Primary Schools in Amersham

[redsplodge]

We want to move out of London and like the look of Amersham, so I would love to hear the opinions of any locals about the state primary schools. My eldest is in Year 5 and my youngest is in Year 2.

We like the look of a house in the catchment of Woodside Junior, so I'm particularly interested in any experiences of this school. I've seen the Ofsted Reports and League Tables and plan to visit the school too, but would love some advice from parents who know the school.

Thanks in advance.

I live in a village very near Amersham but haven't heard many people mention Woodside Junior. Elangeni, St George's and Chestnut Lane are the main ones I've heard about.

Of course with a Yr 5 be aware that you're coming into 11+ territory. You'd be slap back in catchment for the very good grammars but would have the option of the Amersham School just down the road, have heard very good things about the head there.

Amersham's a really nice area to be in - you're near the Leisure Centre there and there's a good playpark too. Anything general about the area you need to know, CAT me

St Georges is the infant school which feeds to Woodside Junior. Woodside used to have a rather iffy reputation but I understand that a new head has made a difference.

Similarly Chestnut Lane is the infant school which feeds to Elengani Junior. V good reputation but you have to live close by to get in.

There is also St Marys in the old town (infant and junior) and Chesham Bois Combined (which means infant and junior) - both fairly good reputations.

Then there is Our Lady RC school in Chesham Bois (infant and junior) and a private prep for girls (Heatherton) and for boys (The Beacon).

Finally - hate to say it - if your eldest is in Yr 5 they will have the Bucks 11 plus next year and the sad truth is that most Yr 5s get tuition outside school (its verbal reasoning which isn't taught in school). Whole industry here I'm afraid.

Oh good, I thought someone who knew a lot more than me would be about soon

Thank you for these replies, I appreciate you all taking the time to pass on advice as there truly is nothing like inside knowledge. People in Amersham really do seem to speak well of the area which is good to hear.

I visited Woodside school today, there was so much space! We're in North West London at the moment and my childrens' school has no playing fields, so this was such a contrast. Anyhow, we have decided to put an offer in on the house, so if all goes well I may be back with more questions in the future.

Thanks again.

Redsplodge, I live about three miles outside Amersham and would say to you that it's pretty hard to find a bad school in this part of Bucks(certainly compared with other parts of the country). A lot of the villages outside Amersham have fantastic primary schools and then the catchment for the Grammars and secondarys are very wide. Schools like Elengani are extremely difficult to get in to and I know people who have moved to the catchment area to try and get in and failed.

Also the villages are a lot cheaper than Amersham .

I'd heard that Elengani is very hard to get into and don't want to be tied to a tiny area for catchment, so I'm reassured that the primaries are generally well regarded.

My husband really wants to be able to walk to the station, so we're looking at Amersham itself at the moment and hoping that we can get somewhere affordable! Are there any areas best avoided?

No where in Amersham is affordable especially if you want to walk to the station! If you need to be on the Marylebone line you could look at Great Missenden, Chesham or Little Chalfont? Howver, none are cheap, especially if you want to be near the station.

We had the same dilema when we moved here from London. DH worked in town and we wanted to be near the station but when we were looking in Amersham everything was massively overpriced and every offer went to sealed bids which we always lost. If your DH doesn't mind driving or busing to station it really could save you some money. Look at villages out on A404 / A413. Speak to the estate agents in Amersham, they will cover a lot of the villages.

Have you tried the 'Amersham Forum' website? (I really don't think I'm advertising here as it's a few local residents and no one makes any money to my knowledge). I'm not a member but have found it useful and you can ask direct questions about is such and such an area okay.

We live over the bridge from the stn (Highland/Stanley Hill Ave) - a few streets there are walking distance. There are also streets within walking distance nearer Chesham Bois (?Lansdowne - you'd have to check on a map) that go down to (expensive) South Road but are cheaper and at that end are probably Chestnut/Elengani catchment. We are St Georges/Woodside as are Green Lane and other streets off Woodside Road.

If you look at Little Chalfont everyone tells me that Little Chalfont Primary is v gd and oversubscribed and Bell Lane, well, isn't. Chorleywood is, of course, not in Bucks but has a very good comprehensive that suddenly proves mightily attractive to those whose children don't pass the 11 plus.

Its Lexham Gdns not Lansdowne (walking distance from stn and not ridiculously expensive) - just drove past!

