Amersham Bucks

[HuntyGirl]

DH and I are looking for a new house in this area. I work in London so will be good for the commute.

Through my research, I see that there is Old Amersham and Amersham on the Hill/New Amersham. Old Amersham is more expensive but New Amersham is more convenient for travel into London etc. We are therefore looking at New Amersham for commutability.

My question is, is Amersham broken down further into smaller areas other than these two? Or is it literally only these two distinct areas? I would be grateful for any guidance on areas to avoid or what is better generally from those who know/have experience. Thanks!

Only Wycombe High and Beaconsfield High are listing a vacancy in one year. Y11. There are not lots of ins and outs at most grammars. Chalfonts has vacancies. Or Chiltern Hills Academy. The info on the Bucks web site is for guidance but most schools are full so in year transfers are not likely to be available at many schools.

Late transfer link for the girls' school - deadline for the form is 4pm 13th Jan. https://www.challonershigh.com/admissions/admissions-process

How do you transfer into a school with no vacancies? I strongly suggest reading Bucks CC guidelines before getting hopes up.

MN is a place for sharing opinions in a respectful way. Please don't turn this into a fight; nobody here is looking for one. I am sure the people thinking about coming to Amersham are adults who can balance all the relevant information. Have a good day.

To be fair, though, @TizerorFizz does make a very valid point - there isn't much use knowing the process of applying if there aren't any spaces. Spaces do become available at Bucks grammar schools in Years 8-11 occasionally but they are rare. That is quite simply a fact and it's not argumentative or disrespectful to say so. The advice to check for spaces before starting to apply is good advice.

At Y12 it's quite a different matter as there is quite a lot of movement, in and out of grammar schools and between grammar schools too.

@thing47 Thank you.

I am posting honest information. I’m not quite sure what the problem is. I’m very aware of the area and the difficulty of transfers into grammars beyond the 11 plus system. The local preps used to get a few in to DCG at 13 plus and occasionally Chesham, but Bucks has been clear for many years that this route is now more or less closed. You have to get lucky and I don’t see why being honest is such an issue. Y12 is different. The grammars don’t have many leave as many parents have invested a lot to get a place at one and it’s not accurate to say there’s vacancies cropping up all the time.

@earlyr1ser With respect, what the process is and what spaces are available are two different things.

6th form is different - there is movement......but depending on which grammar school the competition for Yr 12 places can be cut throat.

DCGS normally take 40-50 new students into 6th form and over 1000 prospective new pupils attended the recent open evening. Those with top GCSE grades predicted (so mostly 9s) will be selected from the applicants.

The VAT on private school fees is likely to exacerbate this as parents will be looking for alternatives and I would imagine the property prices will ramp up accordingly.

@wonderingconcerned In 2024, in England, only 1274 pupils got all grade 9 GCSEs. 65% were girls. The grammars in Bucks won’t be flooded out by these pupils in terms of 6th form applications. The private school issue could definitely produce more applicants but Bucks/Herts independent schools are not full of super intelligent grade 9 pupils wanting to change school.

DCGS take girls to 6th form. Many girls (with mostly 9s) apply locally from DCHS, other grammars and private schools in Bucks, as well as out of county as catchment isnt relevent for 6th form so its 'super selective' for Yr12/13.

My daughter didnt get in on initial application as only predicted 6x9s - however she did get a place on GCSE results day as others with offers (from higher predictions) didnt make their predicted grades and my DD did better than her 6x9 predictions.

What number actually have all 9s? Must be very few. Although some 9s would be normal. Private schools in Bucks are not very selective. None are Eton but of course WA is the pick of the schools. Does anyone actually discuss their GCSEs in that detail with other 6th formers when they change school? Also 25 places are reserved for catchment and they must comply with residency rules. Obviously they choose the best but other schools recruit too. The poster was not looking for 6th form though.

I repeatedly stated they have mostly 9s.

There is a points threshold the school sets (like a grade boundary) depending on the calibre of applicants for that year - so the top applicants get offered places from inside and outside of the county. So it is very clear what the GCSE profile is for new starters (and yes the friendship groups also chat - and yes quite a few had all 9s). The new 6th form intake - because it is so selective and competitive become part of the top tier of ability at the school and go on to achieve places at Oxbridge / LSE / Imperial / UCL / Durham etc.

