Buckinghamshire or Hertfordshire??

[Mumof2D]

Hi,
We are planning a shift... need some suggestions..
Which is a better place to live Bucks or Herts...? Our preference is in the order of good grammar school for girls, followed by good feeding primary schools and of course neighbourhood.
Thanks ....

@TizerorFizz which villages am I missing please? Near where? Aylesbury is too far out and we didn't like it. Noted re Amersham School. Thanks. We'll like grammar and have arrowed down to the Dr Challoners and as you say to consider Amersham school as well as a back up. We also like DAO but seems harder to get into. It depends on where we find a suitable house. Going private will be a last resort I think.

You didn’t say you didn’t like Aylesbury because it was too far out. You just said you didn’t like it or Chesham due to the Muslim community clogging the roads!

Everyone wants a grammar. You do realise DC must pass the selection test? As 70% in the Chalfonts/Amersham area do not go to a grammar school, parents really do have to consider alternatives. They also have to consider Chesham Grammar as a back up choice. You would need to look at the Bucks admission data to see who gets into each school regarding distance.

There’s little point me telling you of pleasant villages around Aylesbury or Chesham really.

FYI Aylesbury has an excellent selection of grammar schools, you don't have to live in Aylesbury itself – you could look at Wing, Waddesdon, Aston Clinton, Wingrave, Bierton to name just a few. @TizerorFizz knows that part of the county better than I do…

DCGS and DCHS are single-gender schools, you might or not prefer that but regardless they suit a particular type of child so best not to get too hung up on them in case they aren't right for yours. At the end of the day, they are just schools – my DC who went to a secondary modern did exactly the same GCSE subjects as the one who went to a grammar school.

@thing47
The OP is clear she didn’t like Aylesbury. I agree with that but it has fantastic schools and of course Waddesdon School is probably the best secondary in Bucks. However it’s over 1 hour into London from Aylesbury Vale Parkway. Amershsm or Little Chalfont is so much more convenient! Lots of people like Wendover, villages around Great Missenden and over towards Oxfordshire, eg Haddenham. Or go further East towards Wing and commute from Leighton Buzzard. Ashley Green, Ley Hill and Bellingdon are popular around Chesham and give quick access to Hemel Hempstead station. So there are options but both the Dr Challoners schools are within expensive areas.

@TizerorFizz "You just said you didn’t like it or Chesham due to the Muslim community clogging the roads!" I said no such thing!! My comment was "I worry that with the huge mosque it'll be super busy on Fridays." Similar to my other comment "High Wycombe seems so busy around the station though might be good for shopping ethnic foods." As well as my own thread couple of months back www.mumsnet.com/Talk/black_mumsnetters/4461808-Hertfordshire-Vs-Buckinghamshire "We did see a nice house in Aylesbury but it's too far from London, too much traffic. " So yes, ease of traffic flow is an issue for me. It is one of the two reasons we're moving out of zone 1 in Central London as much as we love this Central London life. Your comment removes value from the discourse and is at best mischievous to try to make it seem that it's the religion I have an issue with when clearly it is not. My dad, all men (bar three) and many women in my family are moslem. This has never been an issue for us. I was a moslem myself until I was old enough to choose my faith. I grew up with a mosque behind our family home and on our street; we still have that family home with many moslems living in it. I still hear the call to prayer subconsciously. Many men in my family have donated land or built mosques in my home city so yes I am familiar with their fondness of and duty to congregate on Fridays. Just as they're free to congregate, I'm free to decide what I want from this move away from the hustle and bustle of London.

@Delectable
Utterly splitting hairs. Traffic = mosque = Muslims on a Friday. Except Chesham is busy every day of the week. Especially Amersham to Chesham and vice versa.

That's true, there are days when it's quicker to walk between Amersham and Chesham than drive! @Delectable I take your point about traffic flow, and of course south Bucks isn't central London, but don't be fooled into thinking it's some semi-rural paradise where cars can come and go as freely as they like . Traffic and parking is an issue.

The bottom line is, if you want to access the Challoner's schools, you are going to have to live quite near them. You can find catchment area maps on the schools' websites.