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Living And Working In Buckinghamshire (Aylesbury Vale)

Waddesdon is a small, attractive village with a population of around 2,000. It is a thriving rural community only 10 minutes from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire’s county town, and 15 minutes from Bicester and its renowned “Bicester Village” retail outlet. The school is set on the edge of the village, with its own playing fields backing onto Waddesdon Manor Estate land.

Waddesdon Church of England School was originally a gift from the local founding parishes to the community. Although many students travel from outside the catchment area, the school has always enjoyed very strong links with the immediate communities. They include Waddesdon village, the parish church of St. Michael’s, the Schorne and Swan Teams of Churches and Waddesdon Manor (former home of the Rothschild family and now a National Trust property).

Buckinghamshire is one of the few counties still operating a county-wide grammar and upper school secondary education system. In the immediate locality there are four grammar schools. Three are in Aylesbury and one in Buckingham, they are attended by about 30percent of the total cohort. The upper schools are in Aylesbury (3), Buckingham, Wing and Waddesdon. Geographically, Waddesdon is the westernmost secondary school in the county.

The following guide to places and motorways may be helpful:

  • Milton Keynes is 30 minutes away
  • Oxford is a 30 minute drive
  • Cheltenham is 1 hour’s distance
  • Waddesdon is 30 minutes from the Chiltern Hills and 45 minutes from the Cotswolds
  • The M1 (Junction 14) is just 10 minutes from Milton Keynes
  • The M40 (Junction 9) is 20 minutes from the school
  • Train services from Aylesbury run regularly to London Marylebone and from Bicester to Marylebone and Birmingham