Info on Marlow, Henley, Thame, Chalfonts

[Spanielmad]

Hello, we are thinking of moving into South Buckinghamshire for DH's work. Been looking at the impossible school situation already and earmarked a few areas with good (but oversubscribed) secondary schools.
Before I drive over to visit the area (we are a few hours away) I need to narrow down which towns we might like, as I can't visit them all in a day or two.

We like to be near or on the outskirts of a small town with stuff for my kids (young teen boys) such as a leisure centre, sports clubs, we like hiking in the hills/woods, I'd like a nice town with boutique shops, cafes, art galleries, art clubs etc. Low crime and peaceful would be good too- goes without saying.

Can anyone tell me anything about these towns? What are they like? I already know most of them are pricey- but would like to know more about atmosphere, crime, shops etc....
I have only done online research so far.

Henley,
Shiplake,
Marlow (my fav at the moment but hard to find a house),
Chalfont St Peter,
Chesham,
Thame.

Any thoughts very welcome!! Thank you

Actually I am not sure you can put 6 schools down- that might only apply to secondary transfer, not for a mid year place.
Although they will publish spaces I have little idea yet how it works so will email council again.

Penstemon, mmm yes that would suggest there is some flexibility. I was told we can apply for a school place 6 weeks before our move (with proof of exchange of contracts etc). If refused, we can appeal but since 6 weeks is really short I am not sure how it works. Would we have to find a free place by sheer coincidence? Who knows.
We're moving from Gloucestershire and so used to the housing stock - not used to the house prices being doubled....;)

I think you are correct, for secondary at least you apply directly to the school. Maybe they would then provide an in year sitting of the 11 plus. In your older son going into year 8 now? Or year 9? I think you will just have to get on to the schools when they are back, but it's a nightmare, to be sure.

Y8 next week. Yes I think the testing works like that. I'll have to call them but I am getting the feeling it's a crazy lottery.

What's the point of publishing which schools have places (don't they have waiting lists?) if we can't reserve a place and then move. By the time we have moved the place will be filled and we'll have to see if there's anything free at that time. If we can only find a place 15 miles away it will feel like we've moved to the wrong area. Hopefully the schools can give me some more reassurances over the phone but I don't have high hopes.

It's such a silly system but I don't know what the answer is. We have family that have moved after the school application deadline and ended up not getting their new local school and driving miles to the only one offered.

In primary County hold the places and there's nothing a school can do about it. Obviously children in care or excluded children are bumped up the lists though. In my experience good primaries are full with a waiting list. It will be luck that gets you a year 6 place because obviously it is less likely that a child will change schools for year 6.

If your boys are very bright then I would be gunning for ANY grammar school. If there's doubt then I wouldn't move to Bucks if you paid me.

Oxfordshire seems to have the same problem with oversubscribed schools! Henley and Thame schools all seem full.

I can't bet on my kids passing the tests (they should if the tests are fair but with all the tutoring and competition going on, and who knows some curriculum bits might be different where we are)

In DD's YR6 just gone, 2 pupils left for new schools mid year so spaces do randomly come up.

Yes we will have to hope families suddenly move away just like we are moving into the county. But can't imagine the timing coinciding though. Maybe we should just buy where we know there's a space and forget about nice towns and big gardens...

Those 2 didn't actually move house, they just moved to different schools in the area so have hope.
I'd much rather have the nice town and big garden. It's really not uncommon for kids to travel for school here.
My friend's daughter isn't in a grammar school area but took the 11+ and passed. Think she will have to leave home at 7am to get to school on time and then she won't be home till probably 5pm, later with after school clubs.
I don't understand it myself, she lives in an area with great secondary schools anyway.

There is a hell of lot of tutoring going on. Often from Year 3. Equally, there are parents who choose not to at all.

Each year there are suprises though. Children who are working at low levels and achieve poor SATs results have passed and very bright children have not. There have been new 11+ papers the last few years which are supposed to be untutorable. Hmmm

Maybe renting is the way to go...

Yes, am considering renting as it seems more flexible, but it would mean moving twice and we have a big house with lots of stuff to move (if renting would probably leave loads packed up) but it's an option.
All I want is stability for the kids... not too many moves and upsets...

Do you have somewhere to sell? If so then renting might end up being more relaxing as you will be cash buyers. We renting on a short term contract so could move when we found a house. It also meant we got a good deal on the house we bought as we were flexible and didn't have anything to sell.
Staying in a rental for a while wasn't stressful for my kids or my DH - I do all the stress for them 😂

Sorry for typos

I think you have to decide whether you want to go for

• Oversubscribed area with grammar schools OR
• Oversubscribed area without grammar schools

because the strategy for getting places is so different.

If you go for oversubscribed, non-grammar, then your strategy is to decide on a school for yout Y8 child, rent a house right next to it, move in INSTANTLY and camp there until a place comes up, appealing in the meantime. Yes, you will be allocated a different school in the meantime, band yes, that's a pain, but if you can come up with excellent reasons why you want the particular school - not just 'it's a good school', that's no help at all - think about extra-curricular, subjects offered etc etc, and put together the best possible case for an appeal.

