Distance Criterion
The straight-line distance from a child's home to the school, used as the final tiebreaker in grammar school admissions.
Definition
Distance from home to school is the primary tiebreaker used by all Buckinghamshire grammar schools to allocate places among qualifying applicants. Distance is measured in a straight line (as the crow flies) from the child's registered home address to the school's main entrance gate. Children living closer to the school have priority over those living further away, once the higher-priority criteria (looked-after children, siblings) have been applied. The distance cut-off varies year to year — it depends on how many qualifying children live near the school. Buckinghamshire Council publishes the final distance at which the last non-sibling place was offered each year.
Related Terms
Frequently Asked Questions
How is straight-line distance measured?
Buckinghamshire Council uses a Geographic Information System (GIS) to measure the straight-line distance from the child's home address to the school's main entrance. This is not walking distance or driving distance — it is the shortest theoretical distance between two points. Families cannot calculate this themselves with sufficient precision; the Council's system is the authoritative measurement.
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