About the School

The Misbourne School is a co-educational Upper School which, in September 2002, had more than twelve hundred students aged between eleven and eighteen years, including some two hundred students in the Sixth Form.

We believe it to be an orderly community in which students are encouraged to enjoy learning and succeed in that wide range of academic, cultural, social, and sporting opportunities which they are offered by a hard-working, committed and caring staff who themselves enjoy being part of the school.

The school caters for the full ability range of students. For many years it has provided successful academic opportunities for students who have obtained results at GCSE and in the Sixth Form which are always amongst the best of Buckinghamshire Upper Schools, but it also does well by students who do not find learning or school particularly easy.

The school serves the village of Great Missenden, in which its spacious campus is situated, and the villages of Prestwood, Little Kingshill, Hyde Heath, South Heath, Ballinger, The Lee and Lee Common.

Joining the School

Many pupils join the school from outside the Reserved Area under the provision of the 1980 Education Act which enables parents to state a preference of school. The availability of such places, for which there is no entitlement to free transport, depends on the number of pupils who are entitled to join The Misbourne School from within its reserved area.

Prospective parents are advised to take careful note of the information given annually in the Guide for Parents issued by Buckinghamshire County Council because it is possible for the legal situation regarding admissions to change from year to year.

In September 2005 the maximum number of pupils to be admitted to Year Seven will be two hundred and ten and requests for the admission of pupils from outside the reserved area will be the responsibility of and administered by

Buckinghamshire County Council
The Admissions Team
Education Department
County Hall
Aylesbury
HP2O 1UX

The LEA admissions' criteria were strictly applied by the Admissions Team and the school governors when allocating places. Exceptionally, because of high numbers in the age group throughout Buckinghamshire, two hundred and forty students were finally admitted in both September 2001 and September 2002 but it has been agreed that the maximum number from 2004 onwards will be 210.

This pattern of heavy over-subscription has become something of a tradition in recent years. It is important, however, that local families are aware that the school places great importance on striving to meet their preferences. It is unusual, therefore, in the end, for families who really want their child to come to The Misbourne School to find that a place has not become available by the end of the Summer Term before entry, but sometimes a little patience is needed! It is the school's professed aim to reduce as far as it is able the stress of waiting for a decision, but circumstances are sometimes beyond its control.

Related Links: [ County Admissions Policy... ]

OfSTED Inspection - Mon 2nd to Fri 6th February 2004 'A Very Good School set to be at the Leading Edge of Educational Development'

The Misbourne School was inspected in early February by a very professional, supportive and well led team from OfSTED. In a spirit of professional openness and critical self-evaluation there has emerged a very good report in which the many strengths of the school have been identified and celebrated.

We, as a school are delighted that the outstanding professional dedication and commitment of the staff and Governors over many years has been recognised in this most encouraging report."

Amongst the many positive findings, significantly the report highlights the strength of teaching and learning across all years and the excellent relationships that underpin the very essence of a high achieving school.

Students' attendance, the dedication and hard work of the teaching staff, the sixth form, learning and the inclusive nature of the school are picked out for particular praise and there are many examples of excellent practice throughout the report.

Jon Howard-Drake, the Headteacher, feels that the report provides the critical analysis that will allow a very good school to become an excellent educational environment. "Areas of strength and areas for development have been clearly identified and these will link naturally into our own detailed agenda for change and improvement. We recognise that accommodation and resources remain a critical issue for the school but we know that with our continued close working relationship with the LEA we can make significant inroads into this issue. However the report highlights the fact that it is people that make the real family of The Misbourne School and I am very grateful for the significant part played by our students, parents and governors in supporting us through this process."

We are at the cutting edge of school improvement and we believe that this excellent report will allow us to provide an outstanding educational community for our students, staff and external partners over the coming years".

Related Links: [ Ofsted Information... ]

School uniform is compulsory and extremes of fashion in dress or hairstyle are not permitted. An established code of dress is an important feature of The Misbourne culture and the school actively seeks the support of all its parents to uphold the high standards which we wish to achieve.

Sixth Form students are not required to wear uniform, but should dress in a manner appropriate to the life of a school where other pupils are wearing uniform.

Essential features of the school dress code include:

School dress can be purchased from Wheatleys, Sycamore Road, Amersham. They always hold a stock of our school dress and provide a mail-order service.

