11 Plus Exams Forum

Just a link for any interested parties. A new school is being put forward (by parents) for opening in 2013. The suggested location is the Winslow Centre in Winslow - which used to be a secondary school. The school will be a 'free school/academy' and classes sizes will be 20. The school will be non selective and it needs parents to sign up to it (even if they will send their children to grammar if they pass 11+).
The school is a response to the housing expansion North of County and thus difficulty in getting into Waddesdon. It is not a criticism of any other school just a further option for parents.
The focus will be on arts/ drama and sport but with the Ibacc subjects as expected, as well as excellence in all exams. High expectation is very much a given.
There is a website:
http://www.sirthomasfremantle.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
There are already enough children signed up to make this idea possible but a few more in the year 5 age group could seal the deal.
Thanks

Errm - this site is down a narrow road and the traffic around there is dreadful when anything is on there. Unless they can improve the access it's not viable imho.

Why would people expect to get Waddesdon allocated if they live in Winslow?

It's well outside catchment ...

The site is not yet decided this is a suggestion at present. It was a school before. The current secondary school available is Buckingham which has a great improving reputation but with all the additional housing will struggle to take all the pupils. Some parents wish their children to be in a smaller school.

Hi Friscol, and welcome!

I assume that you have access to a lot of management information, so this is mainly to provide context for other forum members.

These were the pupil numbers on roll at Upper Schools in the Aylesbury Vale area (which includes Winslow) as of January 2011:
There is a looming shortage of secondary school places in the AV area because of housing growth (or so BCC have said), and the allocation distance for Waddesdon is painfully small each year.

The Buckingham School was in special measures for a year or two, and I suspect that rumours die hard, even though the school was rated "Good" for its capacity for sustained improvement in July 2011. Meanwhile Waddesdon has been consistently rated as "Outstanding" for the last decade.

I can see why the initiative has come about, and I wish the parents concerned good luck with it - even if the lane is narrow! A walking crocodile from the nearest accessible parking area would seem to be the way forward in that situation.

Sally-Anne

Waddesdon is on the list of schools rated 'outstanding' that might lose that status because teaching was only 'good' ...

There is nowhere nearby to park and form a crocodile as the main A413 goes through a very congested High Street ... any lorry or bus going through causes delay.

Guest55 wrote:There is nowhere nearby to park and form a crocodile as the main A413 goes through a very congested High Street ... any lorry or bus going through causes delay.

Perhaps they should go for a very thin crocodile then!

Other options for access are in negotiation - there are other access points to the site.
The main consideration at this point is the concept of another school in North Bucks - a smaller secondary school.
The library would be kept open as would the adult learning .
Exciting.

[quote="Guest55"]Waddesdon is on the list of schools rated 'outstanding' that might lose that status because teaching was only 'good' ...

I like you a lot Guest 55.
No disrespect intended to Waddesdon, just the ever shifting OFSTED criteria.............etc................

Mrs Chubbs - if you are bored over half-term then trawl through the Ofsted reports and name the other schools also threatened with losing their 'outstanding' label.

Sorry - OP - off topic I know

Hmm......have a spare half hour tomorrow......
Promise to start a new thread with it.