Very new to Bucks

[yummum]

Hello all experienced parents.
I am very very very new to this. My eldest is in Yr 3 and little one in Reception
We are moving to Amersham by the end of this year and have both our children in lovely primary schools in harrow (state).
The main reason for our move is more chance of getting into grammar school
Please advise - on any good primary schools (state or independent) and also on extra tutions for the entrance tests, we will be trying for other schools like QE and HB etc.
How do I choose a suitable secondary school for a child?
Very confused...
Thank you in advance.

[loobylou]

I am sure you will get lots of responses from people who live locally but my advice would be to start visiting local schools for their open days. We started looking at open days at the end of year 3, start of year 4. Go to all the open days, even those of schools you aren't necessarily considering or have heard negative things about. Your last sentence is very apt - you are choosing a school suitable for your child. Until you go round them and get a feel for them you will have no idea which school will be right for them. In my opinion (and others may differ) if you look at OFSTED reports or websites from all the "good" schools, they all look very similar. Also the results are really quite similar - eg is there really a significant difference between 95% A*-C results and 92%?
But in my experience all the schools will have quite a different feel about them and you might well be able to imagine your dc in one or two of them far more easily than in one or two of the others. Also your dc might have an opinion about whether they prefer single sex/mixed schools or whether they prefer one over another. Some schools offer different languages or different sports - all of which might impact on your decision making.
Amersham is a lovely town but I haven't lived there for many years so I don't know about the primary schools. I cannot imagine the journey to QE or HBS being anything other than an unmitigated nightmare though so I would really consider why you would bother with applying for those if you are choosing to live in Amersham. I may be wrong but I would have thought Challoners and Chesham and the Wycombe/Beaconsfield schools would be easier to get places in (from Amersham) than QE/HBS?

[yummum]

thank you loobylou
I would move (yet again) if he go into HB or QE. As they are the best grammar schools in UK
I want to move to bucks because in Harrow everyone seems to be in a rat race for HB or Watford grammar, and I am getting overwhelmed. My smart children would get into a grammar school but I want to increase the chances of Chesham Grammar (purely because I prefer co-ed)
I might have to do the dreaded journey for a term or so in their old school till we like a school and we get the admissions sorted.
I would very much like them to go to outstanding state school - but dont know if we will get in year admission.
Fingers crossed.
Its very important for us that the school is suited to their needs... and not picked from a hat
Thank you again

[kittymum]

Your children are still very young so I really wouldn't rush into things. Take some time to decide what you really want is it co-ed or is it single sex. To move to get a mixed school and then to move back to go to single sex doesn't really make sense! If your ultimate goal is to send a ds to QE or dd to HBS I would stay where you are.

[yummum]

kittymum,
We are unable to find anything we like where we are.
The other reasons for our move is a quieter life relatively less stress about grammar school entrance tests as HBS and QE are way too competitive...
Atleast in Bucks you know there is a higher chance to get into a grammar school... especially when ppl say you have gotta be in catchment for 2yrs to be able to get into Bucks grammar school... which means we have to move sooner ...

[Sally-Anne]

Atleast in Bucks you know there is a higher chance to get into a grammar school... especially when ppl say you have gotta be in catchment for 2yrs to be able to get into Bucks grammar school... which means we have to move sooner ...

For Dr Challoners Boys School, you need to be resident from 1st April of the year preceding admission, i.e. 18 months ahead and around Easter of Y5.

For all other schools, the deadline is in early October, 11 months ahead of admission, the start of Y6.

Some "ppl" don't know what they're talking about, I'm afraid!

[yummum]

What tuition classes are good in Amersham for entrance exams for Dr. Challoners and Chesham Grammar? I know a lot about my current location (Hatch End) but nothing about Amersham. I spoke to Woodside school and they said for entrance test parents send kids to tuition's from Yr 4... DS will be Yr 4 next year... is there a waiting list for tuition too?

[Sally-Anne]

yummum, I have sent you a PM (Private Message). You can retrieve it at the top left of your screen.