Good state schools in Herts & Bucks?

[Sootywood]

BG twins in outer South London primary. Thinking of downsizing and moving north of river for secondary, local options not quite right.

Both DH and I are tied to London for work (West end). Herts/Bucks are good for DH to drive or train to rest of UK work sites sometimes. I want to be walkable to a train station, keeping my commute to around 1h15min all in.

I want to research places with really good local state coed schools and ideally, more academic girls grammar option nearby. DD is arty and academic, would want a high bar for her. DS bright but not diligent; sporty but he doesn't put in much effort in sports either.

I can see purely from results (dept of education website) there are some good comps in St Albans, Harpenden, Bishop's Stortford and Broxbourne (bit further but just about tolerable). However I'm not from UK and would like a bit more colour to these schools/areas? Somehow I don't know anybody from that part in real life. I'm familiar with South London and surrounding schools from my friends, but i feel like if we stay put the only option I'm happy with is private, which may be an option but will be a stretch financially (I wanted to go part time in a few years, not ramp up) and not in line with my preference of going to a local school.

Tia.

I'm from St Albans originally and went to school there. Lots of good options but yes not massively diverse in terms of ethnicity, but they can be quite diverse in terms of socioeconomic status. The single sex schools in St Albans (Verulum for boys and STAGS for girls) tend to be more diverse than the mixed ones I think, as many Muslim families prefer a single sex option. Both of those are good, as are Beaumont and Sandringham. I'm from that end of town so not so aware of what the others in St Albans are like but they both were and are still really good schools. Harpenden schools also all have a good rep!

Amersham. Catchment for the Challoners grammar schools (one for boys, one for girls) and Chesham grammar. The secondary modern, Amersham School, is excellent if they don’t pass the 11+. Chiltern Lines train direct into Marylebone plus the Met Line. Some Bucks secondary moderns aren’t great so I would be very careful. Marlow is another option - Sir William Borlase grammar and Great Marlow secondary modern - but trains into London are a bit of a faff from there.

Harpenden and St Albans also have great state schools but catchment areas are tight. There are no grammars there though.

Berkhamsted has a great comprehensive school too, as does Tring (both mainline into Euston). Whilst technically out of catchment, many children go to Aylesbury Grammar, Aylesbury High and Chesham Grammar. There’s no guarantee of a place though as you are out of county.

I am from St Albans and my two kids are at Sandringham.
It is a really good town for a family, safe, pretty high street, markets, good schools , great country walks and lots of history.

If secondary school catchment is your priority then I would suggest living really close to the school as catchments are a nightmare. Fleetville or south part of Marshalswick are probably your best bets unless driving to station is an option for you. From the AL1/2/3 postcodes you can also apply for Parmiters School, which is a semi-selective (like all Herts grammars). There is virtually no chance of a child getting into Sandringham or Beaumont from southern part of the town, although they are perfectly nice otherwise.

I work in IT and commuted pre-pandemic. Trains used to be crowded in rush hours but regular and fast(18 mins on a fast train to St Pancras.). Season tickets are fairly expensive compared to London travelcards.

How old are your children now? One issue in Amersham will be Lack of primary school places. Bucks CC has details of where spaces are right now but the primaries in and around Amersham are usually full. You might end up with a place at a primary school that you don’t want. Private primaries might have spaces but state primaries are far more tricky.

Thanks all.

I'll definitely look into Beaumont and Sandringham and their catchment, I'm guessing Fleetville/northeast of station should be safe. Arent they relatively near to each other? St Albans looks pretty good for commute I thought it was 40 minutes train didn't see a fast service Harpenden has some similarities and we would not go further than a mile from station really.

Amersham, never thought about it. Actually looks very nice. Do you have to live in a certain catchment to try for Challoners grammar? Bit different to all the grammars here (sutton/kent etc) . I know someone who was in ayelsbury grammar (long time ago) will ask about it.

Not sure where to start!! Dc are 8 but I'd prefer not to leave it too late.

I'm not so concerned about primary places, private is also doable for a few years.

All the grammars have catchment areas in Bucks. Each school will have the admissions criteria on their web sites and Bucks CC has detailed 11 plus and school info on their web site. Chesham Grammar is perfectly decent too but co Ed. There is also Beaconsfield High (girls) if you live in that catchment. Sir William Borlases at Marlow (co Ed) has a tiny catchment so be careful if you like that area. There are several private primaries around Amersham and Chesham.

If DC are 8 and you want grammar and a tutor you do need to decide pretty quickly!

I live in Bishops Stortford. If you definitely want co-ed there are a couple of choices. The top one being Hockerill but you will need to live with 400m of the school to get a place. Aside from that there is a Catholic Co-ed and Birchwood (although I am not sure either are worth moving for). The town does have two great single sex schools if you are not wedded to co-ed.

Thanks @Hersetta427. I never came across Hockerhill strange, 400m is a mad for a secondary! How does it compare to Hertfordshire & Essex

Also st albans, is there any reason why people would choose Beaumont or Sandringham since they are both in same area?

I'm not wedded to co-ed no.
I don't think we will tutor aside from practice ourselves, but certainly they will sit for nearby grammar entrance where they can comfortably travel to themselves (especially DD might herself want to go for a girls grammar), so criteria is a very good local comp. Coed is for ease because sometimes single sex schools are not next to each other making the catchment/housing point tricky.

Both Hockerill and H & E are excellent. Outstanding results for both schools (DD is at H&E). Hockerill wouldn't have suited DD so we didn't even apply as Saturday school was a non starter due to her playing high level sport on that day.

In Bucks, if you are in catchment there is usually transport available that you apply for and pay for. The Bucks system is county wide so it’s easier to get a grammar place than where there are just a few super selectives. The vast majority tutor though.

Beaumont and Sandringham both operate on catchments which are fairly small. You'd be nearer to the station with the Beaumont catchment but it's still not terribly near if you commute regularly (in my opinion).

What's your budget OP - that will narrow things down.

You do need to be in catchment a while before the admissions deadline for Challoners Boys. I think the girls is also moving to the same. Check their individual admissions policies for the rules. All the stats are on the Bucks website as to last admitted distances etc. Individual school websites also have their catchment maps available.

Bucks 11+ Can be passed with proper exam prep at home if your children are naturally bright. You don’t NEED a tutor but most parents do. We didn’t and DD passed.

@3totheright4totheleft

Beaumont and Sandringham both operate on catchments which are fairly small. You'd be nearer to the station with the Beaumont catchment but it's still not terribly near if you commute regularly (in my opinion).

True, I'd also say that Samuel Ryder Academy is up and coming and I don't know one unhappy family there. It's a very nurturing school and if your dc is academic, they will make sure they are supported in the best possible way. They also have an amazing art department excellent sports facilities if any of this is a consideration.