Good Mixed Secondary schools in Buckinghamshire or Hertfordshire

@MillicentMargaretAmanda thanks. It's the first time I've heard of the school.

I have to go to watford quite often for work, and the new school in maple cross seems to have some happy parents. I did hear one rumour about Amazon vouchers in exchange for merit points, which seemed popular with parents and pupils!

The Khasla Academy in Stoke Poges got rated inadequate about 3 years ago and the academy trust who run it got kicked out by the dept for education. It was still being shown to have safeguarding issues at the last monitoring visit a year ago. If this is a school you are considering I'd do some heavy googling first and see if you can talk to local parents.

@Mustbetimeforachange and @ItsHAVEnotOF what's with Khasla school please?

I have just checked back on this thread and seen its kicked off a bit! In Leighton Buzzard, Vandyke is now the sought after school and has been very slightly oversubscribed the last couple of years so they increased the admission numbers. Cedars has plenty of spaces but is a good school. It is a true comprehensive and they are not particularly pushy in subject choices for DC and probably wouldnt say anything if a very bright DC decided to do the fewest and least academic GCSEs for example. Behaviour is good and my bright DD is doing very well there.
LB usually has 3 or 4 kids from each middle school taking the 11+ to try to get into the grammars but obviously from that self selecting group not all get in and maybe only 2 or 3 each year then leave. So the uppers are about as fully comprehensive as it can get. I think results drop as the uppers only have the children for 3 years up to the point of taking their GCSE so dont have as long to work with each child.
I would definitely consider LB though OP because the social advantage of joining a school at the same time as the rest of the cohort is invaluable. But consider looking at Vandyke also.
LB is a nice place to live. The linslade side is the nicer area and there are some gorgeous period properties and streets around the station. As it is closer to the station, that side of town tends to be more expensive but I dont know what your budget is.

We don’t have to agree but the stats for the Cottesloe school back up my position rather than your relatives’ views. Aylesbury people want good secondary moderns because the 11 plus pass percentage is low in the Aylesbury Vale area. The vast majority go to the secondary moderns. Cottesloe is better than the Aylesbury secondaries. Most people won’t get into Waddesdon unless they pull the CofE card. Many don’t bother and, yes, the catchment for Waddesdon is a few villages. They select on religion! It’s way better than The Cedars without a grammar school cohort.

John Colet at Wendover is always popular. They also get the fall out from Aylesbury. Their data is very similar to The Cedars and again has no grammar DC. It’s a secondary modern. Lots of Bucks Secondaries have over 30% high achievers. That is on par with many average comprehensives. Bucks has a significantly higher percentage of 5-9 GCSE passes (60%) as compared to Beds (41%). It’s a very different county in many ways.

Not exactly Waddesdon is it? Although the catchment area for there appears to shrink every year.

I hope I haven't offended you if your DC are there but I have lots of family in that area and none of them are falling over themselves to get their DC in Cottesloe!

I agree that non grammars are shit in Aylesbury but more are heading for schools in other areas. My cousin's DC got into a great school 30minute drive away.

Again, no offence meant but by all accounts, both past and present, it's not a school I would ever consider. It's okay if we don't agree.

Keep looking OP. You've got some great options in Bucks.

The whole of Bucks will never ever have vacancies for y9. This is not good advice. Very few schools will have a vacancy in y9. Ditto the better ones in Hertfordshire. Beds is much lower achieving and might be worth a look at vacancies and MK children leave in droves to go to RLS in Buckingham or the Aylesbury Grammars. They might be called comprehensive schools in MK but many right children from there are in the Bucks Grammars. At one Aylesbury Grammar alone it used to be over 90 DC each year. So considerable numbers. Some MK comps have a long history of being poor. And some are huge!!

I know loads of families from Aylesbury who are falling over themselves to get DC there and it has a waiting list. It is not considered rubbish by Bucks parents who have to get a secondary for y7. The Aylesbury secondaries have been in and out of RI or worse for years. Almost since Ofsted was founded. Aylesbury parents who can find another school, do so. They don’t have the option of The Cedars at y7 (and it’s not in Bucks) so look to either John Colet or The Cottesloe. It’s been that way for years and years. One child being removed (to where?) isn’t proof that parents don’t like it. One parent didn’t like it and it operates a waiting list. Why might that be?

