Elangani vs Other State School in Amersham

[pjas]

Hi,

My son is 2.5 yrs old and we are planning to move to Amersham for schooling reasons- Chestnut/Elangani and Dr. Challoner. I am reading reviews that Elangani has a high staff turnover and except from Ofstead Outstanding, it is not good anymore. I need some first hand information on Elangani so please feel free to share your views on Elangani School and if there is any other state school recommended in Amersham area.

Many Thanks
Pjas

Well your DC will not be going there until they are 7 so what is happening now is not remotely linked to what might be the case in 5 years!

Chestnut Lane has always been ultra sought after and you need to make sure you live in a street where you will get in. Look at all the admissions data about who gets in and where the children live. Elangeni takes the junior children from Chestnut Lane and has always been very popular. If there is a bit of local difficulty, it won't last.

Other schools you could consider are St Mary's in Old Amersham but it is C of E and you must check the admission criteria about catchment and religious affiliation. Other schools are St George's Infants and Woodside Junior. Check where you need to live for these but historically they are not as sought after but are probably full.

Other possibilities are Great Missenden C of E Combined and Little Chalfont Combined. Both excellent. But you need to live in catchment. There is also Little Missenden C of E Infant School. Children from there used to transfer to St Mary's at age 7 but I am not sure this is the case these days. All are catchment for Dr C Grammar I believe. I think you also need to consider the secondary schools just in case DC is not as bright as you think. Obviously the majority of DC do not go to the grammar schools so plan B is vital.