Moving to Amersham

[GreatWestRoad]

My husband and I are planning to move to Amersham within the next year (hopefully!). We currently live in west London and have a baby and a toddler (one girl, one boy).

We will both have to commute into London for work. I can work 2/3 days a week from home, but my husband will need to commute most days.

We have seen quite a few houses but nothing has been quite right so far and also the current market situation has made us a bit cautious. We originally had a budget of absolute max £2m (but looking for properties more around £1.75m), but given where mortgage rates now are we think we are going to have to look more around £1.5m - £1.75m.

We would like to have the future option of sending the children to grammar school if they pass the 11+, so would like to be in catchment of the Challoners schools.

We have visited The Beacon and really liked it and have also heard good things about Heatherton. However, I know there are also some good state primary schools in the area.

I’m basically looking for some advice from others who live in the area or know it well as to good areas / streets to look. Location is probably the most important thing as we don’t want to be making our lives a nightmare in terms of doing school runs on top of commutes.

Hi there, I just wondered if you had made the move already or are still looking. We seem to be in the exact same boat as you moving from London to Bucks (Amersham/ Chalfont) and looking at The Beacon and Heatherton. I wondered if you’d any insights or experience on the move or schools yet.. thanks!

Hello! We are still looking. Have made an offer on a house, but not sure we will be successful as there seem to be lots of things at play. Having been on many visits to Amersham now, we are a bit clearer on where we would like to buy a house. We want to be able to walk to the station really, so that narrows it down quite a bit.

We went to an open day at The Beacon and were really impressed with it and the new headmaster. Subsequently registered our son for a place and were invited to a stay and play. Our son has now been offered a place to start in September, so that has fuelled our search. If we don't find the right house to buy in time, then we will rent initially. We have not yet visited Heatherton, but will do so soon.

The more pressing need is to find childcare for our daughter who will be 1, so very keen on any recommendations for that! A lot of nurseries and childminders seem to be full.

Hi there, that sounds exciting! We’re in same position as you except our daughter is the older one and son the baby. We’ve also registered our son at The Beacon (loved it!) but he doesn’t start for a couple of years - our more pressing need is a school for our daughter. I’d love to hear what you think about girls schools when you do visit as we’re getting ourselves really confused. I liked high March but not sure the school run between Beacon and High March will be practical.
nursery wise I’ve heard good things about: Chalfont Montessori, Stepping Stones and Old McDonalds - all in or close to Amersham I believe. We’ll also need to find a nursery for our son but we haven’t even started house hunting yet so better get a move on! I’m just trying to get the right school for our daughter first - wish there was a girls equivalent to the beacon;)
good luck with the house, I hope you get it !

I live in the area and am now at the other end of the school journey.

My 2 boys went to The Beacon and my 2 girls to High March and then on to DrC Boys and Girls. Last one in 6th form currently.

Catchment for secondary is huge so you don’t need to live in Amersham and there is a school coach service. The Beacon also run a school bus from GX / Beaconsfield.

Good luck with your house moves. My DCs have had a lovely stable community and enriched childhood here - lots of sports, outdoor lifestyle but London on doorstep for culture, some friends from nursery thru to 6th form. Families are here for decades as it just works well. I am aware they have had a very “privileged” experience of safety and continuity in their friendships etc.

Have you looked at Pipers Corner School (bus service from all over - lots from Amersham) or Berkhampsted School? Don’t be put off by distance - lots of kids do a 30 min school coach trip each day - it’s where all the fun happens.

Thanks for this, so reassuring to hear as I’m getting really nervous about leaving London and all that is so familiar to us here, but I know we’ll appreciate more space and the outdoor lifestyle you talk about.
Funnily enough we did look at Pipers Corner and really liked it. I did wonder if it’s too small but it just seemed so lovely and cosy. And amazing facilities. Having sent your girls to High March I’d wonder which out of HM and PC you’d recommend to someone now starting out with a daughter at age 4? We’d love the option of DrC for both son and daughter so not sure if Pipers will prepare our daughter for that as well as HM will as it stops at 11?