A quick update, we have finally moved to Amersham, thank you again for all the previous advice. The visits to Woodside went well, staff were friendly and the head made us feel welcome. My son starts after Easter and my daughter starts Year 3 in September. (I hope earlyonemorning got her DS2 in as they received more applications this year). The only downside is that St George's is too full to offer my daughter a place for the rest of the year, so she has been allocated a place at Bell Lane. Quite apart from the difficulty of getting both to school on time as I don't drive, the latest report on the school being in Special Measures doesn't make good reading.

Am trying to think of reassuring or helpful things to say about Bell Lane but don't know it except by reputation. I know that it suffers from a permanent exodus of parents sending their kids anywhere-but-there, which is its own sort of horrible self-fulfilling prophecy. The dire KS2 results have a lot to do with the 50% SEN pupil status and as such aren't really a fair indicator of your daughter's potential experience. Maybe the latest Ofsted inspection will actually help?

Can only second what Devexity says. As I understand it (we have friends at St Aidans ch in Little Chalfont) Bell Lane suffers as everyone tries to get into Little Chalfont Primary or failing that Chalfont St G (believe it or not there are kids in our street in Amersham who go to the latter). But, am I right in thinking that it would be for one term - for half of which (if my Yr 2 is anything to go by) the teacher is likely to be distracted and obsessed with flipping KS1 SATs (okay okay see my cynical jaded comments on those on other threads!). Certainly you good get a handle on the type of standard required for those from study books - but perhaps more usefully the Head at Woodside could give you tips on reading etc pre-arrival?

Thanks for these replies and sorry about taking a long time to respond we've been away for a few days at a wedding. I guessed about the exodus to any-other-school, but didn't know the SEN pupil level was as high as 50%, that really will impact on the KS2 results.

She will only be there for one term and I doubt she could slip too far academically in this time, especially as I agree with you that they will probably waste half of that time on KS1 SATS. As long as she is happy there I think I'll just have to put up with it for the term. If she hates it and the staff are too distracted by SATs to help her settle I'll have to home school her for the term.

That's a good point about speaking to the head at Woodside, she has been quite helpful so far.

I have met some of the staff from Bell Lane and they are lovely. Unfortunately there are quite a few schools in S Bucks like Bell Lane (primary and secondary), which take the children whose parents have lack the facilities or wherewithall to 'choose' the best schools.

Redsplodge - interested in hearing how your move to Amersham has gone?

That's very kind of you!

The move has gone smoother that I expected, a few new-house niggles of course. The schools situation went well - about an hour after our visit to Bell Lane School we received a letter offering my daughter a place at St George's, so she started there part way through the term. This was a relief as it means she will go up to junior school with her new friends.

We've been pleased with both schools and the children settled quickly, which I think speaks well of the staff and the pupils. My son says the lessons at Woodside are more interesting than at his last school and that the pupils are better behaved.

Great to hear that redsplodge.

I have a question for the forum. We are looking at the move the Amersham.
We don't need to be close to the rail as we won't be commuting.

I love the Chesham Bois area but don't necessarily want to pay through the roof for somewhere to live.
We will probably stretch to do 'prep' school because we won't be organised enough to get into the right location/accommodation before the application deadline. (Jan 15th I believe?)

we would love to be able to walk to the Havernes (sp?) park area.
Any suggestions on more affordable streets?
or
any other areas you might recommend to an london family who don't want to be too isolated??

Another Q - does anyone know if it is difficult to get a place at the beacon school? for Sept 2011, when do they offer places. Are the super oversubscribed like london ones??

I grew up in Amersham and my parents still live nearby. We have just moved back to Amersham from Wimbledon and I am so pleased that after 5 years of nagging my London born husband relented. The only problem has been finding a year 1 place for my son as we only moved back a few weeks ago and the primary schools ar ein the process of handing in year admissions back to the county. We have been offered a place at St Georges Infant even though we are in Chestnut Lane cactchment but I don't know much about it, only what I knew of from when I was little, which was not good. I am a secondary teacher, but would just like to know some opinions on the school if anyone goes there. Thanks for your time.

Hi - we are moving to the Amersham area and have family in Lt Missenden. Our eldest son will be starting primary school in Sept 14, can anyone recommend a good, friendly, community spirited, ideally smaller primary school that will be welcoming to a slightly nervous little soul?