South Oxfordshire secondaries

yeah, there's not a lot of point of 2nd and 3rd choices on the form. Unless you want to put Wheatley. But if you live in Thame, you'd get into LW.
Good luck.

Abingdon School bus already goes from Thame by the way. It is a trek but one others are doing. If you get a local Grammar I'd go for that though.

I don't think you will have a lot of choice for state schools. I really would not look beyond Lord Williams for a Thame based child! However Icknield at Walkingford is good but will mean a commute. In fact everywhere else means a commute! Indepenendent or State! Thame is a great place so your children could walk to school and have local friends. What is wrong with that? Take an Aylesbury Grammar if your DS gets it. Lord Williams is big enough to suit all sorts of children, so unless you are desperate for independent, why travel?

I bet you'd get in at Wheatley Park, but there's probably a reason for that……

If we lived in Thame and my dc passed the 11+, they'd go to one of the Aylesbury grammars.

What about Leckford Place in Oxford?

I think Abingdon may be too much of a trek from Thame??

How about Abingdon for your son and Our Lady's, Abingdon for your daughter. OLA is co-ed so they could both go there.

Sounds like a school with a pool would be good. For your DS Abingdon has a fabulous pool, and their other half programme allows boys to largely pick what they want to do XC, and it includes chess and fencing as well as water polo, and writing for the school Mag (my son just happens to have signed up for those four). You can choose to do more hearty stuff now/later if you want to. Not so sure re your DD - Cokethorpe is very focused on traditional team sports and does not have a pool (but I'd still recommend a look round). They seem very different kids so I do not have a great idea that would suit both. The one thing they have in common is swimming, so maybe that's a constraint to think about.

It seems to be a problem regarding boys' schools in this area. There is Shiplake and Pangbourne. Your DD could have a look at Pipers Corner in Great Kingshill. Both could look at St Edwards, Oxford but would need a prep first. Likewise Stowe if you are prepared for boarding.

I'd follow 1805 advice and look at Cokethorpe - it's their open day this month. It's a bit to the West, but I know their bus goes to Wheatley right now, and it might suit your DD. It is exceptional on the pastoral front and has a lovely location. You really would get better advice if you said what your kids like in the extra curricular area, as that makes a massive difference to what folk might recommend, especially in the private sector, where there is huge differentiation in XC emphasis.

Reading Grammar is accessible from South Oxfordshire by public transport or by car.

I didn't think there were any grammar schools in Oxfordshire. OP would have to live near the Bucks border for that.

The last time I checked there weren't too many Grammar Schools in Oxfordshire! The indie schools you have had suggested to you are VERY different in character and priorities amongst themselves, and you need to have a look round, check out the available GCSE options, and make sure you are able to see both some example timetables and staff resourcing in various subjects to get an idea of the schools' real priorities in relation to your kids' needs. If you go indie you should also pay attention to how much sport is required and if that actually suits your kids - you did not say what extra-curricular things they liked? Some indies are obsessed with sport, others regard it as just one of the extra-c things that kids can do. For boys, some are obsessed with thugby and others give more choice.

If your son is very bright perhaps consider entering him for 11+ exams for a grammar school place and look at a good independent for your daughter? That way she'll still perceive herself and her education, as of value.

State wise then I believe that Faringdon is the highest achieving in Oxfordshire.

Icknield in watlington is a fab school. It is a fairly small state school, with a lovely ethos and feel. My eldest goes there.

Your DS would easily get into the 'Big O' as the entrance test is only a formality, to stave off rapidly falling numbers, mostly due to the recent bad publicity.

But don't even go there. Despite all outward appearances and the explosion in the ranks of former staff and pupils now brave enough and willing to let the skinned cats out of the bag, bullying, fraud, corruption, cover ups, gagging clauses and pay offs continue as routine. Don't get me wrong. These are generally great kids and there are staff still in the school who continue to really care and try to do a great job by them. Sadly they are in the minority and if you knew what they all know, you wouldn't even consider it as an option.

Langtree is a super little school that does everything possible to ensure that all pupils meet their all-round potential. Children there are happy, confident, independent, adaptable, resilient and leave ready to face normal life. They demonstrably make far more success of higher education and future relationships than a neighbouring small contingent of cloistered, segregated, dependent, educationally spoon-fed boys, growing up away from their parents, in morally uncertain circumstances, on 400 acres of lawn.

I know South Oxfordshire well as grew up there. Myself, DH and SIL all went to Langtree and we loved it,( many years ago). My niece and nephew start there next year and they can't wait. They also liked Wallingford but Langtree just won in the decision. There is also Gillotts in Henley and Chiltern Edge in Sonning Common bug I don't know much about them now. Didcot Girls is well thought of as well, my friend teaches there and says it is very popular.
Would you definitely live in Wallingford? Would Henley or Goring be an option? They both have train stations and Goring is on the Reading -oxford line.

i would hazard a guess the Bucks grammars take top 25% and likes of MCS, Oxford take top 5% if you were to compare?....again it depends on how academic you want to go for but OP asked about schools in South Oxfordshire and if looking at indies then MCS and likes of Abingdon are up there and commutes are do-able because of various school bus routes- no need to drop off in hellish Oxford traffic by car.

But if OP would find Bucks grammar selection daunting, then selection for Magdalen College would be rendering her panic struck!!!

Also one of the many school bus routes is from Wallingford to MCS, Oxford, so very feasible commute ...in fact, most boys travel in by bus.