What Areas in SW Hertfordshire To Live For Selective Schs?

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BucksorHert?
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Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2022 12:49 am

What Areas in SW Hertfordshire To Live For Selective Schs?

Post by BucksorHert? »

So we got married a couple of years ago and have been house hunting for almost a year.
We've decided we don't wish to move after this move as we've gotten married a little later in life.

We've decided on SW Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, (Maidenhead) Berkshire and wish for selective or semi selective schools. I need help to narrow down our search area. What area will you search if you were in our shoes? We're just starting our family so our DC have not arrived yet. Dame Alice Owens seems most popular even if semi-selective. Is it the best performing in SW Herts? It's also Co-Ed so that narrows it down to just one school although it appears single sex schools achieve better.

I'm still trying to understand the catchment admission criteria and estimate the percentage based on catchment and whether they also most qualify by attaining a certain score. It seems Potter Bar is the place to house hunt but perhaps the catchment extends elsewhere? Thoughts please?

Dr Challoner's Boys and Girls also seems a good one albeit in Amersham which is a much slower train into London but I guess it will have to do if there's no other area for both a boys and girls selective Grammar. I've not heard much about Parmiter's but it's a mixed school in Watford and appears to have only 25% selective.

I'm sorry if this isn't the regular type of post on here but we need to move this year and prefer to get it right as far as we can now and not 10yrs down the line even if Labour abolishes all selection. I hear of frustrations of friends moving house after having moved not so many years ago because they didn't know the entry and catchment requirements, DC with very high grades but out of catchment etc. However, this is Kent and Essex mostly. Many in Hertfordshire didn't even now about selective schools and some had to live poor to send their children to private school. Two people I know warn against non-selective cos in their experience they diminished their DC's motivation. In any case Non-selective isn't for us. I went to a highly selective school in my home country and my husband also got an offer at a 100% selective school in England but got full scholarship to a selective private school and moved there.

Only in the past month has it dawned on me that this is very important in house selection and at the right time a friend sent me this forum. Thank you in advance.

I'll be more grateful for your gentle but firm guidance. If you were starting afresh where would you move to for excellent schools? Thanks.
mitasol
Posts: 2756
Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:59 am

Re: What Areas in SW Hertfordshire To Live For Selective Sch

Post by mitasol »

There is an overview of the regions here and links to the various schools. You really need to look at the Admissions policy documents to see how each school allocates places.

SW Herts
https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/schoo ... re-11-plus" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Berks
https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/schoo ... re-11-plus" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Bucks
https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/schoo ... re-11-plus" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Catchment areas are used to prioritise within the admissions policy. So selective schools use catchments to prioritise those who passed the test within an area over those who passed the test out of the catchment area. In Bucks around 80% of places go to Bucks residents and a high proportion of non Bucks allocations are from catchment area. See allocation profile https://www.thebucksgrammarschools.org/ ... 38e10b.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Daogroupie
Posts: 11099
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Location: Herts

Re: What Areas in SW Hertfordshire To Live For Selective Sch

Post by Daogroupie »

The DAO catchment is large. It includes the entire borough of Islington, great swathes of Enfield and Barnet and Herts down the railway line from Potters Bar to Welwyn Garden City. There are maps on the website you can print out.

There are 65 exam places and 22 distance places for those closest to the school. There are over one thousand applicants for the 65 exam places.

Buckinghamshire would offer you a much higher probability of success as there are many grammar schools that can be applied for from just one exam.
(Edited by mod from Buckingham to Buckinghamshire)
DG
BucksorHert?
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Re: What Areas in SW Hertfordshire To Live For Selective Sch

Post by BucksorHert? »

mitasol wrote: In Bucks around 80% of places go to Bucks residents and a high proportion of non Bucks allocations are from catchment area.
Thanks for your reply. What do you mean by "non Bucks are from catchment area? Isn't the catchment area Buckinghamshire?
BucksorHert?
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Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2022 12:49 am

Re: What Areas in SW Hertfordshire To Live For Selective Sch

Post by BucksorHert? »

Daogroupie wrote:The DAO catchment is large. It includes the entire borough of Islington, great swathes of Enfield and Barnet and Herts down the railway line from Potters Bar to Welwyn Garden City. There are maps on the website you can print out.

There are 65 exam places and 22 distance places for those closest to the school. There are over one thousand applicants for the 65 exam places.

Buckinghamshire would offer you a much higher probability of success as there are many grammar schools that can be applied for from just one exam.
(Edited by mod from Buckingham to Buckinghamshire)
DG
Thanks for your reply. If the catchment area is large yet only 65 places?It seems such a small number for a whole year, no?
ToadMum
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Location: Essex

Re: What Areas in SW Hertfordshire To Live For Selective Sch

Post by ToadMum »

Re Buckinghamshire, the catchment area of some of the grammar schools near to the county boundary will include areas the other side of it - so an applicant may live outside of Bucks, biut still be in catchment. Burnham, for example, used to be administratively in Berkshire.

DAO has 65 places available on score in the entrance test, out of a total Published Admission Number of c.200; however, the school (legally or otherwise) limits registration for the test to those living within catchment.
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mitasol
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Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:59 am

Re: What Areas in SW Hertfordshire To Live For Selective Sch

Post by mitasol »

Isn't the catchment area Buckinghamshire?
No. Buckinghamshire is the Admission Authority (LA). A catchment is usually an area around a school.
If the catchment area is large yet only 65 places?It seems such a small number for a whole year, no?

It is the number of places designated to one criteria of the admission policy. Other criteria are used to allocate the places up to published admission number (200). At DAO most places are usually allocated via the sibling criteria.

This is how they allocated places March21
https://damealiceowens.herts.sch.uk/wp- ... h-2021.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

DAO Admisions FAQs (the basics)
https://damealiceowens.herts.sch.uk/adm ... ions-faqs/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
DAO Admissions policy 21/22 (the definitive guide)
https://damealiceowens.herts.sch.uk/dow ... gust-2020/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
DAO Priority Area (eligible for exam/music criteria)
https://damealiceowens.herts.sch.uk/adm ... ity-areas/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You may find these links helpful (located in the Schools tab at the top of the forum)
https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/schoo ... -and-rules" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/schoo ... ions-terms" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Xposted with TM
BucksorHert?
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Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2022 12:49 am

Re: What Areas in SW Hertfordshire To Live For Selective Sch

Post by BucksorHert? »

Thanks for clarifying! I understand better now.
Daogroupie
Posts: 11099
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:01 pm
Location: Herts

Re: What Areas in SW Hertfordshire To Live For Selective Sch

Post by Daogroupie »

You are confusing catchment and distance.

That is why I used those terms.

Catchment is where you have to live in order to apply. You cannot not apply for catchment schools unless you live in the catchment.

Distance is when schools allocate places based on distance from the school.

Some schools have priority areas where places are allocated first.

HBS has a priority area where students only have to pass the first round to gain a place. Everyone else is ranked from the second round.

Living in the catchment area of DAO gives you the right to apply, nothing else unless you are in the 22 closest or you are a sibling of a student at the school.

Rules change, this is only the 3rd year of the HBS priority area. In the last 8 years the first round format of the HBS, DAO and Latymer exams has changed 3 times and 50% of the SW Herts exam as well. DG
scary mum
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Re: What Areas in SW Hertfordshire To Live For Selective Sch

Post by scary mum »

Catchment is where you have to live in order to apply. You cannot not apply for catchment schools unless you live in the catchment.
You can apply for schools you are not in catchment for, but you would be unlikely to get a place unless it was very undersubscribed.
scary mum
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