Advice about timing of moving into Amersham - complicated!

[Louey]

Also - we would only move into the area if my son with special needs got a place at the school in Berkhamsted and we probably won't know that for sure until next April(ish) and possibly later than that.

[Louey]

Guest55 - very good point. We are currently in an area which is going to be affected by HS2 (mainly the traffic as they are now tunnelling under us) so I know it is a very sore point.

[southbucks3]

Ok, I do understand. How about trying to get him into the specialist school sooner rather than later, if it's the one I know of, or is that not possible either?

Failing that I'm afraid doc challoners is out, although you could potentially put him on a waiting list after you have moved, the argument of not wishing to disturb your other son's primary education wouldn't really be strong enough for an appeal as we do have primary schools with specialist provisions and a two year move is not really short term, with care and good handling it could work, short term moves are often part of the education of sen children and they are often beneficial, although I understand your fears entirely. A complex decision, but berko itself is a lovely town and chesham.is a great school, so if your other son did pass and if your sen son did secure a place, it could all come together quite smoothly if you compromise on the amersham part.

Wild card:
Your bright son could try for a bursary or scholarship (depending on your available funds) at berko boys school, it has a fab reputation and does not solely take those who didn't pass the 11+ but also very academically bright kids who have parents just looking for something different.

[Louey]

Because he is doing fine where he is at the moment (although with a few issues over class size) there is no way that the local authority would agree to moving him to the school in Berkhamsted. It only becomes an issue at secondary level.

I don't know much about Berkhamsted Boys School (other than via a very quick look at their website) so it is useful to know that it has a good reputation. Sending my bright child there could be a possibility although we have too much income for a bursary so we would likely have to fund the lot. We have talked about him going to private school but it would be tight financially.

[anotherdad]

anotherdad - sorry I didn't mean to offend anyone! My experience of Chesham is a few years old now so perhaps I am being too hasty.

No offence taken. Like most towns, Chesham has had its ups and downs and isn't to everyone's tastes. I don't live there but I visit every now and then and parts of it are really nice. I quite like the high street because it's not an identikit street of the same old shops you find everywhere else, and it has a reasonable mix of shops and supermarkets you're after. Old Amersham is pretty but is limited to boutique shops and a Tesco, whereas Amersham on the Hill has a broader mix of shops but not the character of its posher other half.

As others have said, there is the train line beyond Berkhamsted but that line is very expensive to commute on compared to the Chiltern Line/Met line.

On the subject of HS2, my advice is not to worry beyond ensuring you aren't buying somewhere directly adjacent to the route. If you move to Bucks, pretty much everywhere will be affected by construction disruption. Chesham, Amersham, Missenden, The Chalfonts, Aylesbury and surrounding villages will all suffer the diversions, congestion and inconvenience of construction for years. As for the beautiful countryside being spoiled, residents don't seem to mind the Chiltern Line, the M40, the A41 and the Wendover and Missenden bypasses cutting through the countryside and would soon kick up a fuss if any of those were closed and returned to the countryside they crave, but that's a controversial view.

[Sally-Anne]

I'm a little late to the party, but this is my suggested solution:

Move to Berkhamsted. Good school for your SEN DS, nice cafes and shops for you, albeit a bit limited after a while, good transport to London ...

Name Chesham Grammar on your CAF. Your older DS will definitely get a place from Berko, provided he passes. (DCGS is totally out in your situation, as southbucks3 has said.)

Your fall-back school would then be Ashlyns (in Berko) which, despite some tricky times in recent years, is very much on the up and highly praised by many parents.

[Louey]

Sally-Anne - I am coming round to that suggestion

Don't suppose you know anything about primary schools in Berko? (For my youngest child who will be yr3 if/when we move)

[Sally-Anne]

I do, but I couldn't make any specific recommendations. You probably won't go wrong with any of them. Berko is a very middle-upper class town and poor OFSTED reports are almost unheard of.

[BucksBornNBred]

Guest55 - very good point. We are currently in an area which is going to be affected by HS2 (mainly the traffic as they are now tunnelling under us) so I know it is a very sore point.

Sorry for going off-topic - pm if you prefer - but they are already tunnelling? I can't find anything to say the work has started

[anotherdad]

Don't tell anyone, but David Essex is down there right now, addressing the concerns of us parents....

We'll build shops and hospitals and barracks right under their noses - right under their feet! Everything we need - banks, prisons and grammar schools... We'll send scouting parties to collect books and stuff, and men like you will teach the kids. Not poems and rubbish - science, so we can get everything working.