Schools advice, Gerrards Cross area.

[Flibbertygibbety]

We have very recently moved to Gerrards Cross and are now in a mad rush trying to visit local schools before application deadlines (reception 2018)..just wondering if are any local mums who could let me know their thoughts on the local schools? Need to list 6 of them!? Can find performance data on them but no recent reviews what they're really like day to day and if the kids are happy!? The ones that seem to be closest and may get places in judging on last years admission info are Gerrards Cross CofE, Fulmer infant, St Joseph's Catholic, Farnham Common, Stoke Poges and Chalfont St Giles infant?

This choosing schools business is complicated!
Many thanks in advance!!!

[BubblesBuddy]

At the infant schools, you have to consider where the child transfers to at 7. Will you get in? Most people prefer the local school and I cannot see why you would travel to Stoke Poges, Farnham or Chalfont St Giles when you have GX or Fulmer on the doorstep. Can you not quickly visit the schools? Obviously Fulmer is small and GX is bigger. I would suggest children are happy in all the schools. Why wouldn’t they be? I think there is a lot to say about staying local and having local friends. In your area, lots will go Private anyway so having local friends would mean a lot to me.

[BubblesBuddy]

Which school can you walk to?

[Flibbertygibbety]

Would be about a 30min walk to gx school I think but not sure if that would be too tiring for a 4 year old combined with starting school? ..so probably a drive and walk last bit to all of them...although would probably be ok to walk by the next year? Also seems to have been tight cathment for gx wlast year which is our catchment school so no guarantee would get in there anyway? Which then does leave a problem at aged 7 unless got into stoke poges which is also combined as wouldnt be in the catchment for any of the middle schools? We have to pick 6 preferences this year! so the ones listed just seem to be the 6 geographically closest..have visits booked to 4 but we literally arrived here mid Dec so missed some visits due the the snow and then has been Christmas.. applications due in the 15th and I work so not had much time to fit in visits...mostly just wondering if anyone had kids in any of the others and views good or bad..and if anyone does know what happens at 7 for the infant schools!!?

[BubblesBuddy]

You need to look at the Allocation of Primary School places on the Bucks CC web site. Chalfont St Giles and Farnham Common offered to all applicants. The others did not. You have to factor in whether you have any chance of getting into the school or not. Ask Fulmer where their children go but I bet quite a few go Private.

GX admitted catchment up to 0.9 miles (rounded down) and Fulmer 2 miles (rounded down) so work out your distances by road carefully. I would go for GX if you are within the normal offer distance and they should have stats for your road so you should know if children generally get in. No doubt you can do a mix of drive and walk. Obviously GX is quite a big school but you can phone them and the others to check possible admission from your address and make an informed shortlist. Can you not take a day off work to look around the possible schools you can actually get into? It would be worth it.

[1234a]

St Joseph's is a fantastic school. Staff are lovely and very caring and kids are very happy. You don't have to be Catholic either to attend.

[SS12]

Looking for some advice about schools in and around Amersham. We need to do an in year application and very few school have spaces at the moment. I was wondering if anyone had advice about Our Lady's - are there any non Catholic children that go there currently? Also what is Chalfont Valley like? These are the that appear to have spaces.