Buckinghamshire grammar schools

Not enough children from Tring attempt the 11+ to make it statistically significant on the local comp. Whereas every child in Bucks sits it unless they are withdrawn by their parents.

And if you're talking the Oxford side of Bucks you may well be looking at the AVA... which wouldn't necessarily be many parents' first choice.

Dear op, grammars really are not the be all and end all of education. The most important thing is that your children are happy and healthy. I had three in the grammar system, all ok, until GCSEs, then the pressures really piled on!! They were all told they bight they can cope, well some of them can’t! Pastoral care is poor, they do it all well on paper but in reality it’s non existent. And these schools are apparently outstanding! My kids left for sixth form and thrived in the local comprehensive.
if I had my time again I’d move further into Oxfordshire and look at somewhere like Cherwell
Dont get me wrong, the grammars are really good schools if your child is a good fit, and you want an exam factory. But if your child doesn’t fit for whatever reason then I’m afraid they’re really really poor

@Pianofish
So Tring School is fully comprehensive, yet DC from Tring go to the Aylesbury Grammar schools? You do know that doesn’t make much sense. Yes it’s better than Aylesbury Secondary moderns but it’s performance data is pretty similar to The Misbourne in Great Missenden. Thinking comps are always better than Bucks secondaries is not accurate. Waddesdon is the best and is better than Tring. However you have to live near to get in or find God.

I don’t see the best non grammar secondary schools in Bucks having loads of behaviour issues either. The less good ones can do but parents are savvy about where they live.

@jayab you will get more responses by starting a separate thread for Bromley schools. Some selective schools require registration now, or may have closed, for 11+ entry in September 2023. However if your dc is not currently year 5 (turning 10 before end of August) you may need to speak to Local Authority as to the application process and vacancies.

Living in Bucks is a high risk strategy. We also hope our DD will qualify for grammar - but if she doesn't, the schools that are left as choices are not appealing with the top 30% aspirational students stripped out and all the behavioural problems left behind.

If you can afford Waddesdon and either are Christian or can tolerate a CofE school, that would be a good choice.

If I had my time again I'd consider moving to Tring where you can still (for now!) access the Aylesbury grammars but have a decent comp system to fall back on.

Grammar school/ girls schools in Bromley

Hi All, we are looking to relocate to Bromley (from India) in July.

Looking for some good girls schools/ grammar school in this area..please suggest. Also advise on places to live ( safety, parks, accessibility to schools - being a priority).

Is there a deadline before when we have to register for entrance exams to schools if any?

Only if other DC leave. They don’t make an extra class for joiners. They might be happy to go well over 30 x 4. However anytime going there from Gt Missenden is mad. So many nearer schools.

TizerorFizz - in my son’s year group swbgs took in over 36 children in a three year period into his year group. For 11 plus kids need to be in catchment but catchment is further than you think and includes Cookham in Berkshire. After year 7 you can live anywhere - I know of my daughter’s friend who joined year 9 and was living in great missenden at the time. I had also assumed it was hard to get into after year 7 but not as hard as you think.

Well other local schools are not comps are they? So of course they don’t like them.

SWB rarely has places. You won’t have any chance of getting in there unless you live on the doorstep. So Bucks/Oxon border might be ok but not necessarily.

Trevorfizz - I know that which is why I said in our opinion. But I have twins - one who went to Wycombe High and one who went to Sir Borlase and the difference between the two grammar schools in terms of the pressure on the kids is shocking. Wycombe high (in our opinion) puts much more pressure on the girls. That’s why there are mixed opinions about Wycombe high in the community. Yes some girls love it and are fine with the pressure. But there are lots of girls who are struggling with their mental health because of it. When I pulled my daughter out I had the parents from five children in her class of 31/32 who said they were also not happy with the school and their daughters wanted to leave but they didn’t like their local comp school as an alternative and they couldn’t afford private.

@ittakes2

Horses for courses. I know DDs who really liked it there. Some parents pressurise regarding exams though. If DC are over tutored and not the brightest there can be issues too, as several of my neighbours discovered.

Wycombe high is an exam sweat shop in our opinion we pulled our daughter out after the first year. If you want a great grammar school Sir William Borlase is a good option unique in that it’s a smaller Co-Ed local village school.

I should add that some Bucks grammars do have impressive added value results.

@Diddlesquatter

A bright child won’t necessarily do better in a grammar when compared to Lord Williams. Lord Williams has a big catchment and it’s mostly leafy. It’s also a very big school. There is quite a long journey from Thame to Aylesbury to factor in. The grammars obviously have selected out the brighter DC but that doesn’t mean they all achieve very highly. They don’t. Bucks grammars are not super selective and there are DC at the secondary moderns in Bucks that get good results too, eg Waddesdon.

You will need to look at what primary schools actually have places. You might need to consider private primary.

LWS definitely worth considering if you are actually going to be in Thame itself, allowing DC to walk to school. There is very little leakage from Thame to the grammars and they have top sets in Maths, Science, English and Languages in KS4 and setting from day one in Maths and PE. Very wide Sixth Form offer.

I’m assuming you are talking about Thame and a bit further south. Too far down the border and you wouldn’t get Wycombe or Aylesbury grammars.

You can get into Aylesbury grammars from Thame but you would need to look at distance admitted and this might change from year to year. It’s always safest to live in Bucks.

I don’t think WHS is overly pushy. Some parents might be but that can happen everywhere. There are high achieving parents who expect their DC will be the same. The parents I know whose DDs went to AHS were a mixed bag too. Some very pushy and some laid back. I would say it’s a different vibe at SHF in Aylesbury and unless you are thinking of the Royal Latin School in Buckingham, it’s the only co-Ed school.

If you are deciding where to live, I don’t think there is much negative about any of the schools. They are not inspected very often and I think they are all outstanding. I know many DC who enjoyed the Aylesbury grammars: we are catchment for all three. It’s more about what suits your DC. When my DD was at primary, 28 in her year got the 11 plus and only one went to SHF. That was quite a while ago but there was always a pecking order in Aylesbury. It very much depends on whether the single sex schools are perceived by parents as being more upwardly mobile!

I would also look at RLS Buckingham if you don’t mind living in Bucks but nearer to Bicester. Waddesdon is THE choice for secondary. Live near there if DC don’t look on track for grammar. It has a small catchment.

Lord Williams in Thame is popular. However just a mile away, it’s Bucks and you can get into a grammar.

Endless discussions about John Hampden and RGS and which might suit are to be found online (have you looked at the elevenplusforum?) Often these centre on football and rugby. Ditto the single sex grammars in Aylesbury v The Floyd, especially AGS which has an overtly trad set-up compared to SHF who market themselves very differently. Historically WHS was seen as very pushy with questionable attitudes to mental health, this may be different now.
Depending upon the exact location on the Bucks/Oxon border you might consider Lord William's School instead.