Aylesbury High School

Located in Walton Road Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP21 7SX the AHS is one of the best schools in Buckinghamshire. Founded in 1959, AHS is an all-girls grammar school. The school was formed when Aylesbury Grammar School split into two single-sex grammar schools. Both schools are still closely linked and work together often. AHS is a selective school and is open to students who achieve the desired standardized scores in the Secondary Transfer Test.

AHS has consistently attained excellent exam results and is one of the best schools not only in Buckinghamshire but in the country. The school became an academy in July 2011. In 2012 AHS was rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. It has won many awards including International School Award, Investors in Careers award, and the Eco-Schools Green Flag. The school focuses on developing the student both inside and outside the classroom.

General Information

Address:  Aylesbury High School, Walton Road Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP21 7SX

General enquiries: 01296 388222

County: Buckinghamshire, Southeast England

Website: https://www.ahs.bucks.sch.uk/

Email: office@ahs.bucks.sch.uk

Gender of Entry: Girls

Age Range: 11 to 18

Exam board type/format: GL Assessment

Admissions policy: Selective

Pupils: 1,290 (approx.)

Places in Year 7: 180 places

Headmaster: Mr Giles Scoble

Is Aylesbury High School all girls?

Yes, Aylesbury High School is an all girls school, the school is commonly named by local people “Aylesbury Girls” and the pupils as ” the High or AHA “.

The admission process of Aylesbury High School 

Admission to the Aylesbury High School year 7 is based on the pupils’ performance in the 11 plus secondary transfer test. Aylesbury High School is part of the Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools Consortium. The GL assessment produces the 11 plus exam and is administered by Buckinghamshire County Council as part of its coordinated admissions scheme.

Pupils that meet the required qualifying score of 121 in the Buckinghamshire Secondary Test will be considered eligible for admission. However, achieving a score does not guarantee a place at the school, as each grammar school sets its own additional admissions criteria in Buckinghamshire.  

Parents are recommended to visit the Aylesbury High School during one of its Open Mornings, which generally takes place in July and October, before applying for a place. The open morning will help parents and students to know the school better and provide an opportunity to meet the current pupils and staff members. To book an appointment, one can contact the school. 

In case the number of places available is less than the qualifying applicants, the school follows the below oversubscription policy where priority in admission is given to – 

Where qualifying applications for admission exceed the number of places available, places will be allocated in the following order of priority:

1. Looked after or previously looked after girls and internationally adopted previously looked after girls. 
2. Girls that are qualified for Free School Meals and live in the school’s catchment area. 
3. Sisters of girls that are on the roll of Aylesbury High School at the time of admission to Year 7 in September 
4. Sisters of boys that are on the roll of Aylesbury Grammar School at the time of admission to Year 7 in September 
5. Sisters of girls who have previously been on the roll of Aylesbury High School 
6. Girls with exceptional medical or social needs that can only be met at Aylesbury High School and no other school. Their application should be supported by written evidence from a doctor, educational welfare officer, or other qualified people. 
7. Girls living in the catchment area of the school. 

Please see the Buckinghamshire County Council website for more information on the Secondary Transfer Test.

How to apply for Aylesbury High School?

Pupils who have attended the Buckinghamshire primary school are automatically registered for the testing unless the parents withdraw their child from testing. In all other cases where the child has attended independent schools in Buckinghamshire or non-Buckinghamshire primary schools, an application should be made to Buckinghamshire Council before the deadline. Other than this, parents need to notify their Local Authority of their school preference before the closing date.

Pupils who live inside the catchment area also need to complete a Supplementary Information Form (SIF), to enable the school to check the eligibility of their address.

The catchment area of Aylesbury High School 

Aylesbury High School has a catchment area. You can find a map of the school’s catchment area here. You can check whether you reside in the catchment area or not by entering your postcode into Buckinghamshire Council’s catchment area checker.

The 11 Plus Exam Format of Aylesbury High School 

The new Aylesbury High School Secondary Transfer Test at 11+ consists of two test papers:

1. Paper 1 includes questions based on comprehension, English, and verbal reasoning skills.
2. Paper 2 contains questions on maths, non-verbal reasoning, and spatial reasoning. 

Each paper is approximately 45 minutes long, and all questions are multiple-choice. Applicants get a separate answer sheet to mark their answers. The verbal reasoning section weighs 50%, and the non-verbal reasoning and maths section weigh 25% each. 

The 11 plus secondary transfer test at Aylesbury High School is taken in September of year 6, and the results are released in October. The 11 plus score is age-standardized to ensure fairness to all applicants irrespective of their age. 

To get pupils familiar with the 11 Plus Secondary Transfer Test exam conditions and layout, they can attend a practice test which is generally taken two days before the actual 11 plus exam.

List of Grammar Schools

For a comprehensive list of Grammar schools, visit the Comprehensive List of Grammar Schools and Consortiums