Cottesloe has always had a bad reputation locally.

No idea if it's improved recently but a friend of mine moved her DD after a year there.

Cedars is known as a better school locally, but I would look into it very carefully if you've the whole of Bucks to pick from. Must be better options.

I think MK could be a better choice.

Yes, Woburn sands is a bit of a mess all round!

I think Harlington might be a more stable school to look at (and has excellent P8 last time I looked). Good transport links to London and some nice villages and towns in catchment.

No need to post factually inaccurate rubbish about a Bucks school either then!

Chesham High is full. Most secondary schools in Bucks are full. It’s best to compile a list based on which schools actually have vacancies instead of random suggestions on here. There is rarely much movement from Bucks Grammar schools. Make a shortlist of where you prefer, decide on comp, secondary modern or grammar, and then see where that leads you so you can check vacancies.

Hi OP if you are looking at schools around the Woburn Sands area it's probably worth bearing in mind the changes to the schools around there. Lots of info if you google and here is a good place to start www.schoolsforthefuture.co.uk/plans/woburn-sands/overview

I do know the school. I know people there.

No need to snipe at (one of my ) subjects. that si uncalled for. read the thread. My comments were on Cedars. I never said the other school was a Bedfordshire Upper.

I know Wing is in Bucks. I could very easily point to it on a map. I could drive there in 15 minutes.

All I know is that the vast majority of parents living in LB send their children to Cedars or Van Dyke perfectly happily and those living in its catchment in other directions sometimes choose other schools : some in Bedfordshire, some in MK, and some in Bucks.

Bedfordshire parents are very loyal to the 3 tier system, on the whole.

Just put my penny's worth in that it is highly unlikely that you would find in year places in the south west herts consortium schools such as Parmiter's or the Watford Grammar.

Cleary, as you support grammar schools as a concept, you are going to support the notion that Bucks sec mods are perfectly fine. Equally, there are people at Cedars , and some schools in Herts, who are avoiding the grammar schools and travelling the other way over the borders. It's a slightly crazy part of the world, education system wise .

Wing is absolutely on the border.

I haven't actually read the data.

I just told you I am form Beds. I am not going to say more that that on an internet forum.

I told you why I suggested upper school, as did another PP.

If the OP mentions Cottlesloe , then clearly she has looked into it. Local knowledge tells me that people speak very highly of Cedars, not so much Van Dyke and that most people from LB choose between these schools, Walton High in MK or Redborne in Beds, if they can. I am sure some seek out grammars. I doubt many from LB actively seek out the Cottlesloe, but, obviously, if OP moves into that catchment, I am sure it also fine. I suggested Beds and know that The Cottlesloe is not a Beds Upper School. I advised on Cedars, specifically. I know people with DCs at both schools. Being local.

I'll tell my friend who is headteacher there then

A school is not only measured by results.

It's up to OP, thought , but Cedars is up to capacity in most school years. It's never had a dip in numbers.

I'd far rather have my DC at a comp than a secondary modern, personally.

There are 11 plus tutors in LB and a bus goes to the Bucks Grammars from LB. DC do go into Bucks for the Grammars and The Cedars results are below those of several Bucks Secondary Modern Schools. For a comprehensive, it’s not that great and it definitely loses DC from the area to Bucks.

Beds. Don't know what you mean by now!

Grammars would outperform comprehensive secondaries in Beds. Cedars used to perform very highly but the upper school system has its flaws for P*, which measures progress over an timescale upper schools have limited control over. Obviously P8 is not the only performance measure.

I suggested Beds largely because OP is moving at a time when starting a brand new school, along with the whole cohort is possible to her. That's no bad thing.

Over time, you wi see the results and progress 8 at The Cedars and The Cottesloe are quite similar. They gave their ups and downs. Do you now live in Bedfordshire or Bucks, Piggy, as you seem to speak with such authority? The secondary schools in Bucks hugely outperform ones in Beds .

Largely because upper school system dissuades movement at year 6/7.