Wycombe High vs Beaconsfield High

How the two compare on Ofsted, GCSE results, places and entrance test — and specialist 11+ tuition for both.

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School data verified against Ofsted and DfE sources

Wycombe High School and Beaconsfield High School are both selected through the The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools. In 2024/25, Wycombe High recorded a GCSE Attainment 8 of 73.9 (96.8% grade 5+ in English and maths), against Beaconsfield High's 75.9 (99.4%). Wycombe High admits about 192 pupils to Year 7 each year and Beaconsfield High about 186. Wycombe High's latest Ofsted outcome is Outstanding (2024); Beaconsfield High's is Outstanding (2019).

Two of the leading girls’ grammars in the Buckinghamshire consortium, both selected on the Secondary Transfer Test.

Wycombe High Beaconsfield High
Location High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
Type Girls Girls
Ofsted (latest) Outstanding (2024) Outstanding (2019)†
GCSE Attainment 8 (2024/25) 73.9 75.9
Grade 5+ English & maths 96.8% 99.4%
A-level (2025) 76% A*–B 81% A*–B
Year 7 places 192 186
Entrance test GL Assessment, Bucks Secondary Transfer Test (TBGS) GL Assessment, Bucks Secondary Transfer Test (TBGS)
Qualifying score 121 (standardised) 121 (standardised)

Wycombe High or Beaconsfield High: how to choose

Because both schools select through the Bucks Secondary Transfer Test (TBGS), your child sits one test that counts for both — so you do not have to choose before the 11+. The decision comes later, when you list preferences. Weigh three things: which school your child is realistically in catchment for (each ranks qualified applicants differently — see each school's allocation rules), the results and ethos that suit your child, and the practicalities of the daily journey.

On the hard numbers, the two are closely matched: Wycombe High posted a GCSE Attainment 8 of 73.9 and Beaconsfield High 75.9 in 2024/25. Beaconsfield High edges it on that measure, but the gap is small and both sit far above the national average. For most families the deciding factor is access — the score needed in practice and the catchment rules — rather than a fraction of an Attainment 8 point.

Questions

Wycombe High vs Beaconsfield High: Frequently Asked Questions

There is no single "better" school — it depends on where you live, your child, and the places each allocates. On the latest published GCSE Attainment 8 (2024/25), Wycombe High scored 73.9 and Beaconsfield High scored 75.9, so Beaconsfield High is marginally higher. Both are strong, selective grammar schools. The more important question is usually which one your child is most likely to get a place at, given catchment and the way each ranks applicants.
Yes. Both Wycombe High and Beaconsfield High select through the The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools (GL Assessment), so a child sits one test that counts for both. The Secondary Transfer Test (STT) assesses verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and mathematics across two papers of about 60 minutes each, administered by Buckinghamshire Council for all Bucks grammar schools.
Yes. Because both use the same test, one preparation programme covers both. We teach Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning in separate sessions, cap classes at eight, and start every child with a free diagnostic assessment. Our High Wycombe centre prepares Wycombe High applicants for the Bucks Secondary Transfer Test.

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Sources

School data is taken from authoritative sources, last verified 26 May 2026: Ofsted (Wycombe High, Beaconsfield High); the Department for Education’s Compare school and college performance service (GCSE 2024/25); and each school’s own admissions arrangements. A-level figures are each school’s published 2025 results where available. Progress 8 is not shown because the DfE cannot calculate it for 2024/25 (no Key Stage 2 baseline after Covid-19). † Most recent inspection was ungraded, so Ofsted issued no new overall grade (overall grades were dropped for state schools in September 2024). The grade shown is from the previous graded inspection, with its year.

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