High Wycombe Quarters

[Red Line Entry]

Need some advice/info please... We've been offered a quarter in Maidenhead on posting to High Wycombe. Although we've visited the quarters at Medenham and at Bradenham we've not been to the ones in Maidenhead. (Typical - Mrs RLE would have been v happy at either location, so we get a third offered to us!)

Anyone have any info on the state of the quarters, and in particular local schools (for a 3 and 5 year old)? Feel free to PM me and many thanks!

[Impiger]

RLE

By Maidenhead do you mean Lees Gardens or White Waltham?

Lees Gardens houses are OMQ Type II and III some 26 altogether and in a nice suburb of Maidenhead very handy for the A404 and the drive to STC. They're mainly occupied by MOD wallers - I've recently left that patch.

White Waltham is an altogether different story - an old 'airfield' patch of OMQ types V to II - pretty run down still with metal window frames. But they are a traditional service enclave in their own grounds and there is plenty of green space. They're in a nice quiet location which is handy for Maidenhead and Reading but you'll need 2 cars as the patch is a bit out in the sticks.

Not sure about quality of schools for 3-5 year olds but there are schools adjacent (200 metres or so) to Lees Gardens; go to streetmap.co.uk and look up SL6 4NT for a map of the Lees area.

[Red Line Entry]

Thanks Impiger. The offer is for Lees Gardens. Are they behind wire with restricted access? If not, have there been any problems with thefts/security?

I guessed the quality is not going to be great as the offer letter stated that I will be charged for Grade 3 accom!

Cheers, RLE.

[BEagle]

BEADWINDOW!

Suggest you PM for that info...

[Red Line Entry]

Fair enough Beagle, although I would suggest that the answer is more pertinant to a PM than the question.

Many thanks for those PMs received!

[Impiger]

RLE

Check PMs

BEagle - get a life old chum!

I

[BEagle]

Advice from rear seat noted, you old bug.ger! Except that, unusually, on this occasion, you can ram it!

Asking whether a specific, readily identifiable address is 'secure' on a public site is pretty silly, I would suggest?

Security is not a dirty word, Slackbladder!

[SirToppamHat]

Red Line Entry

Check your PMs re Medmenham.

STH

[EXATCO]

There used to be a half decent Pub adjacent to the White Waltham patch - The Beehive(?). Opposite the cricket green, it was a great place to spend a Saturday PM. :ok:

[BEagle]

It was indeed The Beehive!

Many a time whilst on ULAS at White Waltham we'd take advantage of the hole in the hedge near the wooden hut Officers' Mess, then toddle off up the lane and over to the Beehive.....

[brit bus driver]

Bloody hell, BEagle! can't go giving Johnny Terrorist sensitive info such as aircrew enjoy a pint in the pub on a Saturday afternoon, even if it is from the days when a pie and a pint, 10 No6 and your bus fare home could all be got from 2s6d! What if they spot a pattern and try to exploit it?!

For heaven's sake man................













:E :ok:

[Captain Airclues]

Red Line Entry

Probably one of the best primary schools (www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports/110/110277.pdf) in the country is at Medmenham.

Airclues

[SirToppamHat]

I have PM'd Red Line separately, but I think it's worth mentioning that the Danesfield School was apparently once a 'Service School', which was taken over by the local authority on the understanding that Service children would continue to be entitled to attend the School.

Given its distance from any other (ie non-Service) housing, one might imagine this would not be a problem, but the School has become a victim of its own success and I understand it is now very difficult to get your children in because of the demand for places from the great and good of Marlow who see it as a cheep (ie FREE) form of private education.

When I was last there, the School and LEA seemed conveniently to have forgotten the original agreement and the 'Educators/Adminers' at SHQ did not want to know.

I believe appeals are the norm to save your kids the long trip into Marlow passing the convoy of 4x4s going in the opposite direction to a school that seems to have been originally paid for by the RAF ... NICE!

STH

Edited to change an erroneous split-infinitive (tut tut).

[Captain Airclues]

SirToppamHat

Is it not the case that children from the catchment area get priority? This is certainly the case with (arguably) an even better school, Spinfield School in Marlow.

Airclues

[Climebear]

Anyone had any problems with schools in NW london. Getting ready to move to a permanent hole in the ground there and having a real problem getting my daughter into school - although there a 3 within a mile of the patch they are all full with a high proportion of children from outside the borough. (great Idea Mr Major allowing parents to excercise some choice - when do I get to have a choice).

Anyone got any experience at fighting the schools admission process?

[BigGrecian]

Dansefield was certainly the better school when I attended over Spinfield. Priority was given to those from the catchment area at the quarters, with others comng in from Marlow itself in the SUV run.
Ah - Mr Lewis is still the headmaster I was there when he took up the job :eek:

[SirToppamHat]

Mrs Hat is a junior teacher. She tells me that in Reception and Key Stage 1 (ages 5-7) the absolute limit is 30 children per class, and no amount of appealing will get you in. Further up, there is some room for manoeuver, but you may need to appeal. Mrs Hat knows of several appeals that have been won against the School's original response - you don't get good Ofsted reports by letting just anyone in.

Captain Airclues your point is well made, but the School will not throw children out that are from outside the catchment area just because someone from the RAF arrives.

I guess it's the case with most schools that rely on military children that the numbers vary considerably from year-to-year, thus threatening funding. For that reason, I can understand that schools like Medmenham prefer to go for the local kids who are likely to be there for a long period and 'guarantee' funding and stability. In the case of Medmenham, a good early start is essential to give your child a chance of a decent secondary education when it comes to the 11+. The military people have the option (at the moment anyway) of opting out of state education from the age of 8, so it could be argued that their need is actually not as great as the locals. I do recall there being some bad feeling at Danesfield towards the end of my tour, with suggestions that there was an 'us and them' culture developing between the Service and non-Service parents and children. The civvies even bought some land of their own on the other side of the School for car parking after the MoD complained about all the Range Rovers and SLKs being parked on the 'private' patch.

When we were there, the pre-school/nursery was run at the other (West) end of the Patch; it was very good and accepted Service and non-Service children.

STH

[A and C]

If you have to commute to High Wycombe during the rush hour(s) then think very hard about getting a quarter at the base.

I would think that it would take about an hour to get from the White Waltham/Medmenham sites talked about above to High Wycombe at the wrong time of day.

As a resident of the Wycombe area the only thing that I hate about the place is the rush hour traffic and if I had the chance of walking rather than driving I would take it.

[Red Line Entry]

Thanks for all the advice from all, it's much appreciated. We've turned down the offer for Maidstone primarily on the schools issue so will be on the waiting list for Medmenham and Bradenham.

So if you're living at those sites, just one more respectful request from me - move!

[Great Auk]

Red Line Entry

Check your PMs ref Bradenham SFQs.

GA