Moving to Buckinghamshire for Grammar Schools and Independents
For families moving to Buckinghamshire for grammar schools, the secondary school decision is often the point at which the property search becomes most focused.
The county’s selective system is well established, but also, its independent secondary offerings extend well beyond the county borders, and the state school picture is broader than many families initially appreciate.
We have already explored the independent preparatory schools across South Buckinghamshire and the Chilterns, and the towns and villages surrounding them, in our companion article.
Here we pick up where that one leaves off: the grammar school system, the independent secondaries that many Buckinghamshire families consider alongside them, and some notable state options.
Below, Sophie Ellam, Buckinghamshire buying agent, shares her insight into the secondary school landscape across the county and what it means for the property decisions families face.
The Secondary Transfer Test and how allocation works
For families new to Buckinghamshire’s selective system, the starting point is The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools (TBGS), which coordinates the Secondary Transfer Test across all thirteen of the county’s state grammar schools and lists each school with links to their individual admissions policies.
Understanding that those thirteen schools each set their own admissions rules is an important takeaway for a relocating family.
A qualifying score is the starting point, not a guarantee of a place at any particular school.
Children usually sit the test at the beginning of Year 6, with results out in October and secondary school applications due to the relevant local authority by the end of that month. Exact dates vary by admissions year and are published by Buckinghamshire Council annually.
Once a child qualifies, their application is assessed under each school’s own published rules, which can include priority areas, sibling links, pupil premium criteria, exceptional medical or social need, and distance from the school.
No two schools apply the same formula, which is why a property that looks well placed for one grammar may sit in a very different position from the school a mile away.
The address a family uses also matters in a way that catches many people out. Deadlines and evidence requirements vary by school and admissions year, so the right time to check each school’s policy is before a property decision is made, not after. Previous allocation distances are a useful guide to how competitive a school has been, but they are no guarantee of what a future admissions cycle will look like.
Both Buckinghamshire Council and each individual school’s own admissions team are worth consulting before any property decision is made.
Independent secondary schools
Many families who move to Buckinghamshire with the grammar school system in mind find themselves considering independent secondaries alongside it, whether as a first choice, a contingency, or because a particular school’s character is simply the right fit.
The introduction of VAT on private school education and boarding fees from January 2025 has added a financial dimension to that calculation, but the independent secondary offering in and around the county remains extensive. Several schools outside Buckinghamshire have offered bus services from within the county; families should verify current routes directly with each school, as these can change.
Gerrards Cross
St Mary’s School is an independent day school for girls with a Church of England foundation, educating girls from three to eighteen in Gerrards Cross. At senior level, its through-school structure means girls joining at Year 7 enter a settled community they can remain part of through to A levels.
At secondary level, Thorpe House offers boys an education through to A levels, with a co-educational sixth form, within the same Gerrards Cross school community they may have joined as young as three. Its compact size means staff know their pupils well, and for families with boys who did not sit or did not pass the 11+, it is an independent alternative close to home.
Beaconsfield and the Wycombe Corridor
Wycombe Abbey is a long-established independent boarding school for girls, with day-boarding provision, set on an extensive campus in High Wycombe. It is a prominent school in the county for families considering the senior independent options available in South Buckinghamshire.
Pipers Corner School is an independent day school for girls, set in Great Kingshill between Beaconsfield and High Wycombe. The school offers education through to sixth form within a smaller community on a semi-rural campus, with a broad curriculum and pastoral provision.
Claires Court School is a co-educational independent school in Maidenhead, across the border in Berkshire, educating boys and girls across separate senior schools on neighbouring sites. The school has offered bus services from Beaconsfield and Great Missenden; families should confirm current routes with the school directly, as these can change.
Hertfordshire border
Berkhamsted Boys School and Berkhamsted Girls School form part of the Berkhamsted Schools Group, educating boys and girls from eleven to sixteen on neighbouring sites in the town centre, with co-educational sixth form provision within the wider group.
For families who have chosen Berkhamsted Prep for the junior years, the senior schools offer a natural through-school progression. The schools’ town-centre location, wider local appeal, and London Northwestern Railway services to Euston make Berkhamsted a consistently considered option for families in the north and east of Buckinghamshire.
RMS for Girls is an independent day and boarding school for girls in Rickmansworth. While outside Buckinghamshire, it is considered by a number of families in the Gerrards Cross and Amersham corridor and features on shortlists across this part of the county.
Further afield: Schools with transport links
Merchant Taylors’ School is an independent day school for boys in Northwood, Middlesex. It is considered by families in the Gerrards Cross and Chalfont corridor whose sons are looking beyond the county’s grammar and independent schools, and is a consistently noted option in this part of south Buckinghamshire.
Shiplake College is a co-educational boarding and day school on the river at Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire. The school offers bus services from Beaconsfield, Gerrards Cross, High Wycombe, Princes Risborough, and Marlow; families should confirm current arrangements directly with the school. It offers sport, the arts, and a focus on individual development within a smaller school community.
North Buckinghamshire
Stowe School is a long-established independent boarding and day school, set in a remarkable eighteenth-century landscape near Buckingham. Co-educational from thirteen to eighteen, it features on shortlists across the county and beyond. Its distance from South Buckinghamshire makes it more naturally a boarding option than a day school for most families in the Chilterns corridor.
State secondary schools
The state secondary picture in Buckinghamshire is not limited to the grammar schools, and for families not pursuing the selective route, it is worth understanding what else exists.
The Amersham School is one option families in the Amersham and Chilterns corridor may wish to consider, subject to current admissions criteria and suitability for the child. Families should check current catchment arrangements directly with the school and Buckinghamshire Council.
St Clement Danes School in Chorleywood, just across the Hertfordshire border, is sometimes considered by families near the county boundary. St Clement Danes is its own admitting authority, and applications are made through the relevant local authority. Families should review its current admissions rules carefully before factoring it into a property search.
Thinking beyond the test
The 11+ is usually sat on a single day in September of Year 6, and even well-prepared children can find that one morning does not reflect months of work. Understanding the full landscape before that day arrives, not just the grammar schools but the independent secondaries, the through-schools, the schools with bus routes, and the state options, puts a family in a far stronger position, whatever the outcome.
The property decisions that sit behind secondary school ambitions often have more layers than families initially expect.
Which grammar school is realistically within allocation distance? Does the house chosen for its proximity to a preferred grammar also allow for the independent secondaries on the shortlist? These are the questions that benefit from current local knowledge rather than a map.
Finding the right home for your family
Garrington works with families relocating to Buckinghamshire from across the UK and from overseas, and secondary school decisions are almost always part of the conversation.
Whether the priority is grammar school allocation distance, proximity to a preferred independent, or access to a suitable state secondary, Sophie’s local knowledge helps families make property decisions they are confident in.
If you are considering a move to Buckinghamshire with schools in mind, please do get in touch for a no-obligation discussion about your property search.
