1st March 2012 Allocation Profile

[heartmum]

... A friend of ours is thinking about applying to AHS next year. Mother is having second thoughts. They live in Dunstable and believe that AHS is the strongest academically within Bucks. In the last 2 years AHS has had "all offered" status. What is the reason for this? Is the school not as popular as before? Are children choosing other Bucks schools ahead of AHS? Are there any drawbacks of AHS that people OOC are not aware of?
There may not be a simple answer to the questions but she was wondering if there was a specific reason.

Not sure of reason, my DD goes to AHS and loves it I do know of parents who chose not to go there, concerned with it being an all girls environment and that their DD would be pushed too hard academically. Yes their results are exellent and the school does encourage the girls to strive to do their best, but it is done within a warm/friendy environment. Those parents chose the mixed grammar, SHF, instead.

Personally, I couldn't ask for a better school for my DD

... Perhaps there is a time bomb ticking at Primary level ...

I hope this is not the case .... I have two more DCs to get through all this yet!

[anxiousp]

Thank u Sally-Anne and Scary mum.....i think i am going to just take a breather now....and let things be....will check and call tomrw....thank u for ur encouragement

[Rob Clark]

Amersham School profile movements still hard to predict over the next few months. It's a very similar mileage to 2009 when, by September, all places had been offered. And yet in 2010 a slightly wider initial allocation zone seemed to change relatively little

Amersham has improved so much in recent years that we see much less of people trying desperately to get their DCs into Herts comps instead, or reassessing whether they can afford private. 7 or 8 years ago Amersham parents would put their DCs on a train to Great Missenden if they possibly could to avoid Amersham School, but that is no longer necessary.

Good to hear that the Misbourne is gradually getting back on track though, Sally-Anne

[Lillie]

We are in Bucks but we applied to Lord Williams Thame which we did not get. A bit disappointing as in previous years most children have got a place there from our area. I know we can go on a waiting list but just wondered if you have access to data for the allocations profile for the upper schools in Bucks? I am also thinking of changing my preference order but little point in doing that if the schools are full. Thanks.

[Cargogirl]

The alloction profile for Upper Schools is on the same link and document as the grammar schools on the Bucks CC website, but here is the info you want:

UPPER SCHOOLS - ALLOCATION PROFILE
Amersham School- All applicants offered under rule 2 (catchment), rule 4 (siblings) and some allocated under rule 6 (distance) to 3.647 miles.

The Aylesbury Vale Academy- All applicants offered.

The Beaconsfield School- All applicants offered under rule 2 (catchment), rule 4 (siblings) and some allocated under rule 6 (distance) to 4.017 miles.

The Buckingham School -All applicants offered.

Burnham Upper School -All applicants offered.

The Chalfonts Community College - All applicants offered under rule b (catchment), rule c (siblings) and some allocated under rule d (distance) to 6.763 miles.

The Chiltern Hills Academy -All applicants offered.

The Cottesloe School -All applicants offered.

Cressex Community School- All applicants offered.

The Grange School - All timely applicants offered.

Great Marlow School - Some applicants offered under rule 2 (catchment) to a distance of 8.862 miles.

The Highcrest Academy - All applicants offered under rule 2 {4} (catchment siblings) and some allocated under rule 2 (catchment) to 1.111miles.

Holmer Green Senior School - All applicants offered under rule 2 {4} (catchment siblings) and some allocated under rule 2 (catchment) to 3.316 miles.

John Colet School- All applicants offered under rule 2 (catchment), rule 4 (siblings) and some allocated under rule 6 (distance) to 4.890 miles.

The Mandeville School Specialist Sports College- All timely applicants offered & some late applicants under rule 2 (catchment) to .547 miles.

The Misbourne- All applicants offered.

Princes Risborough School -All applicants offered under rule 2 (catchment), rule 4 (siblings) and some allocated under rule 6 (distance) to 7.761 miles.

Sir William Ramsay School - All applicants offered under rule 2 (siblings), rule 3 (catchment) and some allocated under rule 4 (distance) ton 1.520 miles.

St Augustine & St Bernard's Catholic Schoo-All applicants offered under rules 1 - 9 and some allocated under rule 10c (children whose homes are the shortest distance from the school) to a distance of 1.653 miles.

Waddesdon CE School - All applicants offered under rule 2 (catchment area), rule 3 (strong commitment to the Church of England), rule 4 (siblings) and some allocated under rule 5 (strong commitment to other churches) to a distance of 4.215 miles.

The Wye Valley School- All applicants offered.

Hope that helps and contains some positive information for you.

[roo007]

Congrats to all those who got what they wanted today.

We are OoC and were not offered our first preference AGS but were lucky enough to be offered our second preference SHF.

We still want AGS if possible but should we contact BCC to accept SHF and ask to go on the waiting list for AGS and/or appeal for it?

Am encouraged by Sally-Annes post that AGS may go ''all offered at end of process.Not clear why there would be much movement from now till Septermber.Is it just children moving out of the area to free up places?

Also what is SHF like?Would welcome any feedback on anyone with experience of it.Thanks.

[Sally-Anne]

We still want AGS if possible but should we contact BCC to accept SHF and ask to go on the waiting list for AGS and/or appeal for it?

Yes, most definitely. Accept the SHF place, go on the waiting list for AGS and fill out the appeal form.

Over-subscription/transfer appeals are often heard quite late in the summer term, partly to allow the whole system to shake down via new rounds of allcoations first.

Am encouraged by Sally-Annes post that AGS may go ''all offered at end of process.Not clear why there would be much movement from now till Septermber.Is it just children moving out of the area to free up places?

No, it would mostly be people accepting private school places instead, or deciding to accept other schools in Beds, Herts or Oxon. All schools on the county's boundaries are prone to that sort of movement after 1st March.

[anotherdad]

Also what is SHF like?Would welcome any feedback on anyone with experience of it.Thanks.

Why did you put it on the form as a preference if you don't know much about the school?

[Sally-Anne]

Also what is SHF like?Would welcome any feedback on anyone with experience of it.Thanks.

Why did you put it on the form as a preference if you don't know much about the school?

Simply, when faced with a second preference allocation against a first preference, it is time to review and think again.

This scenario is very common at this time of year.

[anotherdad]

Also what is SHF like?Would welcome any feedback on anyone with experience of it.Thanks.

Why did you put it on the form as a preference if you don't know much about the school?

Simply, when faced with a second preference allocation against a first preference, it is time to review and think again.

This scenario is very common at this time of year.

I suppose many will put a tactical second preference thinking it better to have a place and appeal for transfer than not. Personally, I wouldn't list any school I hadn't visited and researched thoroughly.