Schools near Buckingham
17 open schools in Buckingham, Buckinghamshire · Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and admission criteria · see all Buckinghamshire schools · grammar schools in Buckingham
Buckingham has 17 state schools: 13 primary, 3 secondary, part of Buckinghamshire's wider catchment. 16 have a published Ofsted rating, and 13 of those are rated Good or Outstanding. 1 is a state grammar school and sets an entrance test.
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.
Buckingham straddles a council boundary: the scheme above is Buckinghamshire's, and Oxfordshire also has schools here, applying under its own.
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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