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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Looking to move to BUCKS

17 replies

Kasey17 · 12/04/2023 10:30

Hello, I would appreciate some advice and recommendations for where to move to in Bucks.
Our children are currently in Year 5 and Year 2 at a school in Essex. Unfortunately the state schools are not very good where we live and we cannot afford for both of our children to attend private schools.

I am aware of the grammar schools in Bucks, namely Chesham and Sir Henry Floyd as my son would like to attend a co- Ed school. Can I please have advice on the following:

I am under no illusion that I have left the Grammar school prep too late. My son is currently working at Greater Depth in maths and English so I think he may be in with a good chance to to go for the test. Only really issue is NVR for which he has no experience.

I would be happy for him to attend a good state school. Can I please some recommendations. Also, has anyone submitted a late application for a grammar school?

in terms if an area to live in Bucks, we would need to be near a tube station as hubby needs to travel to Liverpool Street twice a week. I can see that the Met line goes from Amersham and Chesham. Any feedback as to which is the more reliable/faster station?

Which is the better area if we are looking for a safe place which is fairly ethnically diverse. Also just a generally lovely area to go for bike rides and walks.

Both boys are very sporty so any recommendations with this is mind, school or area with great facilities would be much appreciated.

Many thanks in advance. 🙏

OP posts:
Morethanalittletired · 12/04/2023 11:08

Amersham is much better than Chesham for commuting, met line from Chesham is infrequent, slow and very unreliable.

Before doing anything, check the admissions info for the schools you are interested in, they have very strict timelines for moving to Bucks to stop people moving for grammar school places and reducing the number available to local children. You may also have to have cut ties with any previous property.

Also be aware that not everyone passes the eleven plus. There were quite a lot at my DC's school who I would have expected to this year but didn't (I suspect covid came into play here). The Amersham School is good but may not be better than those local to you (most people I know with children there are happy, and it is oversubscribed for Y7 entry in Sep 23). I'm not sure about schools elsewhere.

Finally, there may not be in year places at the same school for both of your DC.

But check the admissions info first, would be my advice.

nospoonleftbehind · 12/04/2023 11:24

Kasey17 · 12/04/2023 10:30

Hello, I would appreciate some advice and recommendations for where to move to in Bucks.
Our children are currently in Year 5 and Year 2 at a school in Essex. Unfortunately the state schools are not very good where we live and we cannot afford for both of our children to attend private schools.

I am aware of the grammar schools in Bucks, namely Chesham and Sir Henry Floyd as my son would like to attend a co- Ed school. Can I please have advice on the following:

I am under no illusion that I have left the Grammar school prep too late. My son is currently working at Greater Depth in maths and English so I think he may be in with a good chance to to go for the test. Only really issue is NVR for which he has no experience.

I would be happy for him to attend a good state school. Can I please some recommendations. Also, has anyone submitted a late application for a grammar school?

in terms if an area to live in Bucks, we would need to be near a tube station as hubby needs to travel to Liverpool Street twice a week. I can see that the Met line goes from Amersham and Chesham. Any feedback as to which is the more reliable/faster station?

Which is the better area if we are looking for a safe place which is fairly ethnically diverse. Also just a generally lovely area to go for bike rides and walks.

Both boys are very sporty so any recommendations with this is mind, school or area with great facilities would be much appreciated.

Many thanks in advance. 🙏

Hi - my son is at shfgs and is very happy. Outstanding gcse results and has a lovely group of friends. 6th form has been a little hit or miss. Aylesbury not beautiful would recommend looking at haddenham, wingrave, bierton. Aston Clinton. Lots of nice surrounding villages. If your son is bright you've left it late, but totally do able as long as you do some non VR work.
Anecdotally I do know those that were over tutored or in on appeal struggled so don't be inclined to do too much!

LIZS · 12/04/2023 11:25

Some grammars require you to live in catchment fur a minimum period before the application deadline in October. 11+ is September of year 6. Iirc there are no coed grammars in that area.

Original poster
Kasey17 · 13/04/2023 17:33

Thank you so much for your prompt responses. Lots to consider… will take all onboard.

OP posts:
MarchingFrogs · 14/04/2023 07:31

Certainly, most places have their 'least desirable' school(s) and Essex / Southend / Thurrock are no different. But if I were dependent on travelling to Liverpool Street on a regular basis and lived somewhere on the right side of the capital already, I'm not sure that my first thought would be to move to Buckinghamshire and start my working day trundling in from one of the furthest points on the Metropolitan Line. But chacun à son goût, as they say.

