Coleshill Primary? Amersham schools

[BBradberry]

Hi Folks
We need to move close to commutable stations and have found a house in Coleshill. It is right near Coleshill Primary School which has an outstanding ofsted rating but that I'm surprised to see in not over subscribed. Anyone have any experience of this school? my sons are 4 and 2 so we're keen to settle. Just curious about that school and the schools it feeds onto? Any help you lovely mums can give would be much appreciated!
Thanks!
Billie

Coleshill is a tiny village up a big hill, a non-walkable distance from Amersham Old Town. That explains why the school is undersubscribed.

You would also need to drive to get to the station in Amersham from there - parking is expensive there!!!

Sorry, I don’t know anything about the schools in the area other than independents.

Also it's not a primary school, I think it's an Infant School so only goes up to year 2 and there is no obvious feeder school beyond that, do lots go private from year 3?

Children in Old Amersham walk to St Mary’s School in Old Amersham. Always have! For generations.

Coleshill for many years had about 20 children on roll. It can now have 20 per year. This has changed transfer arrangements for y3. When it was tiny, children would come into St Mary’s for Y3. Ditto children from Little Missenden. They also are not a feeder school for anywhere.

There are other schools in the area but I would talk to the Head at Coleshill to see where children actually go. Lots of primary/junior schools are full and take a very small number in Y3 and plenty take catchment only. St Mary’s is the obvious school but they are C of E Aided so attending Church may be needed to get in there. They handle their own admissions but should know if any Coleshill children are admitted on a regular basis.

I am rather surprised the links to St Mary’s are not as strong as they used to be.

Actually I think Curzon School is where Coleshill feeds into but think there are only 4 places available

You may be right about Curzon. St Mary’s is supposed to have 6 places for Y3 but Coleshill children are clearly out of catchment so I assume they take in catchment applicants first. I would not think all children from Coleshill or Little Missenden go Private at age 8 but some might. As they no longer have an association with St Mary’s I would have thought this makes going to these infant schools a bit of a lottery regarding junior education. My children’s infant school fed directly into a junior school and not a combined school so the classes just moved up. I wonder what would happen if no combined or junior school had places in Y3? It could easily happen if no places are reserved for infant children.

In some parts of Bucks, the Diocese has been keen to turn infant schools into combined schools. I am surprised more Church infant schools in this area have not done that.

Tow bits of trivia:

Coleshill School used to gets its school dinners from the Red Lion Pub.

The Water Tower house was featured on Grand Designs.

Fond memories.

I briefly worked with someone whose daughter attended Coleshill Infants. They absolutely loved it and her little girl was really happy there. However, they had a complete nightmare trying to get her a place anywhere nearby for Juniors. This was several years ago and I never heard the outcome, but I do know the mum was starting to regret ever having sent her DD there because of the issues they were having re finding a Junior place anywhere!

Its lovely (we're nearby) but as several others have suggested, its a nightmare to get a year 3 place for Year 3.

If you can afford to go privately, The Beacon has an extra intake for year 3. If not, the trick is to move them somewhere else for year 2, that also has a junior department. A place is likely to come up mid-year somewhere....Seer Green or one of the Amersham/Beaconsfield schools. That way you can have a lovely commute to school for a couple of years and they make local friends.