If you decide on a Grammar school area, then actually your priority is you Y6 child, because you will be a late applicant for the 11+ for them and they may or may not be able to sit the test. Get the school identified and sort 11+ taking for them first (if Bucks is anything like other counties, exams are taken in the first few weeks of September). Also determine whether you have to be resident to take the exam - where I live, you don't, you can actually live thousands of miles away, take the 11+ and then move if you pass. So in that case deklaying a move until you have the resuits and can identify which schools are a possibility with the results is s sensible strategy. then look into the 'occasional place' rules for your Y8. In some schools, exams are not held 'on request' when a child moves, they are ether held on a specific date each year or as and when vacancies arise. Again, it may well not be necessary for you to be resident to take such an exam - you may be able to put your Y8 child in for the exam from your current homne, and make decisions on location on the bass of results. If both fail the relevant exams, then you need to identify the best 'other' schools - ie the best of the secondary moderns - and then follow the 'move in right next door' process for general oversubscribed schools.

There is no way you can guarantee only 1 school move for each. However, if you choose to move into a selective area, then your Y6 child's 11+ entry must be your urgent priority.

We moved 3x on moving area - once, leaving most belongings in house to be sold, to secure school places. Once into larger rented when original house sold, but we had nowhere to buy. Finally into purchased house. The second rented house was a pain, which we would rather have avoided, but the 'just get into a house in the area to secure the school place' move was a godsend, as we had been offered a school pace (as it was a vacancy, and there was no-one on the waiting list, it could be offered to us wherever we lived) but we had to take it up very quickly.

Remember that if a school has a genuine vacancy and no waiting list, your location doesn't matter - if you can take the place up, it is yours. If, on the other hand, it has no current vacancy and a waiting list organised by distance from the school, then you need to move right next door, to get to the top of the queue, and appeal while also waiting for a vacancy to arise.

We got DS's place by the former tactic, then DD's by the latter (and by sibling link, which moved her 24 places up the waiting list the day DS started). It was stressful.

Remember that selective schools have no sibling link, whereas non-selective ones sometimes do (rarer at secondary but not uncommon).

Also investigate which way sibling links work - most only work down age groups, but some don't, so for example if your older child has to put up with an allocated school initially but your younger one can be allocated a place in your preferred school (with sibling link) in the normal application round for Y7, then as soon as your younger child starts at the school in Y7, it may boost the chances of your older child getting a place there at the start of Y9. However that is absolutely school-dependent, and you need to research.

Anyone can sit the Buckinghamshire 11 plus, but when you apply (assuming a pass!!), allocations are done on distance at the date of application. I'm sure it would be too late for sitting the 11 plus in September, applications for that closed in June, and the test is mid September, (I think). Besides which, he would need at least some preparation, surely, even if DIY?
I really feel for you, OP, it's hard to see how you can win in this situation.

Sounds like Bucks selective schools are out, then, as a realistic option for either child.

Much better, then, to move to an area where the issue is 'only' oversubscription, because even for the most oversubscribed large secondary, there will be some movement over the coming year or so, and by living right next to such a school you would be in the best position to nab any place that arises. Just be careful not to move into any obvious 'blacklist' properties - ie very tiny rented flats just opposite the school - as some LAs, very wise to those 'playing' the application game, will discount applications for such properties automatically.

So in your position I would:

• Identify secondary schools - non selective.
• Visit them at the start of term
• If one has a current vacancy, and you like it, take the place, then find a rented property - even if so small you have to camp therer during the week and return to your 'main' house at the weekend - to enable your child to start there almost immediately (when we were in that position, we literally dropped DS off for his first day from the removal van)
• If none has a current vacancy, then you will simply have to select one and rent a slightly more 'long haul' property, as you could be there for a whikle. Rent it, and move in asap. Put yourself on the waiting list of all preferred schools, accept whatever school you are offered in the meantime, prepare an appeal.
• Apply for the same school fr your other child for Y7. Accept a place in any primary you are offered, tbh.
• Once a waiting list or appeal place has arisen - or in the worst case scenario, once your younger child has a place in your preferred secondary - then look at a more permanent house purchase move. It doesn't have to be so close, at least once your younger child has started, so that gives you more flexibility and you can live a little way out of catchment.

By the way, should have said that for the 'none has a current vacancy' scenario, then you will have to move as close to the desired school as you possibly can. Waiting lists are held in oversubscription criteria order, and while you cannot influence your position relative to e.g. children with statements, or even siblings, you CAN get yourself as far up the list organised 'by distance' as you possibly can by selecting a property, however non-ideal in other ways, as close to the school as you can.

I would also strongly recommend renting. You are looking at a highly sought after price bracket with the property you want (less than £1 million). When properties do come up, particularly the nice ones, they often go the same day in my town. We rented after selling our London flat and with mortgage offer in place and no chain it made the whole process a lot less stress free.

It also means you put less pressure on yourself to find the perfect combination of school and house.

Also, some of the grammars do have sibling rule but they do have clauses like, sibling must be attending the school at the September the other sibling starts, and the family must live in catchment - to stop people getting one child in and then moving out of area (where the bigger, cheaper houses are......)

Remember that selective schools have no sibling link, whereas non-selective ones sometimes do (rarer at secondary but not uncommon).

Not true - all Bucks grammar schools give preference to siblings- they have to qualify but once qualified have preference.

All schools will have their admission policies on their website - it is important to read them.

Apologies for incorrect information on siblings. However, it isn't relevant to the OP, because her younger child is too late to apply for the 11+...

Her younger child isn't too late - too late for the initial round but Bucks do late sitting throughout the year. The OP is aware of this so it's very misleading to post things like this ^. The Bucks 11+ system is fundamentally different from any other in the country.

OP you can put Grammars on your CAF even if you are not qualified. Pop back to 11+ forums (Bucks) - Tge advice there is accurate