Chalfont Valley E-ACT Primary Academy

[Nidz001]

Hi,
I'm looking to move to Little Chalfont this summer. As the outstanding schools are oversubscribed, can someone please tell me what Chalfont Valley is like? I would like my son to try for DCGS but in the meantime i don't want his primary years to be affected. On the ofsted report it seems that the school is making good progress. However, how are the kids like? I am recently divorced so my son is a little overwhelmed. I don't want to add to his woes if he doesn't fit in. He's a sensitive soul, bless him. Any information will be appreciated! Thanks!

I think you need to go and visit. It is a school that, even in the days it was Bell Lane School, has had many problems down the years. It serves the only "estate" in Little Chalfont and has long been avoided by anyone who can avoid it. That is why it has places. Have you checked with Bucks C C to see if they have any places at other schools in the year you want? Can you drive? I doubt if many from Chalfont Valley get to DCGS. It is just not that sort of school. In addition, in Bucks, schools do not teach for the 11 plus. So even if it is improving, it may be difficult to find many like minded families there.

@Bubblesbuddy, many thanks for your response! As you suggested, I checked the current availability on the website but there are no places available with any Amersham and Little Chalfont schools (except ECT) at this point. I hope the situation will change over the summer. Fingers crossed. I don't drive here in the UK and work full-time in Central London.
I am not too concerned about like minded families, to be honest or schools prepping for !! plus. I taught my daughter for 11+ exam 2 years ago and she's in DCHS now. I am hoping to do the same for my son as well. I just don't want to send him to a school where he cant make friends and becomes miserable.
But it seems that ECT is not an ideal choice at all. And yet ironically, it is the only choice! :(

Hi. Obviously no state schools in Bucks prep for the 11 plus. I didn’t know if you knew that because some parents are surprised. If you can tutor yourself then you know the score! I think you will have to go and visit. If the Head gives you confidence and you can observe the class your DC would be in, then you might get a better idea. It was always a school which had lots of SEN and not the easiest intake! Hopefully good teaching will ensure children make good progress.

Hi Nidz

Have you tried looking at Chalfont St Peter at all (the CofE Academy)? I have no idea if they'd have spaces or if they're full already, but a good number of pupils every year from there seem to go on to the grammars.

Not sure if the OP could get there. They have a vacancy in y4. That’s all. Nearly every school in this area is full. The infant in Ch St P is full.

Thanks for clarification Bubbles, not surprising really.

Hi Nidz001. There are actually 10 children from Chalfont Valley who passed their 11+ this year!! Contrary to belief (evidently), there are many like minded parents at the school and it does NOT just serve a council estate. You would probably do better to listen to parents who go there.

In the 16-17 Y6 cohort only 33% (so 10-11 pupils) got a scaled score of 100 in all three areas (reading, writing, maths).

It's amazing that the school has been able to go from that to 10 11+ passes in one year. They must be making unbelievable improvements.

I only know one parent who has a child there (moved back from overseas fairly recently) and they are not massively unhappy, but are down on lots of waiting lists nearby.

You've plenty of time to get a car and get a licence here before September OP, that will open up your options locally.

Of course the school isn’t teaching the 11 plus. That’s down to outside tuition. I know perfectly well it just doesn’t serve the council estate but it’s never been the equal to Little Chalfont Combined. Chalk and cheese and has, for many years, had poor Ofsted indirections and many parents try and avoid it. It’s not possible to say one swallow makes a summer. They must have been some cohort to get every single one of their high achievers to grammar school. Unique probably.

Of course there is a private “Grammar”
School in Chalfont St Giles so figures might include this school.

is the definitely correct that 10 passed this year? The stats aren't out yet on the Bucks county council website yet, but last year

Out of the 24 children who left last year, only 3 were high strainers in the KS1 Sats. If 7 middle strainers got to Grammar school, that’s truly amazing and obviously shows their KS1 teaching must have been poor to say the least. No child scored more than 110 in the three tests.

strainers!!! Attainers.

