Introduction:
Which school your child attends is something that understandably matters a good deal to parents. Parents can express preferences about this, and there is a system that combines those preferences with catchment areas and other rules to allocate children to schools. In Buckinghamshire there is a wholly selective secondary school system. Children take the secondary transfer test in September of year 6.
In Amersham there are infant schools, which cover Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 (Coleshill, St George’s, and Chestnut Lane) before children move to primary schools (Elangeni and Woodside) which cover Years 3 to 6. There are also schools which cover Reception to Year 6 (Chesham Bois & St Mary’s). Parents need to apply for an infant school place during the autumn when their child is 4 years old. If a child is at an infant school the parents will need to apply for a place at a primary school in the autumn of year 2. All applications are made through the Buckinghamshire Council school admissions website, which contains much more information, and will answer far more questions than this simple introductory page can.
Children start secondary school at the age of 11. Children in Amersham can take the secondary transfer test during the September of year 6, after which they may be qualified for grammar school admission.
At each age parents can express a preference for up to six schools. This is done as part of the application process. Each school has a set of rules which are applied to determine which school children are allocated. All schools in Amersham have a catchment area and children living in the catchment area are prioritised over those who do not. The Buckinghamshire Council school admissions website has a postcode checker you can use to see which schools’ catchment area you live in.It is important to check the rules for each school that you are interested in, because there are differences between schools. Each school publishes these rules on its website, as part of its admission policy.
Children who live in Amersham often go to school in other local towns, such as Chesham, The Chalfonts and Great Missenden.
Conclusion
Make sure that you are aware of the right time to apply for school places depending on the age of your child. Check the admissions rules and catchment area of the schools you are interested in to make sure that you express a preference for schools that you are likely to get a place at.
