Amersham School

[Tiptapcrab]

Does anyone have experience of this school? I am aware it is a good school and has much improved compared to how it was many years ago but am curious about what it is really like.

What are the pros and cons?

We are in catchment and DD is likely to go there.
Many thanks!

Bump :-)

One of my DDs went there. She left 6 years ago but most of the SLT hasn't changed since. What do you want to know, can you be a bit more specific?

@Tiptapcrab I know the area. You won’t find a better secondary in the area. Grammars are obviously different. Your only other possible options in Bucks aren’t as good, in my view. Plus you would not be in catchment for somewhere like The Misbourne which is also popular. Where else would you go if you don’t like it? Many would love to go there.

Thank you both so much for replying.

I would really like to hear from people who have direct experience of the school. Was your DC happy there? Did they thrive socially and academically? What did you love about the school? Did you have anything about the school you didn't like?

My DD is very into art and crafts, she loves creative writing, history and also enjoys sports. She has struggled socially at primary so I'm particularly keen that she go to a secondary school where there is a general sense of inclusivity and kindness - and where the school will nip any issues in the bud (having been a teenage girl myself many years ago I'm aware there are ALWAYS some friendship challenges during these years).

I know the area very well as I grew up here and obviously live here now but I don't have direct experience of the school. The head seemed impressive at the open day but it felt a bit limited in terms of the subject offering and I've heard mixed things about behaviour so was just curious to get any additional perspectives.

@TizerorFizz our alternative would be to go private if we didn't feel that this school would be the right fit. We have offers from local independent schools but would rather stay local and in the state sector.

@Tiptapcrab Therefore I suspect this is your only state choice! Where else would you get in? Chalfonts? Bigger and possibly more subjects? The Misbourne? You might get in but I haven’t looked at admissions data recently. Holmer Green or Chiltern Hills? Why would you?

So you know what the Amersham School offers. Every year is different so no one can tell you about the DC your DD will meet.She will meet more dc with opportunities for new friendships. It’s not got the widest curriculum because it’s a secondary and it’s not huge. However I know many parents do want dc to go there.

You cannot expect any state secondary to not see behaviour issues from a few dc. It’s how they deal with them that matters. Years ago these dc would have gone into special units. Now they are full to overflowing. This school is in a very desirable area but of course a few dc aren’t perfect.

I think your real decision is state or independent. You will probably have to make the best of the state school if you opt for it. If you want perfection, I’m not sure that’s available anywhere.

Thanks @TizerorFizz yes that’s it. We only applied to Amersham from a state perspective. No point applying for any others out of catchment anyway, especially when I believe Amersham is a good school.

I am keen to hear from parents who have direct, recent experience of the school so I can decide if it’s a good fit.

Obviously you can only do so much when choosing a secondary school - as you point out, no one has a crystal ball to know how my child would get on there.

But people should be able to give their experiences of the school and what they liked or didn’t like which helps give a good feeling of what it’s really like at any school.

may I ask where your DC went to school?

@Tiptapcrab They boarded. I worked in the Amersham area for years though - education. You did get a reply from @thing47 . Her info is pretty recent. You might struggle to get parents on here. The local coffee shop would be better. What do parents think at your school? You must know some. That’s how most people form
opinions on local schools. Most have a few things that parents are less keen on but overall I bet most are happy.

@Tiptapcrab having read your subsequent posts, I'm not sure how much direct help I can be as my DD is quite sociable and a scientist with no interest in arts & crafts or creative writing. She also has never had friendship issues. As you're probably aware, there is a large Polish community in Amersham and a smaller but well-established Filipino one. DD has close friends from both those communities.

HT and the SLT are impressive. As you may also know the school has changed in the past 12-13 years from being one which parents tried to avoid to one which is over-subscribed. A lot of that is down to the SLT, and they are quick to jump on any behavioural issues.

Academically speaking DD's cohort were one of the first to want to do 3 x academic subjects for A level and they had to make a few changes to accommodate this, which was a pain at the time, but I believe has now been addressed. All of DD's friends went to university and 3 of them (including DD) have Masters.

I know the John Colet well and DC have done 3 A levels there for over 20 years. They didn’t all go off to the grammars for 6th form. The Misbourne offered A levels in the 90s! Back then, Amersham was considered a good school back then . However Bucks schools can have a spiky profile and SLT is everything. When they stay and governors recruit well, it’s possible to maintain a good school that benefits the vast majority.

I specifically said 3 academic A levels. Of course A levels were on offer, as were BTecs and lots of good courses. They just weren't set up for DCs who wanted to do, say, Maths and Physics as two of their subjects. Irrelevant to OP though as this is no longer the case.

I’m surprised. Dc going to unis with three A levels for a long time at the other schools. Definitely Waddesdon too.

Actually I'm wrong, apologies. It's maths and science subjects that weren't catered for at A level at Amersham School until a few years ago. The structure as it then was would have been fine if you wanted to take English, MFLs or humanities A levels.

I think those are subjects fewer dc will take so too expensive to provide.