Related Links: [ School Uniform Details... ]

One of the greatest difficulties which students (and their parents) experience at the time of transfer to Secondary School is he fact that they have to come to terms with a much larger school community.

To help overcome this The Misbourne School is divided into Key Stage groups, each managed by very experienced members of staff whose responsibility it is to ensure that each student is happy in school and achieving his or her full potential.

Key Stage Three - Lower School (Years Seven, Eight and Nine)
Key Stage Four - Upper School (Years Ten and Eleven)
Key Stage Five - Sixth Form (Years Twelve and Thirteen)

Whenever possible, contact with the school should be through the student's form tutor for we encourage that colleague to establish as close a link as possible with every child's parents. We recognise, however, that it is not always possible to gain access to the form tutor! If that is the case a parent will be referred to the appropriate Key Stage Director who is likely to have detailed knowledge of the student concerned and able to give rapid assistance.

The structure of the school day will be reviewed for September 2003 but in 2002-2003 it was as follows:

08:40 - Pupils enter school for Registration
09:10 - Period 1
10:10 - Period 2
11:10 - Morning Break
11:30 - Period 3
12:30 - Period 4
13:30 - Lunch
14:20 - Period 5
15:20 - End of School

The Misbourne provides twenty-five hours' teaching each week for all pupils. For many students, however, the day is longer when extra-curricular activities are taken into account.

A number of clubs and activities are arranged at lunchtime and it is hoped that as many students as possible will take advantage of them. The school also arranges a lot of competitive sports fixtures which take place after school, and the school also has a strong reputation for the quality of its music and drama productions. Inevitably this means that large numbers of students remain on-site at the end of the formal school day, and we are grateful for the support we receive from parents who may frequently have to collect students.

A clear line of progression can be seen each Key Stage with students able to build on previous experience and knowledge. By the end of Year Eleven all students will have had the opportunity to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to enter the world of work or to move into The Misbourne Sixth.

Citizenship is an integral part of the curriculum and is delivered through all lessons.

Core Subjects - English, Mathematics, Science.

Foundation Subjects - Modern Foreign Language, Technology, History, Geography, Music, Physical Education, Art.

Other Subjects - Religious Education, Personal and Social Education, Drama.

There are twenty-five lessons in each week. Each day consists of five lessons, with a period of Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) held on one day.

[ Key Stage 3... ]

[ Key Stage 4... ]

[ Key Stage 5... ]

I take great pleasure from the way in which The Misbourne Sixth has developed in recent years. In terms of breadth of opportunity and quality of achievement it offers students a wide range of experiences which should be given very serious consideration by all who are seeking to do well at Advanced Level or in one of our Vocational Courses.

Head of Learning (6th Form) - Ms S Signorile

This applies equally to those who are already students of The Misbourne and those who are one of the substantial number who join us from other schools for their Sixth Form education.

You will be joining The Misbourne Sixth at an exciting stage of its development.  Since the introduction of new post 16 qualifications we have developed a curriculum which we feel supports and enhances both the school and the students' provision.

It means that we will provide an even broader range of opportunities for our students to do very well and there is every chance that you will find just the right mix of subjects to meet your needs and aspirations.

Once again in last summer's examinations our students achieved excellent results and all who wished were able to move on to University and Higher Education Courses. This trend towards excellence has become a marked feature of The Misbourne Sixth in recent years and I am confident that it is one which will be maintained in what is undoubtedly one of Buckinghamshire's largest and most successful Upper Schools at all levels.

Such success may be attributed to many reasons, not least the high quality of the students themselves. However, I really do believe that a major factor in our students' success is the quality of care, support, and teaching the students receive from dedicated staff who take great delight in meeting the challenges presented by Sixth Form work. In our most recent Ofsted Inspection (February 2004) the Inspection team were impressed by the broad range of courses and opportunities offered..

Students and staff create together in partnership a pleasing ethos of hard work, stimulating yet generally relaxed, which enables the students to realise their full potential and achieve their goals in an enjoyable and challenging way.

The Misbourne Sixth offers all its students a great deal and a good deal. I do hope you will want to join us and share the success we achieve.

Jon Howard-Drake
Headteacher

The Sixth Form Brochure. [ Download... ]
Internal Application Form
External Application Form