, 3yrs and 1yr) so I would like a great place for young families and people interested in playgroups and doing art with kids too. My husband works in finance so will be commuting to London. We are looking to Buckinghamshire area. Does anyone know much about the Princes Risborough area?
Thanks

[ElfontheShelfIsWATCHINGYOUTOO]

Hello I do not think there is anything noteworthy or special there, maybe someone can contradict me but its not somewhere I would spend day out.

Amersham, Chesham, marlow, maidenhead, cookham, denham, beaconsfield etc all much nicer.

[Acayley]

Hi there

We moved to Princes risborough recently and have similarly young children. It's a lovely area but as ever depends on your priorities. Schools are good, has decent facilities for its size and fastest trains to London are around 40 minutes. Has a good children's centre and plenty of playgroups etc. feels to us like a good place to bring up kids. I can't claim it's an exciting place but if you wanted that then London would be my suggestion.

Happy to have a chat with you about our experience if helpful

[Acayley]

Also should add that whilst I would probably spend a day out in Marlow I'm not sure id be bothered about spending a day out in Amersham, Chesham, maidenhead, cookham, denham, beaconsfield etc as all these places don't have a lot to attract outsiders to in my opinion

[columngollum]

Henley is missing from the list above. I wouldn't bother with Maidenhead myself.

[toobusytothink]

Hello. Whilst princes risborough itself isn't great, the surrounding countryside is beautiful. Unless you want to be in a town, I would suggest a village nearby eg bledlow or chinnor is slightly larger. Commute to marylebone is very good. Schools good as many primary's aim to feed the grammars. I know more about chinnor and thame than risborough. Thame is a very nice market town.

[Acayley]

To busy is right about the nice villages around princes Risborough. I'm not sure why people are knocking Risborough but I'd accept there is nothing exceptional about it but the people who live here love it and I can walk to the chiltern hills from my house 2 minutes from the shops. The reason we chose the town and not the villages around was that it meant we weren't slaves to a car. We can walk to station, schools etc. Thame for us was behind the tipping point for the commute for me

[columngollum]

Maybe because it looks new-built, not very well planned, not very scenic and a bit of a suburban sprawl, at least the newtown does. The central oldtown is quaint enough, but small and quickly driven past. If you compare the look and feel of Risborough with Thame there isn't much to recommend the first one by. So many places in the Chilterns have that chocolate boxy/midsomer murders) feel to them. Risborough hasn't got it.

[wackydacky]

Hello reviving this thread. Does anyone have views on primaries round there? just moving to the area - St Andrew's chinnor, St Teresa's in Princes Risborough or Bledlow Ridge primary? Thank you in advance!

[Millymollymama]

St Teresa's is private and Catholic. Godstowe in Wycombe (mixed to age 8, then girls only) is the best private choice for people in PR. The comments about PR above from people who do not know it are just ridiculous! It is a great little town. St Andrews - Chinnor is in Oxfordshire, not Bucks, so check entry criteria. Bledlow Ridge is excellent but check if you need to live there to get in. Again it is not PR and you may not be able to pick and choose if you do not live in catchment. Bucks CC has catchment areas and school entry details on its website. For St Andrews I would check with the school because I do not know if it is Aided C of E which means they manage their own admissions and can choose Church goers over other local children. I would also look at Longwick and Monks Risborough. With older children, I would choose Thame over PR mainly due to the great secondary school there which is a much better bet if you do not get a Bucks Grammar School place.

[wackydacky]

Thanks. I know godstowe. Our boy is 6 already though so don't want to go there unfortunately. Re bledlow ridge it's full but wondered in case of waiting list and then re St. Andrews they are managed by council and if have space said they would be happy to have him. What I guess I wanted was opinions on them. We found the house already and need to commute from pr but will be in a village outside. Thanks again for the post

[Cuddlesworth2]

Recently divorced and looking for upto date info on the area particularly jasmine close

[Bridgetspants]

What age children?

[lalagp]

@Cuddlesworth2 - did you ever get more updated info on the area? we're also considering a move to risborough but didn't quite get that warm and fuzzy feeling on our last visit

[InfertilitySukkks]

@lalagp
@Cuddlesworth2

When did you visit?
I used to live there, moved away 5 years ago and had to go there for a few days recently and was totally taken aback as to how the area had declined.