Selectivity at age 11 of private schools in Bucks and Herts varys between schools and some parents choose this route over and above the offer of a grammar place. Others choose not to sit the 11+ at all and others may have failed it. I would say that maybe half of the 20 girls in my daughters year at DCGS have come from local Bucks and Herts private schools - so these schools are delivering a cohort of mostly 9s. Others with excellent GCSE grades from these schools choose to go on to boarding schools. There is a lot of movement at 6th form between grammars, secondarys, privates in Bucks and surrounding areas. The PP wasnt looking for 6th form right now but I thought I would share my current first hand experience as it comes around fast and they may consider a local private as an interim or a grammar with spaces elsewhere in the county or a comp/private in Herts etc.

Selectivity at age 11 of private schools in Bucks and Herts varys between schools and some parents choose this route over and above the offer of a grammar place.

I'd agree. My siblings and I went to Challoner's and I live 5 minutes away (but in Herts). My kids go to a selective private school in Herts and Habs is similarly selective (though a bit further away).

A number of my son's school friends live in Amersham, Gerrards Cross and Beaconsfield. Berkhamsted is also increasingly selective so there's plenty of academic kids in private schools who could switch to grammar schools for sixth form. Some also do this for the UCAS benefit.

A handful from our school currently leave in the sixth form for local grammar schools but this could rise with the VAT on fees.

There are very few local girls at Wycombe Abbey. I don’t see an exodus from there having much impact on the surrounding state grammars.

I know that there was a girl from WA at DCGS 6th form when my other older child was there (2016) .... none in my daughters year and no clue if any came or not from WA in the years between.

You definitely didn't need top GCSE grades in those days though. My DD got a place in the Sixth Form in 2017 without a single A star (she didn't take it up in the end) and friends of hers got places without getting all A grades.

The numbers getting mostly 9s is still
over stated. Plus DCGS has quotas for catchment. I think the only reason a WA girl would move would be money issues. Of possibly stress!

The numbers getting mostly 9s is still over stated.

How so?

Because it sounds as if 7 or 8 grade 9s are the norm. This isn’t the case in most private schools around Bucks or Herts. Some of the schools take dc who don’t get 11 plus. Obviously the mum here wants a school for a 9 and 12 year old. What 6th form is required is some way off,

@TizerorFizz as you mentioned in year transfers might not be available for a lot of good schools, then what is that you suggest... Select state schools with Ofsted rating excellent and good while applying at council website, and then wherever we get a vacancy we go for that.... Is there any consulatancy service that is available who can help us with this whole school thing, it seems to be really confusing for someone who is moving from another country. 🙏

@TheGoldRobin that is pretty much the system. You would be allocated a place wherever there is a vacancy. Although you can request preferences on the In Year application, if those are full you will be offered a place elsewhere. If you turn it down you may not be offered an alternative. Ofsted is not the be all and end all when considering schools though.

@TheGoldRobin I agree it’s very difficult. I would talk to Bucks CC and look at the school vacancy list. Consultants cannot get you a place at a state school. There are strict admission rules. Private schools are more flexible and, if you can afford it, ask them direct.

As an example, Chalfonts Community College has spaces. So what about this school? Also Chiltern Hills Academy in Chesham. That’s it. There is no choice. I’ve posted the links and the current secondary list. You can check primaries. There are some that are perennially full but you must be resident to apply I think. I would worry less about primary. Some with a very chequered history are much better now.

I've done a fair bit of nannying in Amersham/Chesham bois/little Chalfont areas. Two families I worked for moving into the area were horrified when they were allocated school places in the 'bad' area of Chesham.

Unless things have changed very much in the last couple years I would be expecting to have to wait for a school place in the good/outstanding schools

I don't have a london address as of now, as we are moving in March. Can I apply to vacancies in any school,(if any) without having london address

Amersham is not in London! For an In Year application you need to be able to take up the place quickly, usually within six weeks maximum although LA vary. Some will consider an application in advance of a move if you can evidence an address such as a signed lease or solicitor's letter. If there is a vacancy and no waiting list you can be offered it irrespective of address.

"For immediate entry
You can only apply for a school place up to six weeks in advance before you wish your child to start.
If you are applying for immediate entry between May and July, we will only consider this for pupils moving into Buckinghamshire. All other applications will be considered for September 2025 entry.