Hmmm, but there will be a shortage when the extra 90 primary kids get to 11!
Personally I think that Marlborough will be like Bernards Heath, it'll become a realistic choice and become more popular. (kind of the best of the "worst") Bernards Heath last year was undersubscribed for 60 places and within only a year is already only a couple of applications away from being oversubscribed for 90 places!
The only secondary school that has had a great reputation throughout the whole of my memory is Beaumont, Francis Bacon used to have a decent reputation, Veralum used to have a good reputation, Sandringham used to have a bad reputation, it can all change!
It's true that there is a trend to move, but with all the new estates (like Hill End) it is becoming harder to move close enough.
Queen, you said on another thread that the linking junior school to secondary would make this worse, not really, it could only make it the same, those who are going to do it are going to do it anyway, it would only alter when they do it. But linking schools could help - you could end up living on the south side and getting Sandringham - if for example Bernard's Heath was linked to Sandringham.
The only other way to ensure that people all over the district get a chance to go to the "good" schools is to change the admissions criteria to a lottery, and personally I think it's better to link junior schools so that kids get a chance to maintain a community.
The north side of st albans isn't just popular because of schools anyway, it's popular because it's lovely! But the demographic of the central area of st albans has changed, (hence the increase in demand for decent school places) and this will mean that schools serving this area will improve.
From Garden fields I wouldn't think you'd be close enough to get in to Sandringham or Beaumont so it'd be either choosing something else or moving. There are always the private schools (or a scholarship to those) or you could start attending church at St George's in Harpenden or you could have a look round Marlborough, Townsend and Veralum to see what you feel about those.