Choosing a secondary school

Since the non-selective school in Burnham closed in 2019,  local parents are left with difficult choices and little information. Please contact newschool@burnhamparish.gov.uk with comments and corrections.

Know your options and be realistic about your expectations and your child’s needs

Considerations

  •  Is Grammar school a viable option for your child?
  • Catchment area of schools on paper and in reality
  • Your local school (free transport consideration and higher chance of acceptance?)
  • Travel costs/time and availability/practicality
  • Disability support, special needs consideration, behaviour strategy
  • Religious affiliation and practice
  • Sports and arts facilities and clubs
  • Over- subscribed schools (whether in your authority’s area)
  • Where are friends going? Implication on child’s social activities and interests

Investigate

  • Check the school website and make a list of questions
  • Visit the school
  • Talk to existing pupils and parents (not those from 5 years ago). Schools change fast.
  • Check transport for individual schools.
  • Don’t take Ofsted results as the only consideration.
  • Check before and after school facilities, and alternative transport arrangements.
  • Consider cost of school trips (skiing in Switzerland) and events (tickets to sports presentation). This can vary greatly depending on the school catchment area.
  • Check which subjects are taught.

Check school admissions

https://schools.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/school-admissions

https://www.slough.gov.uk/directory/18/slough-schools/category/35

St Peter’s school has published the Bucks Council presentation https://www.stpeterscofe.org/secondary-transfer/

Free transport rules

Free transport rules for Slough (red recycling bins)

https://www.slough.gov.uk/schools-learning-skills/home-school-transport-policy-guidance

Free transport rules for Buckinghamshire (blue recycling bins)

https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools-index/school-transport/free-school-transport/

Free transport should be available for

  • SEN, Disability and Mobility Problems—apply to Bucks or Slough council— need an EHCP in place
  • Low income—apply to Bucks or Slough councils—available for more than 2 miles and considers religious criteria
  • Unsafe walking route—apply to Bucks or Slough council—have any routes been designated unsafe?
  • More than 3 miles to nearest suitable school

It is possible that other limitations exist so advice is to apply to the nearest school in Buckinghamshire or Slough depending on where you live. It is  highly unlikely that the authority will pay for transport to another authority.

Travel arrangements are handled by the local authority. They need numbers and routes to finalise the plans so parents won’t hear until just before term starts in September.  

If attending a school in a different authority travel arrangements are the responsibility of the parent not the LA.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/273963949371273 is a brilliant source of support.

Buckinghamshire non-selective schools

Bourne End Academy

Pioneer Secondary (Sikh)

Beaconsfield secondary

Chalfont Community

Further afield – Great Marlow, Cressex.

Bourne End and Pioneer are both nearly fully subscribed in 2024.

So you need to be in the catchment area (that includes living in Bucks), and put them near the top of your list.

Great Marlow and Cressex are both highly rated and over subscribed. There would have to be special reasons to be accepted from the Burnham area.

Slough non-selective schools

Beechwood

Westgate

Baylis Court (girls)

Eden Girls (Islamic)

Grove Academy

Lynch Hill

Slough and Eton (CofE)

St Josephs (Catholic)

Wexham

Beechwood and Westgate are both popular. Westgate may expand in the future. So you may need to be in the catchment area (that includes living in Slough), and put them near the top of your list.

There is a improved path/cycleway through Cocksherd Wood which may make cycling safer to Beechwood School.

Maidenhead comprehensives

Altwood

Cox Green

Desborough (boys)

Furze Platt

Newlands (girls)

Cox Green has always taken Burnham pupils. The catchment of some schools may exclude Burnham area.

Grammar Schools

Advice from Bucks Council

The Secondary Transfer Test is not compulsory.

Think about your child’s attainment in school to date. The national expectation for a child in Year 6 is to achieve a standardised score of 100 in the National Tests. Most children starting at grammar school in 2024 will have qualified in the Secondary Transfer Test and are likely to have gained a score of at least 100 in the National Tests.

If a grammar school is not something you would expect your child to attend then you can discuss this with your child’s headteacher and agree if it is not appropriate for your child to take part in the Secondary Transfer Test.

If your child has Special Educational Needs and they are to sit the test then there is more information available later about what you may do if adjustments to the test are required.

Headteachers are asked to provide a recommendation about the suitability of children for grammar school before the outcomes of the test are known.

There are three levels of recommendation:

  1. Exceptionally able so very highly recommended
  2. Very able so recommended without any reservation
  3. Recommended with reservation (the headteacher must be prepared to say what that reservation is based on)

There is a  4th ’recommendation’ – ‘not recommended for grammar school’

There are three levels of attitude to work:

  1. Enjoys challenge and is a highly motivated independent learner.
  2. Consistently hardworking and reliable.
  3. Output varies.

There is a 4th level – ‘Lacks self organisation, requires support’.

These are combined together to make the overall recommendation (e.g. 2:1 = Very able so recommended without any reservation: Enjoys challenge and is a highly motivated independent learner)

Slough Advice

Registration for Sept 2025 entry closes on June 12th 2024

https://atomlearning.com/blog/slough-consortium-11-plus for information on entry to the 4 Slough Grammar schools.

Our Advice

If a grammar schools is your preference, the child is recommended to take the Secondary Transfer test for both Slough and Buckinghamshire in September of year 6

For the 13 Bucks grammar schools, information about the test and any changes will always be on the Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools website thebucksgrammarschools.org

Burnham Grammar school is the local choice. The catchment area is around 2.5 miles but other criteria might apply.

There are 4 Slough Grammar schools, and 13 in Buckinghamshire.