Schools in Buckinghamshire
259 open schools · Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and admission criteria · best primary schools · best secondary schools
Buckinghamshire has 234 state schools: 184 primary, 35 secondary, 2 all-through, 2 nursery. Between them they teach around 89,103 pupils. 178 have enough published data for a score, averaging 5.6 out of 10, and 20 score 8 or above.
45 have a sixth form. 81 take children from age three or under. 72 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.
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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.
Key dates
| Entry year | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Sept 2028 | Application deadline | 2027-10-31 |
| Sept 2028 | Primary application deadline | 2028-01-15 |
| Sept 2028 | Offer day | 2028-03-01 |
| Sept 2028 | Primary offer day | 2028-04-17 |
| Sept 2027 | Registration opens | 2026-05-01 (passed) |
| Sept 2027 | Registration closes | 2026-06-02 (passed) |
| Sept 2027 | Test date | 2026-09-10 |
| Sept 2027 | Application deadline | 2026-10-31 |
| Sept 2027 | Primary application deadline | 2027-01-15 |
| Sept 2027 | Offer day | 2027-03-01 |
| Sept 2027 | Primary offer day | 2027-04-16 |
| Sept 2026 | Qualifying score threshold | TBC |
| Sept 2026 | Test date | 2025-09-13 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Results released | 2025-10-01 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Application deadline | 2025-10-31 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Primary application deadline | 2026-01-15 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Offer day | 2026-03-01 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Primary offer day | 2026-04-16 (passed) |
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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