hi,

have been reading this thread with super interest, because guess what - also in the same boat. Looking around Amersham for houses that are walking distance to the station as well as 4+ bedrooms. There is not much on the market. Ones that we have seen seem a bit high in price and it really feels like estate agents are pushing and telling us there is a large demand. I find it hard to believe with the current economic climate that there would be a big demand for properties in the £1m+ bracket. Have you got anything else you can share on your experience? Which estate agents have you dealt with and which you found you liked the most from a vibe perspective. Have had bad experiences in the past with estate agents so just never know what to believe from them.

hi,

have been reading this thread with super interest, because guess what - also in the same boat. Looking around Amersham for houses that are walking distance to the station as well as 4+ bedrooms. There is not much on the market. Ones that we have seen seem a bit high in price and it really feels like estate agents are pushing and telling us there is a large demand. I find it hard to believe with the current economic climate that there would be a big demand for properties in the £1m+ bracket. Have you got anything else you can share on your experience? Which estate agents have you dealt with and which you found you liked the most from a vibe perspective. Have had bad experiences in the past with estate agents so just never know what to believe from them.

I do know the area quite well, you have the independent schools you mentioned and they are also part of the berkhamsted school, I think if you wanted to select berkhamsted then you stand a better chance if from Heatherton and Beacon. As for Grammar, Dr Challenors is a leading school in the country. The catchment for Grammar schools does extend quite a bit as they are selective. Regularly see children on the train who come in from as far as Harrow for the school. Elangeni primary school, state school, has a really good reputation and record too as does Chesham Bois Catholic school. Amersham school is one of the better state schools in this area based on the school league tables. If schools and commuting to London is your main objective then you are not going to go wrong in Amersham. Bonus, beautiful chilterns countryside and a really good sense of community in the town as well as a brand new leisure centre, great places to eat and fantastic play parks.

Thanks everyone for your replies. Really helpful to hear everyone's views on schools. I guess we will have to visit Heatherton and make up our own minds as to whether we think it's too small / lacking in facilities.

We really want to be able to walk to a train station, but at the same time not have stressful mornings trying to get everyone to schools and nurseries. I'm not sure if that is just a pipe dream! I imagine it gets a bit easier when the kids are a bit older and can go on a school bus.

There are not very many houses available that meet our criteria and agree that the few things that are on the market are probably overpriced. As to estate agents, when you are a buyer I guess if you like the look of a house then you just have to deal with whichever agent is selling it. At the end of the day, estate agents act for sellers (and themselves) so are never going to have a buyer's interests as their top priority.

These are useful tools for school catchment areas:

services.buckscc.gov.uk/school-admissions/nearest
drive.google.com/file/d/1WDXinNdP6beRaZdMhektCPu8CfsKYNAT/view

I think in some years DCGS have not been able to admit all boys from within the catchment area, in which case it obviously helps to live closer to the school. For 2022 DCGS did offer a place to all girls within catchment.

Honestly you don’t have to live on top of the school like you do in London - the grammar catchment is huge with big school bus network. There are excellent private (and state) schools in GX, the trains are quicker from there as well. Its loads quicker to drive into central London on A40, get on to M25 and to LHR.

Prices have gone up loads since Covid and people stay in the area and in their family houses for decades whilst their kids go through school, uni and then get their first post uni jobs in London before downsizing.

The catchment may be huge, but you need to look at the distances offered in previous years on the Bucks website. Anyone travelling to the school from Harrow is either guilty of address fraud or has moved since gaining a place at the school.

You're right; Harrow is way too far. Surely the school should look into that otherwise the fraud will continue and deny those in borough.

I wondered what your opinions are of chorleywood? Is Amersham a nicer place? We have a 1 year old and 3 year old. keen to move to that sort of area but struggling to have time to explore the area given the girls protesting to long car journeys. Moving from wimbledon and hoping to be closer to M1 but also get more space, good schools and countryside. Where would you recommend?

Both are great, Chorleywood is a smaller town so fewer amenities however in between Amersham and Rickmansworth if you wanted access to more shops etc. Amersham has a good selection of primary schools that have a good reputation as well as the independent schools. I don’t know much about the primary schools in Chorleywood. Depending on your needs and budget you would do well with both towns. You will definitely have access to more space, countryside and good schools in both towns. We have finally just moved to Amersham two weeks today and so far are enjoying being here.