Just to finalise any further misconceptions about our much improved school - Chalfont Valley: 20 children went to Grammar School this year, from a class of 30 (2018-2019). That was higher than all the surrounding local schools, including ALL the schools that you have mentioned. (Btw: children DID score GDS for Maths, SPAG and Reading the year before. Misinterpreting data is not helpful). Don't believe the ill informed, make up your own mind and remember every school should be allowed to change and improve.

Hi,

this is an old post but I hope to still get responses ☺️ My DS got a place offered at Little Chalfont Primary School for Reception to start in September. But they don't have a space for my DD who is in year 1 now. She got offered a place in Chalfont Valley E-Act academy. Any Mums here who have experience with this school? Would love to have a chat

@Nidz001 where did you end sending your child? We are moving to Little Chalfont end of this month and are super excited

Hi Necla,

Very happy for you, good luck with the move! :)
My son went there for the first half of the term but then I moved him to Chenies school. He wasn’t very happy at ECT but it could have been just new place, moving houses etc. he did say the teachers spent a lot of time getting children to settle down in the classroom. Chenies is a much smaller school so it suited his personality well. This is of course from 2018 so things might have changed now so worth taking a look!
All the best! x

Hi @Necla .. i know it been months u posted this , but may i ask if u decided to send your daughter there?? My son has been offered place in chalfont ect academy. But i am not sure what to do ?? U live in chalfont too right ? Could u ask someone to give insight whose kids are currently attending this school there?? My son will be in y4 .. so pretty scared to gibe him change and that too we aren’t sure if its good. Please respond thanks

There are some quite interesting stats for this school. It’s changed for the better. Not that long ago it had under 120 on roll. It’s now 186. It gets Dc who go to grammar school and are high achievers. This was not the case years ago. It serves the least affluent area of Little Chalfont and the local estate wasn’t the best. However all the other schools are full. So it’s this or nothing. So parents are far more engaged and results are pretty good. Yes, maths and reading could be better but I would bet they are working on it.

If you cannot get anywhere else, this is far from a disaster! Have you visited?!

Hi @Nata13,

I couldn't get a good feeling about chalfont valley, asked a few local Mum's but no one had experience. I rearranged my preference List at Bucks Council and got a place at Chenies School and can only recommend it highly.
My very shy little girl is already glowing there, I'm very happy. If you drive it's worth a look.

@TizerorFizz

Actually they were recent years results that caught my attention.. i am amazed by the progress they have been making recently .. however somehow i cannot find any positive responses from anyone , anywhere on multiple platforms.. i haven’t come across any negative recent opinions too to be honest , but obviously its about my child .. i am
just scared a bit :/

@Necla i do drive but chennies would be further away .. plus they dnt have space this year :/

@Nata13
I have known this school from
years back when it was Bell Lane. It was always the school middle class parents tried very hard to avoid. It was starkly different to Little Chalfont and the primary schools in Amersham, and indeed other village schools. This was mainly due to the area it served. Families were well known to social services and it was a school with few aiming high. It’s one of very few Bucks schools that has become an academy because it wasn’t any good. Little Spring and Waterside in Chesham are other ones. Therefore with this history, you might find it difficult to find huge support in Little Chalfont itself. Given the numbers on roll a few years ago, parents were clearly avoiding it and it must have had mixed age classes.

Now, with 186, it’s certainly more popular. It’s still got spaces because it can take 210. Therefore when people move into this area who aspire to a grammar, they look at local schools but the best ones fill up from catchment. The village schools might not, such as Chenies. I honestly don’t know CV school as it currently is. However it’s way better than it was looking at data. It’s supported by parents again but it’s still the school that struggles to attract Dc to capacity in that area. It does seem to be improving though so have a look round. I also noticed fsm numbers are reducing too.

@TizerorFizz thank u so much for such insight . I think its worth looking into before i can make any decision. And yes results seems very good . Its just that my boy is still shy. We are already worried that we will be bringing change in his life so like any other parent really want to have some sort of assurance that the environment will benefit him rather otherwise. May is ask what “fsm” is :) ?? U used in post above that they are reducing too.
again thank u so so much. Its so good to hear anything positive right at this point. Thanks