11 Plus Exams Forum

After a year of reading a ton of stats and documentation and leaning towards independent or top comps, I am coming back once more to revisit grammar schools.
I was wondering what would be the realistic choices from Henley?

- Reading GS: I am guessing that would be maybe 1:15 commute each way? Train to reading then bus? Does that mean DS would miss out on after school activities? Toughest one to get in as based on rank.
- Sir William Borlase: on some years, if I am correct, OOC admissions can extend to Henley. Would only require the pass mark, then hope for sufficient distance in this cohort.
- Slough grammars: are they too far? Should I look into them? It did seem that some admit all candidates? I assume they would be easy to access by train then bus or walk?
- grammar schools in High Wycombe: thought they'd be too far, but it seems that on some years the radius can extend to Henley. Is that a viable option?

What are the pros and cos of each? Are there any other option?

As far as I know boys walk from the train station to Reading school.
There's some allocation data for the Bucks schools, but obviously past performance is no gaurrantee of what might happen in the future.

Isn't SWBGS the one another OOC poster was shocked to find had offered to just over 3 miles this year?

Indeed - in the Bucks section there is a thread on historic allocation. A couple of the GS had 'late' places appear in Year 7 because children could not cope with the commute.

Henley isn't a place I'd want to travel daily to Bucks from.

Henley to Slough would be an awful daily train journey: you'd have to change at Reading, the grammars are not near Slough stations and if you got a train to Langley you'd have to time it right as only every other London bound train stops at Langley (so every 30 mins). It's then a 15 min walk from the station to Langley Grammar, or 30 mins plus to Upton Grammar. Hershel Grammar is a 20-25 min walk from Slough station. And that's after the two trains to get from Henley....
I don't think that sounds at all practical/fair for a child of eleven. You'd be better off moving nearer the year beforehand, or into Bucks County directly on a transport route.
Or consider that the children may prefer a shorter commute and their own motivation in a decent non-grammar: Henley is hardly a Sink-Estate sort of area!!!

Personally if you're in Henley I'd go to Gillotts - it's a great school!

Henley to SWBGS is obviously an easy journey. Only catchment (and not all of it) has been offered this year. In my sons year (just finished year 8 ) there is someone from Henley. Others from Henley join in year 9 .

WHS and JHGS would be a pain to get to!

Thanks, it looks roughly as I suspected.

- Re Slough, I thought you can just change trains at Twyford, no need to go to Reading? Last time I checked it's 30-45 minutes journey, plus the walks. Looks like a similar train journey to RGS.
- Walk from station to RGS? Google says it's 25 minutes. On top of the train journey, that really does feel too much. Taking the bus instead of walking could halve that time (assuming no waiting time).

Regarding the local comp, let's just say that it is an option, but it does have its challenges and limitations.

RGS! That is a long walk up a steep hill - the bus would be just as bad owing to the HW traffic.

Have you actually visited these schools or tried the journey?

If you can get to Wycombe via train then there is the Park&Ride bus that goes to JHGS, but agree with Guest55 that traffic makes that a slow journey. I would say though, that the walk up Amersham Hill from the train station to RGS isn't too difficult - a lot of children do it (but then being a child in Wycombe you have to be used to climbing hills )

Guest55 wrote:RGS! That is a long walk up a steep hill - the bus would be just as bad owing to the HW traffic.

Have you actually visited these schools or tried the journey?

I think the OP is referring to Reading school when they say RGS. No hills involved.