Primary schools in High Wycombe?

[purplebee]

I am moving to High Wycombe and feel very anxious about settling my year 2 DS in a new school in September. I am only just looking into schools. We currently live in a lovely street in a London where all the kids go to the school at the top of the road, they are all thick as thieves and constantly in and out of each other's houses. Who can tell me about the High Wycombe area? And which state primary schools In Central high Wycombe do people know about?

Info and advice much appreciated. X

I'm not in Wycombe, but nearby. My main impression of schools in HW is that you need to choose quite carefully because there's a huge variation between them - wildly different levels of deprivation, parental support as well as differences between the schools. There's a fairly significant shortage of school places round here too so you might have to take what you can get rather than what you'd choose, at least to start with. Beyond that, I don't know enough to suggest places - I know a couple of people who are very happy with Cedar Park but that's the limit of my knowledge I'm afraid.

But you do need to think quite carefully about secondary schools too. Grammar schools are great if you pass the 11+ but a lot of children don't. There are some truly awful non-grammar secondaries around High Wycombe, so you might want to look slightly further out. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will be along soon!

One of the villages arond High Wycombe may be worth it if you can afford house prices. I know primaries are better. Need to ask someone with more knowledge of them though. Secondary catchments are also better.

What ages are your children?

I live in the area and personally I would avoid central High Wycombe for school as some are not good at all. Some suggestions for villages within a couple of miles of the town centre with good primary schools for you to research...Lacey Green, Great Kingshill, Little Kingshill, Prestwood, Hughenden Valley, Bledlow Ridge.

Hope this helps, I know how stressful it can be after moving 4 times in the last 5 years!!

Thanks. My children are 2 and nearly 8. My DS...eight year old has been on the 'gifted and talented' stream at his school in London and really loves studying so I'm confident about his 11+ for grammar school...it's primary schools I'm fretting about in high Wycombe.
I'm not bothered by ofsted reports, more about friendliness and a 'community' feel. We are already in the process of buying the house we want and it's near high Central high Wycombe.

What is your catchment school? All the schools named above are excellent but unlikely to have a place because they are sought after. Although I would encourage you to ring them up! You could add Downley, Holmer Green, Tyler's Green and the school at Flackwell Hesth to your list too - I forget its name. Central Wycombe schools do have a community feel but you need to check that it is your sort of community. If you want a community feel,then the nearest catchment school will give you this and your child will be able to walk to it. You will also find that there's a big difference between the schools that have lots of 11 plus type children and those that have very very few that get the 11 plus.

Gifted and talented at another school does not guarantee 11 plus in Bucks. I think many parents could attest to that! Few parents are ever confident at age 8! I was a governor of a school that maintained a G and T register but hardly any child got into a grammar school.

For your aspirations, you do need to look for a school in a middle class area (apologies but this is Bucks) and a school where many children get high level 5s and 6s in their SATs. You will then know how your child performs when working with plenty of other bright sparks. Some schools have hardly a single child that gets the 11 plus. In Central Wycombe, Ofsted reports are likely to be pretty accurate and some schools should be avoided if you have grammar school aspirations. More than that you need a school community that really wants their child to go to the grammar school and believe in providing a wider education by exposing the child to all sorts of external activities to complement their learning in school. Do start phoning up schools pretty quickly now to see if there are vacancies - I assume you will need year 4.

I so agree about the 11 plus, especially with the new CEM test. There are now many children who are working at the right levels for Grammar school but didn't pass the new test, so being on a G&T list won't mean a lot I'm afraid.
If you tell us what your catchment school will be I think people will be able to tell you straight away what the school is thought of around the area.
The does seem to be a real shortage of spaces in schools in the area and as others have said to find a place in what is considered a 'good' school may be quite slim.

Hi

I'm new on the area too, my son is on catchment of Ash Hill primary school, does anyone know if the school is good and how to proceed if you want to opt for a school in Holmer Green but according to Buckinghamshire Council search - if you're outside catchment area is still there a chance to apply for outside HW schools?

Thank you