Schools in Buckinghamshire
258 open schools · Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and admission criteria · best primary schools · best secondary schools
Buckinghamshire has 232 state schools: 182 primary, 35 secondary, 2 all-through, 2 nursery. Between them they teach around 88,951 pupils. 178 have enough published data for a score, averaging 5.6 out of 10, and 24 score 8 or above.
45 have a sixth form. 81 take children from age three or under. 71 have a religious character, which usually means the school sets its own admissions criteria rather than the council's. 13 are selective and set an entrance test. How the score works.
Undersubscribed schools rated Good or Outstanding
These schools didn't fill on first preference in the latest admissions year, despite an Ofsted rating of Good or Outstanding — worth a look if you're chasing the same handful of famous names everyone else applies to.
How places are allocated in Buckinghamshire
Primary schools: Catchment area is the primary criterion (after EHCP/looked-after), ahead of siblings; distance only used as tiebreaker within/after catchment. (source)
Secondary schools: Same catchment-first structure applies to secondary community schools. (source)
Most schools use the local authority's default scheme rather than a school-specific catchment map — see each school's page for its own designated/catchment area where one is published.
Buckinghamshire entrance test format
The STT is produced by GL Assessment and consists of two multiple-choice papers, each about 60 minutes including a short break between them: 1. Verbal skills — comprehension, technical English, and verbal reasoning. 2. Mathematical and non-verbal skills — maths and non-verbal/spatial reasoning. A shorter practice test is normally given about two days before the main test so children know what to expect and become familiar with the question style. Children at state-funded Buckinghamshire primary/partner schools sit the test at school during the school day.
Out-of-area applications
Children living outside Buckinghamshire CAN sit the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test (STT). Buckinghamshire is one of the most popular out-of-county grammar destinations — families from Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, Middlesex and London regularly apply. Registration: out-of-county children register directly with Buckinghamshire County Council (not through their home LA). The registration form and deadline are the same as for Bucks residents — typically June/July for a September test. See buckinghamshire.gov.uk for the current year's registration form. Applying for a place: after results (October), apply via your home LA's Common Application Form by 31 October, listing the Buckinghamshire grammar school(s) you want. Your home LA passes preferences to Bucks. Criteria impact: the pass mark is the same for all children (≥121). Once a child qualifies, many Bucks grammar schools prioritise by catchment area — children living outside the defined priority area compete for remaining places after catchment and sibling applicants. Check the individual school's oversubscription criteria for the exact priority order.
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Buckinghamshire covers several towns — jump straight to the schools in yours.
Key dates
| Entry year | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Sept 2028 | Application deadline | 31 October 2027 |
| Sept 2028 | Primary application deadline | 15 January 2028 |
| Sept 2028 | Offer day | 1 March 2028 |
| Sept 2028 | Primary offer day | 17 April 2028 |
| Sept 2027 | Registration opens | 1 May 2026 (passed) |
| Sept 2027 | Registration closes | 2 June 2026 (passed) |
| Sept 2027 | Test date | 10 September 2026 (passed) |
| Sept 2027 | Results released | 9 October 2026 (passed) |
| Sept 2027 | Application deadline | 31 October 2026 |
| Sept 2027 | Primary application deadline | 15 January 2027 |
| Sept 2027 | Offer day | 1 March 2027 |
| Sept 2027 | Primary offer day | 16 April 2027 |
| Sept 2026 | Qualifying score threshold | TBC |
| Sept 2026 | Test date | 13 September 2025 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Results released | 1 October 2025 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Application deadline | 31 October 2025 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Primary application deadline | 15 January 2026 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Offer day | 1 March 2026 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Primary offer day | 16 April 2026 (passed) |
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