Should we move house to be near the Royal Latin Grammar School?

I'm just going to say - no. Don't move your whole family on the hope/off chance you'd get your DD into this one school. There are lots of good schools. Schools that give community involement, clubs, societies, trips and visits, great teachers, friendship and support. A school doesn't have to be 'excellent' in Ofsted or high in the exam rankings to offer your child a terrific education and a good 'all round' experience.

Think too how much more after school fun you'll all have doing stuff together as a family when you haven't given yourself the financial burden of extra cars and mortgage payments and a longer work commute. And think how much happier your kids will be without the subconscious pressure of feeling they need to excel in their education because you and your DH made the financial sacrifice to get into a particular catchment area.

But then, I am becoming increasingly sad for a generation of children who are seeing their childhood freedom and fun being eroded by 11+ etc. tutoring beginning at 8, 9 and 10 years of age. It's too much, too young.

@freckleface - all of my DCs have either been to, are currently at or have an application pending for that school! I can't recommend it strongly enough. It has very high expectations and supports students in achieving their full potential. And we are out of catchment, in your county, in fact. Historically, the number of children qualifying in the catchment has not been enough to fill the Y7 cohort so between 1/4 and 1/3 of places are allocated outside the county each year. We have benefited from the sibling link, but after that, allocations are done on distance so it is really only out-of-county applicants living very close to the county boundary that have a realistic chance.

However, if your DD is currently in Y3 I would strongly advise you to move within the catchment as the population of Buckingham is increasing and is set to do so even more over the next few years, so that by about 2016 there's a chance that the school might only be able to cater for its own catchment area and there will no longer be any places available for outsiders. Having said that, the other posters make a good point regarding alternatives. Buckingham School has improved quite a bit over the last few years, and there are plans to share a 6th form with RLS in due course. If you choose to live close to the county boundary on the Bucks side you also have the option of some good comps in South Northants and Oxfordshire (Magdalen in Brackley with "Good" Ofsted rating, Sponne in Towcester with "Outstanding") and many students transfer from these schools to RLS for A-levels, subject to strong GCSE performance. There is also a brand new free school (all-ability) in Winslow, which is in RLS catchment.

As regards tutoring, I wouldn't advise starting formal tutoring before the beginning of Y5. Or at least not specifically exam-focused tutoring - though anything that helps your DD stay ahead in Maths and English is a good idea. I found Carol Vorderman's TheMathsFactor very useful in leading up to the test, and I know that this covers most of the primary curriculum so perhaps that might be a good start. Otherwise, particularly as the verbal element is strongly weighted, encourage your daughter to read, read, read - and learn new vocabulary as she goes along, as the new test contains what I would consider very difficult words for a 10-year-old. Candidates have to pick out antonyms or synonyms for words such as "belligerent", "coy" and "frivolous", to give just a few examples of words used in CEM tests for other areas. Fortunately this accounts for just a small part of the marks! The process has indeed changed in the last year and my DD was one of the "guinea pigs" for the new tests, run by CEM Durham. They are very intensive and time-pressured, consisting of two 45-minute tests on the same day with a short break in between, with approximately 100 questions in total on each paper. I recommend you take a look at www.elevenplusexams.co.uk, especially the pages on Buckinghamshire and the Forum sections on Buckinghamshire and 11+ Exams.

Best of luck!

Oh by the way... Be careful with tutoring. In my experience tutors will take your money and NOT be honest with parents about likelihood of better a pass mark. I know of a parent who scrimped and saved for 2 years for tutors and DD got 103. You needed 121 out of 141 maximum. Tutor must have known! Also you get a "feel" in Bucks primary schools about who is likely to pass and how your DC compare. If they are level 5 they may not be grammar school material because of the mental agility and speed needed for the test. Children who read widely, have general knowledge and who like mathematical puzzles do well. Tutoring may get a few extra marks but you will never get from 103 to 121! Exam technique is all and you can always work through the Susan Doughtrey books.

Hi ! I went to RLS! There are not that many prep schools in the area so plenty come from local schools. Your biggest problem is that if your children do not get the 11+ the other school in Buckingham is a secondary modern, not in any shape or form a comprehensive. It also has a chequered Ofsted history which would put me off. However, if you went to live at Waddesdon you would be in catchment for that C of E secondary which has a notoriously small catchment area but is better than many comprehensives. RLS is a great school with an amazing history and I really do understand why you would want your children to go there but you need to really look into what schools you will get into (Brackley?) if you do not get RLS. The teaching at RLS remains high quality and, although a few have traditionally joined Stowe's 6 th form, RLS has excellent results. The school takes from Bucks and outside Bucks if space permits. Parents really are a mix of local people with a variety of jobs. Bucks children take the 11+ early in year 6 so you need to be in Bucks in year 5 ideally. Also check what form the Bucks 11+ takes as I believe there are now 2 tests and not the average score of the best of 2 out of 3 as previously. All the tests were verbal reasoning but you will need to check with Bucks CC so see if changes have been made. The school is deservedly popular but is the only Grammar in north Bucks. If you are in catchment you will get school transport. Hope that helps.