64% of Burnham children are travelling outside the area for secondary school

New figures show that nearly two-thirds of Burnham children are being educated outside the local area after leaving primary school, highlighting continued demand for a local non-selective secondary school.

6/3/20261 min read

Of the 322 pupils leaving seven local primary schools (St Peter’s, Lent Rise, St Nicolas, Dorney, St Mary’s Farnham Royal, Priory, and Our Lady of Peace), 204 children have not been offered a place at a Burnham secondary school.

Instead, these pupils will attend schools across:

Maidenhead (104 pupils)
Slough non-selective schools (100 pupils)
Buckinghamshire non-selective schools only 19 pupils

Burnham Grammar School will continue to serve pupils entering selective education, admitting 46 of the 63 children awarded grammar school places locally. The remaining pupils will attend a range of schools outside the immediate area.

Burnham remains the only community in Buckinghamshire with a grammar school but no non-selective secondary school, a situation that has persisted since the closure of Burnham Park Academy in 2019.

This pattern of transitions from Year 6 to Year 7 for our children has remained broadly similar over the past seven years but it has proved extremely difficult to attract the attention of Buckinghamshire Council members and officers based in Aylesbury especially after South Bucks. District Council was disbanded in 2020.

While national birth rates are declining, local demand is influenced by ongoing housing growth and improved connectivity following the Elizabeth Line opening in 2022, alongside significant planned development across Burnham and surrounding areas.

The Save Our School steering group continues to engage with Buckinghamshire Council and neighbouring authorities to highlight the need for a non-selective secondary school and welcomes support from anyone with relevant expertise in school place planning.

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New data shows that **64% of children leaving Burnham’s primary schools this year will travel outside the area for their secondary education**.

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64% of Burnham children are travelling outside the area for secondary school

New data shows that 64% of children leaving Burnham’s primary schools this year will travel outside the area for their secondary education.

Save Our School

New data shows that **64% of children leaving Burnham’s primary schools this year will travel outside the area for their secondary education**.