choosing secondary schools

Eleven Plus (11+) in Buckinghamshire (Bucks)

Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators

jo

choosing secondary schools

Post by jo »

Would really like some advice as my son is currently Year 5 and we will have to be making secondary school decisions over the next few months.

Am totally unprepared and lacking insightlful information into the whole process.

Am slightly depressed to discover our catchment school is Beechwood and I know my son will struggle to pass his eleven plus even though he's getting some extra tutoring.

Was interested in what people had to say re. Burnham Grammer, this is our local grammer even though we are Slough residents.

Don't really know where to start as my options are feeling a bit hopeless. Any top tips from anyone who's gone through the process would be greatly appreciated.
Catherine
Posts: 1348
Joined: Sun Dec 04, 2005 4:47 pm
Location: Berks,Bucks

Post by Catherine »

As you live in Slough, have you thought of trying for the Slough grammars as well as the test is different?

If you don't like your local secondary, you can put other schools on your list. For example, last year, the Chalfonts Community College took out-of-catchment children from quite a distance , and it has a very good reputation.

Here's a link to the Bucks allocation profile as it is now after the first round of allocation. The areas where a place are offered will INCREASE in the next few month, and the profile will be updated before next September.

http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/get/asset ... y_2007.pdf

The Bucks CC site aslo has maps of secondary schools and their catchment.

If you want to find out more about schools, you can look at the dfes league tables
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/performancetables/

and ofsted reports
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/portal/site/In ... 92a8c0RCRD
WOBS

Post by WOBS »

Jo, by the sound of it, you live near me. Our son's catchment was Beechwood too. Our local grammer would be Burnham grammer or Herschel. You should have a look at the grammar schools in Slough too. My son liked Herschel better than any other. We put Burnham as second so that he will have two chances. Our third was Desborough (Maidenhead). He got Herschel after working really hard.

If your child is good with vocab but not so good in Maths, he should sit Bucks test. If he is good at maths too, then you should consider slough test too. Different people have different opinion on schhols so you should go for a visit. Beechwood is supposed to be getting better, I wasn't hopefull. Have a look at Burnham Upper and westgate too.

From my knowledge, Chalfont don't take many children from our area. I know someone last year put just Chalfont down (apparently Chalfond Head said that they will get in) and got Beechwood. They appealed but with no luck. They changed the child from Beechwood to Altwood (maidenhead) after one term.

Hope this is some help.
drummer
Posts: 529
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2007 5:47 pm
Location: South Bucks

Post by drummer »

Catherine wrote: If you don't like your local secondary, you can put other schools on your list. For example, last year, the Chalfonts Community College took out-of-catchment children from quite a distance , and it has a very good reputation.
Chalfont did not manage to accomodate all in-catchment children for the coming academic year. About 20 in-catchment children from South Bucks (and by the way it is their ONLY catchment upper) will have to make a daily 60 mile round trip to The Amersham School
Catherine
Posts: 1348
Joined: Sun Dec 04, 2005 4:47 pm
Location: Berks,Bucks

Post by Catherine »

drummer wrote:Chalfont did not manage to accomodate all in-catchment children for the coming academic year. About 20 in-catchment children from South Bucks (and by the way it is their ONLY catchment upper) will have to make a daily 60 mile round trip to The Amersham School
Yes, but this is only the situation after the first round of allocations. More children will get a place in the next month or so.
That said, the school is getting more popular, so possibly more and more difficult to get into.
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Post by Sally-Anne »

Chalfont did not manage to accomodate all in-catchment children for the coming academic year. About 20 in-catchment children from South Bucks (and by the way it is their ONLY catchment upper) will have to make a daily 60 mile round trip to The Amersham School
Hi Drummer

I am guessing here, but presumably the 60 mile round trip must be for children in the outreaches of South Bucks - Denham, for example? Otherwise I'm struggling to work out where there is in South Bucks that is a 30 mile radius from the Amersham School that would otherwise be catchment for Chalfont? Please enlighten a very dense ...

Sally-Anne
Guest

Post by Guest »

Iver and Richings Park. Local politicians are trying to get a school to open up again at Evreham.
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Post by Guest55 »

Iver is 15 miles from Amersham - where does the 60 come from?
Catherine
Posts: 1348
Joined: Sun Dec 04, 2005 4:47 pm
Location: Berks,Bucks

Post by Catherine »

There is a sports centre called the Everham centre in Iver and there used to be a secondary school nearby, at least 10 years ago.
Guest

Post by Guest »

Guest55 wrote:Iver is 15 miles from Amersham - where does the 60 come from?
Probably because the bus doesn't pick up a child and take it direct to school but has to drive around picking up everybody up first
Post Reply