grammar schools around Aylesbury - best place to live?

[littlelz]

Hi, I am planing to move to Aylesbury area so that DD could attend any of the grammar schools in Aylesbury. Anybody are living in the area? any advice? I am looking for a peaceful, family friendly place to move. is the Aylesbury town good for a family, or any surrounding town/village? many thanks.

[MrsFrankieHeck]

There are two grammar schools for girls in Aylesbury, one single sex and one mixed.

Lots of little villages around all nice, Haddenham, Wendover, Whitchurch are all popular.

[GRW]

Aylesbury High and the Floyd take pupils from a wide area, including out of catchment. My DD is at Aylesbury High, and has friends from Tring, Thame and Milton Keynes. Bear in mind that is becoming more difficult to pass the 11+, due to larger numbers of applicants from out of county who push up the pass mark. I know several bright children who didn't get through, and heard that some year 7 places at Bucks grammar schools are left unfilled. Waddesdon school is the best regarded upper ( non selective) school in the area.

[Lurknomoreladies]

Be careful with Milton Keynes, this year was the first year that children who had passed didn't get a place on first round allocation. If you want a guarantee of a grammar school education (if she passes) make sure you live in Bucks.

[Millymollymama]

I would live in Waddesdon or possibly Quainton. There is no question that Waddesdon School is the best secondary modern (C of E and very small catchment unless you have found God in a fairly big way). If you live here you would get Aylesbury High or the Floyd for your choice of grammar school. John Colet in Wendover is currently RI and so is the Aylesbury Vale Academy and Mandeville School in Aylesbury itself. Haddenham is great but check which secondry school before living there. Wendover is gret but don't forget HS2 blight.

The 11 plus has changed in Bucks. The new system was selected by the Headteachers of the Grammar schools. Last year only 16% of pupils were selected for grammar schools from the Aylesbury Vale area - the lowest in the county - but went up a bit with appeals. The pass mark used to be 121 and the maximum 141. Bucks County Council will have more information on their web site. They key in Bucks is to live in catchment for a good secondary modern because you could need one even if you do not plan to. Very many of the secondaries are RI or have been RI. Several, many times!

Aylesbury itself is not overly brilliant in my view. There is a very new expensive theatre and a Waitrose. There are plenty of things for families but the education available is not always the best. Living on the south side of Aylesbury is better if you actually want Aylesbury, but more expensive than other areas of the town. Then you would get The Grange Secondary school or commute to the John Colet in Wendover if you cannot get a grammar school place. I hope you find what you are looking for.

[Millymollymama]

The transfer test pass mark in Bucks is still 121 (2014 test). The highest score was 186. Ignore my maximum comment as that was for the old test. The pass mark therefore has not gone up. The test itself is more closely allied to the national curriculum and is not totally VR as before.

[hedwig2001]

Although John Colet, in Wendover, is currently RI, we have been very pleased with the school. My son is very happy there.
We chose it, over our catchment school, The Grange, because the facilities are much better, but more importantly, The Grange staff came across as having low expectations of the pupils.

[sunshield]

Milly. is "Hak" about ! Waddesdon 76% GCSE.....

[Millymollymama]

I do not understanding your comment sunshield. As I said, Waddesdon is the best secondary but selective in a religious way. Hak?

[sunshield]

My comment is that it is technically a "modern" school . I was wondering if Hakulyt who is a welll known anti grammar poster was aware of how good Waddessdon is, despite being designated as a " modern " school.

[Millymollymama]

Oh!! I see. Yes, Waddesdon is very good but gets very good children!!! Also very committed and dedicated parents. I know children who travel miles to go there but live 1/4 mile from John Colet! It is better than many comprehensives, though. However the nearby "modern" academy school in Aylesbury has a long history of failed inspections, including a recent one. I would say that North Marston is a great village to live in but despite being close to Waddesdon, the North Marston children are not Waddesdon catchment. Their parents take them to Cottesloe at Wing to avoid Aylesbury. Or there is the untried and untested free school at Winslow if you fancy a punt.

[littlelz]

Thank you all so much for all these useful information.

Milly, you said 'Waddesdon is the best secondary but selective in a religious way', does that mean it is a church school. Even if we live inits catchment, we can't be guaranteed to get a place there.

[TheoreticalOrder]

Re Waddesdon - is it a bit disingenuous to call it a secondary modern? It sounds like a selective church school to me.

[TheoreticalOrder]

Sorry xpost there op

[AliceAnneB]

I'd be very careful where you choose to live. The comps can be awful (Cottesloe!). What budget do you have in mind?

[TheoreticalOrder]

OP - will you also perhaps have the option of comprehensives ?

Where I live in Kent we have secondary moderns - and I've been looking at Bucks geographically and wondering if you also have sec moderns in the sense that Kent do, or if you are v close to neighbouring non selective counties if you have the option also for proper comprehensives?

For example, looking at Aylesbury, if you lived on say the east side would you be in catchment for the grammars as well as comprehensives over the border in Herts?

[littlelz]

thanks you all.

Theore, thanks for your idea. actually I am moving from Milton Keynes to Aylesbury, so grammar school is all about the moving. I am quite confident that DD will get a place in either of the Aylesbury grammar schools if we move into the catchment area. What I am looking for is the exact town/village to move in which are very suitable for family life and with high professional/social standards (a good social environment is crucial for a teenage, right?)

[Ashu13]

hey where exactly did you shift in Aylesbury to get to the grammar school catchment, we have a girl in year 4 and plan to shift from cambridge to Mk side, so thinking about Aylesbury too.