Applying to Bucks Schools

[Scorch]

Hi,

I am very new to the workings of the 11 plus system so really learning as I go.

My priority is to get a handle on where to apply? My home address is in Harrow but there is the added
complication that I am currently abroad. He will sit the exam in 2019 for a 2020 place.

1. I can apply and travel back to UK to sit the test. I know this is not an issue with other consortiums as I personally
know people who have applied and sat the test. Not sure what Buckinghamshire's policy is on this.

2. I have two boys, there seems to be a lot of schools in Bucks to choose from, so I am looking for a steer on which schools to look at. My boys have only have been schooled abroad, in a private system.

I really don't understand the intricacies of this system and don't want to make a mess of my applications.

Typically where do people from Harrow apply to?

Thanks

[scary mum]

I'm sorry to tell you that your sons won't get a place from Harrow. In Bucks there is a qualifying standardised score of 121, and then the allocations are primarily on distance. Score (other than 121) does not come into it. If you look at the sticky at the top of this Buckinghamshire section you will see the allocation distances for the last few years.

I should also have said that anyone can apply to sit the tests, but you can't apply to the schools without a permanent UK address, is one you are actually living at & can prove it. But this is a moot point, your boys will not get a Bucks school from Harrow.

[anotherdad]

Hi and welcome. The simple answer is don't bother applying to Bucks schools unless you are prepared to move closer to Bucks. You will not get a place in a Bucks grammar school from Harrow and you'll be flying back to the UK for the test for nothing.

Have a look at the recent allocation distances. Rickmansworth is roughly as far out as Bucks grammar schools go nowadays.

[Amber]

Typically where do people from Harrow apply to?

Schools in Harrow.

I am sure if you look on the local authority website there will be a list of secondary schools for you to visit and decide upon.

[Scorch]

Hi,

We would definitely move to the area if my son got a place, as when we relocate I would rent in the area and then look to buy a property and this would be our main home.

I cant find the link right now but it listed Buckinghamshire on the Harrow website.

The harrow property is my official UK address and where I lived before moving abroad.

[anotherdad]

Your Harrow address will not get you a place in a Bucks school, not unless there is an incredible quirk in the results that's not been seen in recent years. It's as simple as that. You won't get a place to make it worthwhile moving. If the Harrow website (whatever website that is?) says you can get into Bucks schools from there, it's wrong.

What you can do is to make a permanent move to Bucks or nearby before the 31st October deadline, understanding that if your son doesn't qualify in the test, you would have to have an upper school or comprehensive option you would be happy with. It would have to be a proper move though. Temporarily renting whilst retaining your Harrow home would not be allowed and if it was investigated and deemed fraudulent, the place would be withdrawn.

In summary, you either commit to Bucks or not.

[3times]

A quick google search turned up this link:

http://www.harrow.gov.uk/info/100005/ed ... tions_2018" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

No wonder there are so many enquiries from Harrow...
I have sent a message to Harrow to suggest they update their information.

As a lurker on this site for several years, a huge thank you to all the people who provide such excellent advice.
It is incredibly frustrating as a Bucks parent to see so many people playing the system at the expense of our children.
People who do not live in Bucks do not seem to understand that Bucks children do not enjoy the "choice" that many of them do.
Thankfully mine are all through it now, and I can't begin to tell you how relieved I am to never have to do it again!

[Tinkers]

A quick google search turned up this link:

http://www.harrow.gov.uk/info/100005/ed ... tions_2018" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

No wonder there are so many enquiries from Harrow...
I have sent a message to Harrow to suggest they update their information.

As a lurker on this site for several years, a huge thank you to all the people who provide such excellent advice.
It is incredibly frustrating as a Bucks parent to see so many people playing the system at the expense of our children.
People who do not live in Bucks do not seem to understand that Bucks children do not enjoy the "choice" that many of them do.
Thankfully mine are all through it now, and I can't begin to tell you how relieved I am to never have to do it again!

That’s eye opening. They also list Kendrick School. Kendrick have had a catchment since the 2013 entry and no girl from outside catchment has got a place from that year onwards.

[mad?]

Goodness 3times that link explains a lot, how outrageous of them to be mismanaging expectations in this way. I had always assumed it was unscrupulous tutoring set ups, not the local authority themselves .

[anotherdad]

Well done 3times. And thanks for notifying them, it is misleading.

I entirely agree with your thoughts on 11+ tourism. I would add that there are families on the borders that are very welcome in the Bucks process. The county isn't a perfect circle with all the grammar schools at the centre so inevitably there are some in neighbouring counties who are actually closer to a Bucks grammar school than some Bucks residents, but the far-flung applicants who don't understand the process waste time, money and cause difficulty for genuine applicants.