Agree Chorleywood and Amersham both nice. You might find Chorleywood a little dull coming from Wimbledon but depends what you want really and whether a range of shops and cafes/ restaurants etc are important to you.. plenty of places nearby you can go to for that though. I wondered if you want to be close to M1 if you’d considered Harpenden? Gorgeous place, great countryside, space and schools. We loved it but didn’t work for schools/family for us.

Harrow DC do not get into DCGS. Look at the admission criteria which is very specific. Anyone lying about home address is denied a place so Dc travelling from Harrow is not a current situation. Also Chesham Bois is a CofE school, not Catholic.

This area also has Chesham Grammar and Chesham Prep which is co Ed. Top prep school for girls is Godstowe at High Wycombe. Heatherton has limitations as does The Gateway at Great Missenden, specifically in sport.

Chestnut Lane is a great infants school and Elangeni is a junior school. St Mary’s in Old Amersham is also popular. Village schools are great too, eg Great Kingshill and Great Missenden snd Little Chalfont.

Agree on Harpenden, have friends living there. Prices compare to Amersham. Schools are outstanding.

Why Dr Challoners? Unless you have recent personal experience of the schools, I would ask current parents for their opinions. You might be surprised.

In my opinion, the girls school is academically strong, but bullying is rife. The boys school, however, is a shambles and has been on a fast downwards trajectory in the 6+ years I’ve had children in the school.

The headmaster seems to have lost, if he ever had, the respect of the staff and boys. I parallels, the behaviour and results are now pretty poor. Even before Covid, the attainment was far lower than parents expect from a grammar school.

Boys regularly seem to enter strong in maths and leave with a very low GCSE pass. The expectation is that they at least leave the school as academically strong as they enter! For a school that claims a strong focus on STEM subjects, the results for this are increasingly weak too.

The teaching and pastoral care through Covid was non existent and has not evidently picked up. Mental health issues are rife, with one boy taking his life this year. How can do many teachers miss the signs?

The head published an extraordinary post on LinkedIn ahead of the A level results last week. I can only assume he was covering his back, having already seen the results?

It will be interesting to see how the 2023 A level and GCSE results compare to other schools in the area when they are published. I’ve friends with children in grammars in High Wycombe and Aylesbury and these schools aren’t reporting the same grades decline that the head of Challoners boys Suggests there is. The girls school actually got better results this year than in 2019.

As a parent with boys in years 13 and 9 and a daughter in year 11 at the Challoners schools, I say, steer clear of Both schools. Look at Chesham Grammar or be grateful that the non selective Amersham School is so excellent, with a great SLT.

To be fair, the head at the girls’ school is excellent. The boys’ school is far from what it was 10 years ago and nothing like the “establishment” it was when my husband was a pupil there in the 1980s.

I meant our lady’s on Amersham Road. That is catholic. I thought that was called Chesham bois.

Dreadful results at 63% A/A star. Dreadful.

The post about DrCG is pretty ludicrous. Looking at P8, it’s good. The school
has middle achievers. It’s highly likely these are tutored Dc who fail to thrive. DrCG is not totally full of genius DC and never was. Dh is old boy. In his day lots never did 3 A levels at all!

54% A/A star A levels at DrCH. So looks like DrCG isn’t failing after all! Chesham Grammar don’t appear to have published their results. Not AGS. AHS has lower than DrCG. The truth is that these schools are all fantastic. Most people are proud Dc go to them.

Of course they are good schools. Don't let one negative review put you off - there are pros & cons to every school, including grammars & some people will have a negative experience.

Do you have children at the school currently?

63% A to B. The grades in themselves are not the issue.

Conpared to 2019, this is a significant drop. The greatest concern parents have is the root cause of the drop in grades, which is the running of the running of the school; the lack of discipline as a result of this and what boys can get away with before being called out. IYKYN “what they can get away with.”

Thank you for taking the time to post your thoughts. The reason we want to be in catchment for the Challoners is so that we would (depending on if our DC pass the 11+) have them as an option for secondary school. At the moment, both our children are preschool age (one boy, one girl), and so it may well be that in 8-10 years' time things will be very different again.

I'm sorry that DrCG has not lived up to your expectations, but historically it has been an excellent school and, when the time comes for our son to go to secondary school, we feel that being in catchment for DrCG as well as Chesham Grammar and AHS will put us in a good position to help make the best choice for our son.