All Buckinghamshire Secondary schools Ofsted ratings

[Guest55]

I have posted this because of discussion re 'new' Grammars. I will attempt to keep it up-to-date.

It is very difficult to compare any rating pre September 2012 with those now as the criteria for 'Outstanding' is far more rigorous.

* Indicates schools inspected since September 2012
Grammars
Aylesbury High (June 2012) Outstanding
Aylesbury Grammar (2009) Outstanding
Beaconsfield High (2007) Outstanding
*Burnham Grammar (Nov 2013) Good
*Chesham Grammar (2014) Outstanding
Dr Challoner’s Grammar (2007) Outstanding
Dr Challoner’s High (May 2012) Outstanding
John Hampden GS (2008) Outstanding
Royal Grammar (2008) Outstanding
Royal Latin (2009) Outstanding
*Sir Henry Floyd GS (2016) Outstanding
Sir William Borlase’s (June 2012) Outstanding
Wycombe High (June 2012) Outstanding

Uppers
*Amersham School (2016) Good
*Aylesbury Vale Academy (2014) Requires Improvement
update Jan 2017 by moderator
* Aylesbury Vale Academy (Nov 2016) Inadequate - serious weaknesses

*Beaconsfield (2014) Requires improvement
update Jan 2017 by moderator
* Beaconsfield Upper (Nov 2016) Requires Improvement

*Buckingham School (2016) Good
Bourne End Academy (not yet inspected – was Wye Valley)
updated Jan 2017 by moderator
* Bourne End Academy (Nov 2016) Requires Improvement

*Burnham EACT (2016) Special Measures
*Chalfont Community College (2013) Good
*Chiltern Hills Academy (2013) Good
*Cottesloe School (2016) Good
*Cressex (2014) Good
*Grange (2015) Requires Improvement
*Great Marlow (2013) Good
*Holmer Green Senior (2106) Good
*John Colet (2016) Good
*Mandeville (2015) Requires Improvement
*Misbourne (2013) Good
*Princes Risborough (2015) Requires Improvement
*St Michael’s Catholic (2013) Good
*Sir William Ramsay (2016) Requires Improvement
Waddesdon (2006) Outstanding




‘All ability’ [entry by banding test]
*Highcrest Academy (2016) Good

Free
*Khalsa Secondary Academy (2015) Requires Improvement
*Sir Thomas Fremantle (2015) Good

[Guest55]

I cannot, at present, edit the above so I am posting updates:

Aylesbury Vale Academy: Inadequate - serious weaknesses (Nov 2016)
Beaconsfield Upper: Requires Improvement (Nov 2016)

[anotherdad]

It's not good reading for Aylesbury Vale, where around 80% of children will move to an upper school in year seven.

No doubt Bucks County Council will continue to trumpet the high standard of education experienced by Bucks children, conveniently overlooking the fact that a large number of the excellent results achieved in the grammar schools are achieved by children not living in Bucks and that hundreds, in fact, thousands of children are attending schools which Ofsted consider to be less than Good.

If BCC consider selective education to be the right approach for Buckinghamshire, that's their prerogative. I just wish they'd be honest about the experiences of thousands of children rather than hiding behind misleading averages and macro data propped up by the excellent results at the grammar schools. Closing their eyes, putting their fingers in their ears and going "la la la" isn't doing anything to help the schools that need it and the children and families that are condemned to a poor experience if they cannot afford to move or coach their child to qualify for a grammar school.

[Aethel]

Does anyone genuinely think that the Ofsted is the be-all and end-all, though?

I've heard folk be quite sniffy about Burnham Grammar "because it doesn't have an Outstanding Ofsted rating" when in fact we were very impressed looking round, and have spoken to parents we know with children there who rate it very highly as a well rounded, interesting school that really challenges its pupils while being supportive.

Likewise, Chalfont CC has a good reputation locally (though admittedly it is huge).

I wonder how all those grammars (and other schools) that have not been inspected for years are really.... given the amount of time schools are having to spend to satisfy Ofsted requiremenet, isn't it an unfair advantage for the Ofsted-SUPER! Schools who are left in peace to actually concentrate on.... well, education?.....

[Amber]

OFSTED does what a government wants it to do and the framework changes with almost every change of government. Some of the criteria are not necessarily reflective of what a parent wants to see in a school or, for that matter, what a child needs from a school.

One sad aspect of this kind of data is that it will provide grist to the mill of people like Nick Gibb and our illustrious leader herself, who are calling for more grammar schools. Instead in my view it should be seen as an indictment of the selective system which, as anotherdad says, casts more children off than it gives a leg-up to. It appears that Buckinghamshire as a county is letting down a huge majority of its children and offering unequal opportunities to them. Oh wait, isn't that what selective education is meant to do?

[Guest55]

Aethel - that was really my point in distinguishing the 'old' outstanding which is SO different from the current definition.

In my view Burnham is as good as the other local GS options ...

Anotherdad - I also agree - I know Mandeville is improving fast and The Grange had one year of weaker results but the difference in education is really stark in Aylesbury at the moment. Perhaps Bucks CC hasn't noticed what is happening 'down the road' from County Hall?

[anotherdad]

Yes, the current selection system doesn't offer an equal opportunity for all. Qualification and places at grammar schools can effectively be purchased through coaching and if required, by moving house. It's more about social nobility than social mobility.

I don't expect the selection process to become entirely fair overnight, and I acknowledge some of the tweaks the grammar schools have implemented since they rolled out the new system to try and address what were obvious early deficiencies. What I do expect is for the county council and local leaders and politicians to stop trotting out the same old nonsense about the excellent education on offer in Bucks, to acknowledge that as well as some excellent education there is some really poor provision and that hundreds of local children are not getting the experience they need. Only then might the schools and their governing bodies be pressed to do something about it. What we seem to have is implied acceptance of the current situation from hiding behind the big picture, which is flawed.

[BlueBerry]

Yes, the current selection system doesn't offer an equal opportunity for all. Qualification and places at grammar schools can effectively be purchased through coaching and if required, by moving house. It's more about social nobility than social mobility.

I tend to agree with you. But some of the house moves may be genuine.

And as for coaching, this may be required for a child who doesn't attend a Bucks school but lives in the catchment area. I've heard that a couple of the primary schools have been using the CGP books & tests in class. For a child like mine who's not in the Bucks school system, surely these children are given an unfair advantage?

[Guest55]

State schools in Bucks aren't allowed to prepare for the Transfer Test.

Most of the published CGP books are not focused on 11+ prep; it does not mean they are using 'banned' material.

[Booklady]

Bucks should, IMHO, take a learning opportunity from Maidenhead. Mostly good or excellent comps - both single sex and mixed. Brighter cohorts within the schools doing at least as well as the grammars - but also supporting children of lower ability in achieving the best they can too.
We have one DD at BHS, and one at Newlands - IMHO much of the teaching is better at the comp (or that's how it seems), because they cannot rely on everyone being bright.
I really hope Theresa May does not succeed in bringing selective education in everywhere - so many children are already being completely failed by the selective system.