I don't know where you are in Essex, but with the possible (okay, probable) exception of Hylands, the non-selective schools in Chelmsford, for example, a sensible length of commute into Liverpool Street, are reasonable and the relevant priority admissions area for a given address,can be checked on the ECC website when househunting. There are also the two grammar schools in Chelmsford, which allocate the majority of places, albeit on score, within their 12.5 mile priority area.

Admittedly, Greater Anglia has its off days - but so does every commuter line, tfl included.

redrobin75 · 14/04/2023 07:42

OP, why don't you look at Cambridge instead and go for a normal comprehensive secondary? It's a lot of pressure to put on your ds to expect him to get into a grammar plus you would need to sell your house and move in the next few weeks, you can't rent in Bucks and own a house elsewhere for most school's admissions policy.
You should spend some time on elevenplusexams.co.uk in the Forum section to see the levels of prep expected for grammars (also how few there are in the U.K., none in East Anglia part from Essex).

BendingSpoons · 14/04/2023 20:06

Bucks has some of the strictest rules about how long you need to have been a resident for to be eligible. I really wouldn't rely on a late place. For that you need a place to become available and then score top. The chances of that happening are small, and it would be a big deal to relocate on that basis.

TizerorFizz · 14/04/2023 23:12

@Kasey17 Bucks says 1 grammar took a late entry child in 2022. None admitted in y9. It says pretty clearly that you are wasting your time and to think carefully about doing the exams in this scenario.

So if it must be co Ed you only have Chesham Grammar or SHF as a realistic choices. Look at their admissions criteria and data. You could live in Aston Clinton and try for SHF, but you have quite a journey to Liverpool Street from anywhere in SHF catchment. Tring into Euston would be quickest. From Chesham you can drive to Berkhamsted and be at Euston in 30 minutes.

If your Dc is average in maths, they probably won’t be good enough. So I would stay East of London but get into a better school area.

ittakes2 · 17/04/2023 20:22

We love Sir William Borlase grammar which is a co-ed in marlow and the local comp Great Marlow High School is well regarded to. Lovely village - although not sure about diversity. I am not in agreeance with late joiner - I know people who have joined grammar schools when moving villages mid year. You just need to be in the right catchment when the window for application is open or move villages and sit a separate test.

Vermin · 17/04/2023 20:26

Slough / Burnham grammars are co Ed and Elizabeth line goes straight to Liverpool Street. But Slough.

LudicrouslyCapaciousBag · 17/04/2023 20:32

Why wouldn’t you try for one of the Essex grammars? Commuting into Liverpool St is a nightmare from south Bucks.

TizerorFizz · 17/04/2023 20:44

The Bucks stats are clear for 2022. There are some schools that do their own admissions for mid year but they really admit hardly any. Whilst waiting, what do you do? Plus Marlow is a town. SWB has a very small catchment area. It’s a small school when compared to some others.

Slough isn’t Bucks.

Vermin · 17/04/2023 21:27

Lots of Bucks kids do Slough as well. Burnham is Bucks test but geographically more Berks so gets the Elizabeth line

ittakes2 · 17/04/2023 21:52

TizerorFizz · 17/04/2023 20:44

The Bucks stats are clear for 2022. There are some schools that do their own admissions for mid year but they really admit hardly any. Whilst waiting, what do you do? Plus Marlow is a town. SWB has a very small catchment area. It’s a small school when compared to some others.

Slough isn’t Bucks.

But her oldest in year 5....they will be sitting the grammar school exam in year 6 so I am very confused as to why they will be waiting. They also don't have to be in bucks to sit the exam - my daughters friend used to live in marlow but was living in Dubai at the time of the 11 plus exam and flew back to take it. My children sat both the berkshire and bucks grammar school exams - you don't need to live in berkshire either to sit the exam.
One of my twins got into borlase and the other into wycombe high - you'd be surprised how much movement in and out of the grammar schools there is - I was.

TizerorFizz · 17/04/2023 22:39

I’m not suggesting anyone waits! But it’s poor advice for anyone to think they can just rock up and get into a grammar. Lots have Bucks residence requirements. So few live in Dubai!

limoncello23 · 20/04/2023 13:34

Chesham Grammar School has a catchment area that covers both Amersham and Chesham. You are almost certain to get a place if you live within the catchment area by 1 September 2023 AND get a qualifying score in the Bucks 11+.

Chesham is more diverse than Amersham, and Amersham has better transport links and is more expensive.

If you cannot move by 1 September 2023, then you are unlikely to get a place in any Bucks grammar school on offer day.

As others have said, you cannot assume that your child will pass the 11+ and you should look carefully to see whether the Bucks upper school is better than what you would be allocated where you currently live. I personally wouldn't move to Bucks with a current Y5 child unless I absolutely had to.

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