need info on sec schools in aylesbury

jockettuk · 9 October 2005 at 9:09PM

Daughter will be going to secondary school next september and we will be in aylesbury by then.. im going down next week to look at some schools and would appreciate any info anyone has on local secondary schools good or bad. Im not looking at grammer schools just secondary schools

Thanks

Rose

Iona_Penny · 9 October 2005 at 11:36PM

I think you will find that Buckinghamshire still has the 11+ exam and I'm not sure what happens about children who move into the area and have not taken the exam.

Perhaps your best first port of call would be Buckinghamshire CC education department so you know the procedure: I'm pretty sure that some schools are oversubscribed (as in lots of places) Do you know what your likely address is yet?

Savvy_Sue · 10 October 2005 at 12:24AM

Yup, the County Council website will probably have lots of useful information, list of all secondary schools, their PAN (Planned Admission Number) and NOR (Number on Roll). If you divide their NOR by the PAN and then by 5, you will see whether the school is under or over subscribed, which is one thing to consider - if it's badly under subscribed, that might set alarm bells ringing, and if it is oversubscribed you need to consider whether your child will get in or whether you will have to go to appeal - not something for the faint-hearted in my experience!

Of course this only works if a) I am right in my belief that the 6th form is treated separately, and b) the school isn't a new one, and actually has pupils in all of years 7 -11.

You can also access Ofsted reports for all schools online.

But nothing beats a visit.

jockettuk · 10 October 2005 at 8:03AM

thanks for your replies. ive been checking this out for 6 months now.. got the ofsted reports of schools that she might go to. i know abt the 11+ but she doesnt have to sit it if i dont want her to go to grammer school but i did get registered for it and she can sit it at her primary school ouside bucks.. i have 2 days to look over schools and i just wanted to see locals opinions good or bad..

Thanks again

jockettuk · 10 October 2005 at 8:05AM

Iona_Penny wrote:

I think you will find that Buckinghamshire still has the 11+ exam and I'm not sure what happens about children who move into the area and have not taken the exam.

Perhaps your best first port of call would be Buckinghamshire CC education department so you know the procedure: I'm pretty sure that some schools are oversubscribed (as in lots of places) Do you know what your likely address is yet?

yes we know our address partner living there but im not to happy with the catchment school so will not be sending her there even if they say i have to .. im leaving a good sec catchment so dont want to send her to one i dont think will push her .. but not on here to slag off schools just want opinions

Savvy_Sue · 10 October 2005 at 12:40PM

Could try asking on the England board for local moneysaving to see if there is anyone from Aylesbury there?

Although remember one parent's experience is not everyone's experience: the school my boys are at is generally rated very highly, but according to others it's got a serious drug problem. Tell me a secondary school which doesn't!

It's how the school deals with it that's key!

jockettuk · 10 October 2005 at 2:51PM

Savvy_Sue wrote:

Could try asking on the England board for local moneysaving to see if there is anyone from Aylesbury there?

Although remember one parent's experience is not everyone's experience: the school my boys are at is generally rated very highly, but according to others it's got a serious drug problem. Tell me a secondary school which doesn't! It's how the school deals with it that's key!

Thanks.. yes i understand the situation when people judge the schools on hearsay but having checked out the ofsted reports the online this and that spoke to bucks county council cambs cc, were we live now i would like to ask peoples opinions and then i can take on board what they say check out the school and then make a opinion and then a brandy lol am i glad im only doing this the once lol

Iona_Penny · 10 October 2005 at 4:10PM

I have a friend who lives in Aylesbury and remember her going through the angst about schools a couple of years ago; I seem to think she as concerned about a couple of the schools so I will phone her and ask if you like then PM you.

You do have to remember that schools always tend to be on a cycle,(all be it slow moving) this can be a trend up or a turn down, and I agree with you that 'the word on the street'can be as important as any official statistics.

Penny-Pincher!! · 10 October 2005 at 4:49PM

Hi

Can I ask why you may not let her sit the 11+ exam? My dd has her 11+ begin of November and although I dont like the stigma that goes along with attending grammar school-I have found in my local area that the standard of education is far better than local comprehensives. I have checked all Ofstead reports for schools in and out of borough and all the grammars come out on top...it really isnt fair. There is only one comprehensive in our borough that I would consider sending her too-if she doesnt get in there-it looks like she will be home taught.

In the borough there are more grammar schools than comprehensives and the pass percentage is 85% :eek: I would suggest taking your DD with you to look at the schools, we have taken dd to 5 now and have the final one on wednesday, 2 she hated-so she wont be going there..lol.

Each council/borough have there own 11+ exam, so dd will probably have to sit another.

Good Luck

PP
xx

Spendless · 10 October 2005 at 5:31PM

The secondary school my kids will eventually attend is oversubscribed and the feeder primarys are also chokka- so I moved into the area before I needed to apply for primary school so he could attend the school of my choice.

Someone not in catchment, who hasn't attended a feeder primary would struggle to get a place, and the same goes for the other top-performing schools in the town.

I'd check how many numbers the school/s you're considering has and how full they get if you're asking for an out of catchment place.

Good Luck

jockettuk · 10 October 2005 at 7:31PM

Penny-Pincher!! wrote:

Hi

Can I ask why you may not let her sit the 11+ exam? My dd has her 11+ begin of November and although I dont like the stigma that goes along with attending grammar school-I have found in my local area that the standard of education is far better than local comprehensives. I have checked all Ofstead reports for schools in and out of borough and all the grammars come out on top...it really isnt fair. There is only one comprehensive in our borough that I would consider sending her too-if she doesnt get in there-it looks like she will be home taught.

In the borough there are more grammar schools than comprehensives and the pass percentage is 85% :eek: I would suggest taking your DD with you to look at the schools, we have taken dd to 5 now and have the final one on wednesday, 2 she hated-so she wont be going there..lol.

Each council/borough have there own 11+ exam, so dd will probably have to sit another.

Good Luck

PP
xx

apart from the stigma the grammer education can cause its all the expense that goes with the grammer side all the out of school clubs.. i costed it up and found that it could cost me a fortune over the next so many yrs she is there and i wouldnt want to start something i couldnt follow through, also as for the 11+ been told it has to be in by a certain time and myself and her headteacher felt there wasnt a lot of time between us gettting the practice sheets and her sitting the test . sitting the test on her own might faze her and i feel that it might not give out her abiltities to the best of her ability.. were i am the schools ok but you have to fight to get a decent school im prepared to fight and appeal for a out of catchment school as she wont be going to the catchment school i aylesbury.. we did look at other areas and although i want my daughter at a decent school i dont want to live somewere im not happy, I find that children will learn werever they are and if they dont want to learn no amount of pushing or shoving or the best schools are going to help but i do want her to go to a school that if she doesn have problems she can ask for help and get it ...

This is doing my head in lol

need info on sec schools in aylesbury

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