Used to be a beautiful market town with independent shops but with the credit crunch and Covid, a fair few of them seemed to have closed down which was saddening to see.

The state primary school in Wellington Road seems to be ‘on the up’ from what I hear, with a keen new Head and everyone I know of who attends there has nothing but praise for it despite the old Ofsted rating.
Monks Risborough lost its Head 2 or 3 years ago and struggled to find a f/t permanent one I believe & as such, the children and parents didn’t have any faith or security - I think that may have changed now though. The Governors defended it to the death. Seems to be quite a lazy school compared to others eg not much homeschooling sent out, reception children not starting until a few days until after the older ones return, a survey sent before re-opening asking parents which days suited them for school hours yet the school decided to open for the minority.

[lalagp]

@InfertilitySukkks

Ahh that is very good to know! We've been twice in the past 3 months, both on a Saturday. Had a nice drink at the Bird in Hand pub but the walk from there to the High Road was, as you say, past lots of closed shops. Didn't feel as quaint or friendly as Missenden or Wendover. Wycombe Road/Bell Street was extremely busy and loud which is exactly what we're hoping to get away from by moving out of London!

[bigbradford]

As a local, I know PR schools have struggled. The village schools nearby sweep up the socially mobile! The local secondary struggles for exactly the same reason. Bucks is a grammar county so thinking about what to do if dc doesn’t get a grammar place is vital around here.

Bucks maintains a comprehensive list of school vacancies. Generally the village schools are better. If I’m honest, I would choose Thame over PR. However I don’t know the situation re primary schools there.

Great Kimble school has had a new building recently and is popular. Also look at Longwick. The best Bucks schools are popular.

Don’t forget that HS2 is coming around Wendover. It’s in a tunnel at Great Missenden. Great Missenden has a quiet High Street when compared to Wendover. Virtually nothing there! Warm and fuzzy it’s not. Thame has Waitrose. Haddenham might suit you. The station is close. The village centre is lovely and its a popular large village. Several other villages are popular too such as Long Crendon, Bledlow and Cuddington but again you have to consider whether you can get into the schools or not. Ditto Monks Risborough. Certainly Gt Missenden primary is very sought after. The school at Lee Common might be possible if you couldn’t get into Gt Missenden and possibly West Wycombe if you decided to live around PR.

Wendover has attracted lots of people from London and the schools are good. Be very careful about where you buy though. Anything on the south/west side could be compromised by HS2. I would also look at Tring if you don’t mind Wendover.

Chinnor is Oxfordshire so their Admissions are different.

[InfertilitySukkks]

I don’t think Great Kimble has any outdoor space which may be a concern given schools now are trying to get children outdoors as much as they can. I may be wrong.

We looked at Longwick at didn’t like it at all - felt very stuck in the dark ages, stale and in a timewarp, relied on posters to teach and the parking seemed horrendous (for locals and drivers).

Long Crendon direction may be better if you didn’t want to contend with HS2 but as PP says, do watch for the Bucks/Oxfordshire border if you’re looking out for the 11+ Grammar catchment.

[bigbradford]

Great Kimble has an outdoors classroom in a meadow. It’s short of playing fields but has a creative outdoor curriculum. Lots of parents love this school.

As for car parking - it’s difficult everywhere! We country bumpkins have cars. We don’t have public transport. Rural schools serve quite widespread areas with unsafe walking routes. DC are always encouraged to walk if they can but in rural communities people have cars and do drive DC to school. Most schools have parking issues and most neighbours of schools don’t like the number of cars that turn up twice a day. It’s rural life though!

I’ve no idea how Longwick teach - I’ve never heard of teaching with posters. How bizarre that was happening in every classroom. However they run a forest school and I simply cannot see how you know details about teaching throughout the school from one visit. What you describe isn’t what I’ve ever heard about any school around here. Maybe you should have asked for more info when you visited?

I think you might find choosing a school very difficult from your views expressed above. Good luck.

[woodsywalkers123]

hello
what was your end opinion, we also are moving into the area shortly