Beaconsfield Allocations

[Guest55]

Yes WHS did allocate as far as Reading and then had quite a few students leave within a few weeks - it had to advertise to get additional students in.

Long journeys are not good for anyone - students are tired before they get to school and then they can't concentrate. They get home late, eat, do their homework and then have to go to bed - that is not a life.

I am talking from my experience as a teacher - these students can't stay after school so won't be in teams, orchestras, plays or any of the things to enrich their learning. Parents tend to say they can't attend Parents Evening, concerts, schools events ... so they are never part of the community. It's very sad and students miss out so much.

[anotherdad]

Hi AnotherParent, I will comment because I hope that in doing so, other people as well as the original poster benefit from advice. You asked if BHS allocated on marks when a quick check of its admissions policy would tell you that it doesn't once a child is qualified. Yes, it's true that WHS has sometimes gone out some distance for allocations, but that wasn't your question when you started the thread. You asked specifically about BHS and your chances of securing a place there.

No one can know if there will be a change this year because we don't yet know the qualification rates for the various districts or how popular the various schools are. WHS might go out to Reading this year, it might not.

[Tinkers]

I doubt anyone gets into a Bucks school from Reading any more, but check the allocations to confirm for yourself. There used to be the odd one or two from my DDs primary that got into Burnham quite a few years ago, but not in recent years.


As already said, once qualified, score counts for nothing, it is all about the distance.

Sorry to quote you Tinkers but I just wanted to say it’s not just distance- it’s catchment and then distance.

I know it sounds like I’m splitting hairs but it does make a difference.



On a separate note are people really still asking if score makes a difference to Bucks allocations?!? Why sit a test without finding out the rules?

Corrected. It was written in haste, and of course Reading won’t be in catchment, so for the OP it is just distance.

[Tinkers]

Anotherparent, do you live in Earley?

If so you have some excellent schools on your doorstep. You really do not need to subject your child to an excessive journey.

Any perceived benefit you think you are going to get from a GS is going to be completely overshadowed by the impact of the journey.
That time spent travelling could be time spent on homework, doing other activities, academic or otherwise. Having local friends is important too.

How will your child cope with group homework tasks? What about after school booster sessions offered. School concerts, careers evenings etc. How will you manage parents evenings.

[loopylala]

Thanks for your Suggestions and also note that we have done such efforts and the more you see the more you confused.

The admissions criteria for Beaconsfield High School are given here:

http://www.beaconsfieldhigh.bucks.sch.u ... 017_v3.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I advise you look at the "Over-subscription" section. I don't see how anyone could find the contents of this school admissions document confusing TBH. It seems quite clear to me.

For distance cut off I would suggest you look here:

https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum ... 12&t=50694" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Regarding what you have read on the Council website, the main point you need to note is:

Step 3 - We put your child on the list for the schools on your application, in admission rules order.

The admission rules order (admissions criteria) can be found on each of the school websites. Please note that the admissions rules may vary from school to school so you will need to look at the admissions criteria for each school you are interested in.

[ToadMum]

Thanks for your Suggestions and also note that we have done such efforts and the more you see the more you confused.

The admissions criteria for Beaconsfield High School are given here:

http://www.beaconsfieldhigh.bucks.sch.u ... 017_v3.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I advise you look at the "Over-subscription" section. I don't see how anyone could find the contents of this school admissions document confusing TBH. It seems quite clear to me.

For distance cut off I would suggest you look here:

https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum ... 12&t=50694" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Regarding what you have read on the Council website, the main point you need to note is:

Step 3 - We put your child on the list for the schools on your application, in admission rules order.

The admission rules order (admissions criteria) can be found on each of the school websites. Please note that the admissions rules may vary from school to school so you will need to look at the admissions criteria for each school you are interested in.

In a nutshell, the law says that anyone must be allowed to express a preference for any school, anywhere (to quote someone else on the forum recently, you could express a preference for three schools for DC of the opposite gender and a comp 200 miles away, the system will still treat your idiocy as if you had applied for KECHG for a girl with score of 280 in the Birmingham exam, with the catchment comp twenty metres from your door as backup). What it also says, is that all applications must be considered and only considered against the relevant school's published admissions criteria. So if a school admits solely on 1) LAC then 2) Proximity and your DC is not in case and you live 60 miles away, your chance of a space is minimal.

[streathammum]

I suppose it's possible that parents read what anotherparent posted and, if they don't recognise the bit about 'admission rules order', they might not realise the importance of each individual school's rules.

Anotherparent, you can apply to any school you like. Most schools have a catch-all criteria at the bottom of their rules - "any other child" or "out of catchment children" - but not all schools get down this far in their admissions process. A bit like how a Catholic school might say it prioritises Catholic children, then other Christian children, then children of other faiths, then children of no faith, but in reality it has so many Catholic applicants that it never takes any non-Catholic children.

Bucks grammars are like this. Their admissions criteria allow for all children to apply, but many won't make offers to children who aren't in their catchment because they fill their places with children who are in catchment.

[11plusparents]

Yes WHS did allocate as far as Reading and then had quite a few students leave within a few weeks - it had to advertise to get additional students in.

Long journeys are not good for anyone - students are tired before they get to school and then they can't concentrate. They get home late, eat, do their homework and then have to go to bed - that is not a life.

I am talking from my experience as a teacher - these students can't stay after school so won't be in teams, orchestras, plays or any of the things to enrich their learning. Parents tend to say they can't attend Parents Evening, concerts, schools events ... so they are never part of the community. It's very sad and students miss out so much.

Ideal distance would be less than 5 miles or 30 minutes of journey time for home to school. But the average journey time for 40% of children is atleast 45 minutes.

[Guest55]

... But the average journey time for 40% of children is atleast 45 minutes.

Evidence please?

The journey being contemplated is far longer than that anyway ...

[anotherdad]

Ideal distance would be less than 5 miles or 30 minutes of journey time for home to school. But the average journey time for 40% of children is at least 45 minutes.

That's quite a specific statistic. Does it come from a travel survey or is it your own judgement?