Moving to Beaconsfield: state primary or private for Year 2 and Reception?

[MatchaMama]

Hello ,

we are a family living in London - Kensington , and have decided to make the move for family reasons ( more space , garden etc - 2 small children 1 on the way ) . We have decided on Beaconsfield - loved the area and close links to M4 and getting into London.

wanted help on primary school vs private school
my DD will be in year 2 this Sep and DS reception .
we are one road away from the catchment of butlers court which we all really liked , and can see the children there. Long term plan for secondary is not necessarily grammar happy with independent secondary too as grammar is not for every child so we are flexible .

can any parents of beaconsfield shed any light on Butlers court , tutors - how easy are they to find . We have found a house on burgess wood South so old town .
I also looked into High March loved that they have a swimming pool onsite and languages they teach . But if moving to an area like beaconsfield is it really necessary to do private primary if the state primary schools are so great ?

any help would be great as we are hoping to move Ina. Few weeks and need to decide regarding schools . Thank you

I don’t know the Beaconsfield schools but does the state school have space for both your children. Your year 2 child will bean in year admission and your reception child will probably need to be admitted from the waiting list unless the school is under subscribed. They will be subject to infant class size rules. Is your older child at state or private in Kensington. Pool isa nice extra but it is an extra.

Reception will be full, you need to contact the local authority and find out where the spaces are. The private schools are closed for the summer. Ask the estate agent if they know anyone who can advise you.

Haha I lived at 64 burgess wood Road South up until 1975 and went to High March!!
sorry nothing else to contribute to your post but though it was too much of a coincidence to just scroll on by...

You do know that the private secondary schools (in general!) in the area are not terribly academic? Mainly because the brighter children go to grammars.
What is it you were wanting tutors for if your children won't do the 11plus?
And yes, many primary schools will be full, so that's your first port of call.

Hi all I went to see butlers court and they have space for my hear 2 child but yes reception is a waiting list so that is the problem . I looked at Davines for him aswell but again don’t know much about it has nice grounds and facilities . My DD is in a private school at the moment in Kensington. We have had a tutor just because it’s the Norm here . I plan on doing the 11 plus in the future but not hell Bent on grammar I know it’s all child dependant if she gets in great but not the whole reason we are moving to beaconsfield . And we still have our London property which we are keeping .

just wanted to see if the primary schools like butler court if anyone has any experience .
I both the private schools I looked at high March and Davines have spaces for dd and ds they close in a weeks time ( the admin office ) but I managed to see them this week .
The beacon school also has a space for reception but again don’t know much about the school . I am alone in September and did not want a big commute to school . Thanks again for replying

Haha aww how did you find going to high march / the area . I hear the owner of the school is still the lollipop lady .

@MatchaMama, there is no where more pressurised for a dc that a prep school in Kensington, you don’t need to worry about tutors in year 2 or 3 even if you moved a few miles from Zone 2/3. A Reception place for September is tricky, the local authority is the quickest way to find the nearest school with a place. Knowing this might help you decide whether to put them both in a prep. Do bear in mind that the private secondary schools in Bucks are not like the private secondaries in central London. The Bucks grammars take the top performing pupils.

Thank you for the information I wasn’t fully aware about t he secondary private schools in the area . We are currently renting in beaconsfield , wanting more space be close to family something alitrle
mo slow paved with a new baby coming out Into the mix etc . So can re evaluate when it comes to secondary schools . Thank you

Beaconsfield to The Beacon could be slow in school run/rush hour I think.

Butlers Court had a big catchment this year, they admitted children from surrounding villages.

If you are commuting then it may make more sense to make use of High March and Davenies for the wrap around care.

Many children will be leaving those schools for grammars (especially High March) in Year 7. Some will be going to Berkhamsted, Claires Court or Royal Masonic School. Davenies will send a few to boarding school also.

I would get your Year 2 down for 11+ tutoring very soon. The good tutors book very early.

Second that the grammar schools are a better option in south bucks - from a private school girl who literally went to private school because I didn’t pass the 11+

Dropping one off at the Beacon and one in Beaconsfield would be a nightmare in the mornings! If you’re considering the Beacon for your DS, have you looked at Heatherton for your DD?

I would get your Year 2 down for 11+ tutoring very soon. The good tutors book very early.
There's really no need to tutor early in Bucks. Year 5 is plenty early enough.

Yes, but those tutors are booked years ahead. Booking late means your preferred tutor either doesn’t have space or the remaining slots are at times that are antisocial to family life.

No one actually starts the tutoring in Year 2. It’s securing your tutor for later on.

The Beacon would allow you to send children of different sexes to the same school (as from Sept), which is relatively unusual locally but may be convenient.

It's open to girls from Sep 2027 starting with Reception, Year 3 and Year 7 so it would fit for Year 3 but not for Year 2 this September.

Everything is changing as the birth rate is dropping. Lots of local state schools are advertising that they have reception places for September so I wouldn’t worry. Likewise, whilst you might want to get your eldest registered with a tutor in a year or so, tutors aren’t going to be fully booked in the way that they might have been previously as there just aren’t the children. The other change is the impact of VAT. There are quite a few private schools competing for junior school children in the area so, the combination of VAT and a falling birth rate, mean it might be trickier for them all to continue or to continue as they are, by which I mean I wouldn’t be surprised if at least one of the single sex schools went co-ed.

Thank you , we are just 5 mins drive from butlers court , so let’s see still waiting on the council to let me know they said wouldn’t find out for a few more weeks - they are still on applications from early July .
inwomt be commuting into work as will be home with the new baby . It’s big a life change from living in prime London , but hoping it will be good for the family .
any leads on where to find 11+ tutors ? That you see in person or can come to the house ?

Consider Gayhurst (co-ed) and Maltmans green (girls) in Gerrards cross for private as an alternative to the Beacon. Much easier commute. I can’t comment on the state school options.

Thank you , does anyone have any experience with Davenies for boys ? .

Davenies has an incredibly good reputation locally. It always has done.

Thank you @TaylorsMate he can easily get a spot there as they have 15 children currently And DS is on the waiting list number 5 for butlers court as of today . Tutoring in a prep school in central London is very normal here most of the children in her school have a tutor or go to weekend morning classes .

@MatchaMama butlers court is an excellent state school. You won’t find better in that area. However, it is not a prep school and it depends what you want from education. We chose prep as we wanted all the facilities on site without me having to taxi them to lots of clubs outside of school. Plus the extracurriculars are fabulous. The academics are also better at Preps and our DC have an individually tailored curriculum to meet their needs. Obviously it all comes at a cost so it’s a personal decision. I’d go for Davenies for boys and High March/Maltmans Green for girls if private. We are at one of these but I have many friends at Butlers Court who only have fantastic things to say about it, but I’d say the private’s operate at a far higher academic level per age.

@MatchaMama I’m not far from Beaconsfield and people are forgetting Wycombe Abbey. Just putting it out there!

According to Bucks cc, Holtspur and Jordans have spaces, Butlers Court does not - 20 July listing.

The Beaconsfield school has never been great. The grammars are entirely different. Other private secondaries are ok but not academic, except Wycombe Abbey. Boys schools are scarce. Top private preps are Godstowe in High Wycombe and Caldicott for boys in Farnham Royal. In Beaconsfield itself, High March and Davenies are both ok.