Maidenhead

[goldenyearsmum]

What are the best areas to live to give our DD access to Borlase grammar AND High Wycombe grammar, while still leaving us with an option of a good secondary (co-ed or girls) is missed.
Currently living in Maidenhead with DD in one of the primaries here.



Check the last distances offered on the RBWM and Bucks schools allocation webpages. Newlands only went to 1.7 miles this year first round which then rules out really any overlap with the Borlase catchment to Maidenhead. Depends on the age of your daughter really as to whether worth moving or not, and for knowledge of whether likely to pass 11+ or not. Wycombe girls has a historically wider catchment and so normally overlaps with the Newlands last distance offered. Hope that helps.

This is a really hard one as Wycombe High is so variable.

Generally you have to be both in Borlase catchment and very close to it to get a place - they rarely go out of catchment. Whilst Borlase catchment extends into Maidenhead, it is still unlikely that you'd get Borlase from Maidenhead due to the very small distances offered as they are very oversubscribed.

However, Wycombe High is more likely to offer out of catchment than Borlase, historically. Having said that, the offers this year did not go out of catchment and a number of girls in Maidenhead in catchment who historically would likely to have been offered missed out this year. The previous year they went out 12 miles on distance (no sibling link so definitely pure distance) so well out of catchment. Similarly 2023 went out of catchment to about 12 miles (again no sibling link so pure distance), but 2024 was only 7 miles if i recall correctly.

This may get worse as they are introducing a change to their priority criteria to include under the 'sibling' heading sisters who have brothers attending John Hampden Grammar. This is new and therefore difficult to predict what impact this will have on offers going forward.

The best thing to do would be look at last distance offered for this year's entry of any schools you would be interested in and draw circles on a map, hoping there's an intersection somewhere you'd be prepared to live! It really is something of a lottery though...