Moving into catchment of Dr.Challoners Boys after 1st April.

Eleven Plus (11+) in Buckinghamshire (Bucks)

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Blue_Marigold
Posts: 359
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2016 4:49 pm

Re: Moving into catchment of Dr.Challoners Boys after 1st Ap

Post by Blue_Marigold »

Assuming he passes but you have just missed the DCGS deadline for moving, are there other grammar schools which don’t have such a tight moving deadline? What about Chesham Grammar?
Sally-Anne
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Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: Moving into catchment of Dr.Challoners Boys after 1st Ap

Post by Sally-Anne »

As others have said, this is a very high risk strategy indeed. There might be a place in the second round, there might not. No one can tell you what will happen, but the pressure on boys places at grammar schools in South Bucks was immense this year, and next year looks as though it is going to be worse.
Suri123 wrote:We currently live in Wembley and my son is in yr5 in an outstanding school (has both primary and secondary ).We are planning move to Bucks this month.
I hope this doesn't sound stalkerish, but by a process of elimination, I think I know which school your son currently attends and which secondary school would be your option in Wembley. It is rated "Good" by OFSTED, and the measures for required for improvement are relatively small. I'm really not sure that the upheaval and risk of the move to Bucks is justified in the light of that.
local comprehensive s in Bucks which also seem to be good.
As has been pointed out, there are no comprehensive schools in Bucks. The alternative school to DCGS is The Amersham school. Although it is also rated "Good" by OFSTED, please be aware that the context is different. The top third of Bucks children are creamed off by the grammar schools, and "good" for an Upper School, taking the remaining two-thirds of children, will not necessarily compare with an all-ability comprehensive.

Are you also aware of this line in the DCGS Admissions Policy?:
b)If a parent of the applicant student still owns a property within 20 miles of the school which has been the main family home, a property closer to the school will not be accepted as the basis for a legitimate residence qualification even if the former property is leased to a third party. For the purposes of this policy a parent of an applicant is defined as a parent with whom the applicant student resides for at least two nights of the school week (Sunday to Thursday inclusive)
You mention that a fallback option would be to move back to Wembley. If you still owned a house there after moving to Bucks, you would almost certainly contravene the above rule.

I also have to say that it will be very hard on your son to have to commute for at least 40 minutes each way to his current primary school for the next 18 months.
Suri123
Posts: 11
Joined: Wed May 02, 2018 9:06 am

Re: Moving into catchment of Dr.Challoners Boys after 1st Ap

Post by Suri123 »

We rent a house in Wembley and also we have a new addition to the family.Hence we planned to move to Bucks for better housing as well as schooling. DS has been preparing well for 11 plus and is not quite happy with the current school.Also husband works in London and living near Metropolitan line would be helpful.We visited DcHS as well as RGS.The chances are we can move by June 1st and apply for a primary school place in bucks?In the event of Ds passing 11 plus,can we put DCHS as 1st preferred school in CAF and Royal Grammar as second.As Royal Grammar has wide catchment are there chance s of getting a place in it by living in catchment of DCHS.I mentioned moving back to Wembley only as a last option if nothing works out but both husband and DS are not interested in moving back.Any help on this is much appreciated. Thanks l
Sally-Anne
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Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: Moving into catchment of Dr.Challoners Boys after 1st Ap

Post by Sally-Anne »

Suri123 wrote:can we put DCHS as 1st preferred school in CAF and Royal Grammar as second.As Royal Grammar has wide catchment are there chance s of getting a place in it by living in catchment of DCHS.
The boys' school is DCG(Grammar)S, the girls' school is DCH(High)S.

This year both RGS and DCGS were oversubscribed within their catchment areas, and that is very likely to be repeated next year. You can't have your cake and eat it on that one, I'm afraid. In any case, the journey from Amersham to High Wycombe is almost an hour by public bus.

The alternative school to DCGS has already been mentioned: Chesham Grammar School.
anotherdad
Posts: 1763
Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2011 5:33 pm

Re: Moving into catchment of Dr.Challoners Boys after 1st Ap

Post by anotherdad »

Suri123 wrote:We rent a house in Wembley and also we have a new addition to the family.Hence we planned to move to Bucks for better housing as well as schooling. DS has been preparing well for 11 plus and is not quite happy with the current school.Also husband works in London and living near Metropolitan line would be helpful.We visited DcHS as well as RGS.The chances are we can move by June 1st and apply for a primary school place in bucks?In the event of Ds passing 11 plus,can we put DCHS as 1st preferred school in CAF and Royal Grammar as second.As Royal Grammar has wide catchment are there chance s of getting a place in it by living in catchment of DCHS.I mentioned moving back to Wembley only as a last option if nothing works out but both husband and DS are not interested in moving back.Any help on this is much appreciated. Thanks l
I'm not sure what more help we can give you because we can't guarantee anything or even reassure you that your strategy is likely to succeed. In fact, the opposite is true because the odds are against you. What I can advise is the following:

Don't confuse DCHS with DCGS. DCHS is the girls' school, DCGS is the boys' school and they are in different towns. I assume you visited the correct one or perhaps you were surprised at the number of girls about the place?

It seems to me you want the best of both worlds: the option of a grammar school but the back up of staying put. Put simply, given where you currently live you have to commit one way or another. The residency requirements are there precisely to discourage tactical moves. You appear to have reasons for wanting to move to Bucks so do so if you wish but don't be surprised if your timing causes problems and you don't get what you want when it comes to schooling.

Don't fall into the trap of "it has to be a grammar school" which if I'm honest, is the sentiment I'm inferring from your posts. For a lot of Bucks parents, the alternative schools are variable in quality so I can see the desire to try and attain a grammar school place but if you have a good comprehensive option at home, a grammar school isn't going to be streets ahead.

Cross-posted with Sally-Anne.
Suri123
Posts: 11
Joined: Wed May 02, 2018 9:06 am

Re: Moving into catchment of Dr.Challoners Boys after 1st Ap

Post by Suri123 »

Thanks a lot for the help.Will think again about moving.
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