Bruern Abbey Senior School

Since September 2024, Kate Walker, previously housemistress, and previously head of English, at Repton School, which she joined in 2015 – and where she met her husband, then director of music. The daughter of two prep heads, she attended Culford

A mainstream senior school offering specialist help for boys with dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and other learning difficulties, some with ADHD and autism. Opened in September 2022 with its first year 9 cohort. Around 30 boys per year group. Up to

School’s aim is to ‘cheer up and sort out’ the boys so they can return to mainstream after their time in the ‘Bruern bubble’. First cohort of year 11s will graduate in summer 2025, and school expects the majority to head off to a mix of sixth form

While the prep school’s job is to get boys with weaker working memories and processing speeds through their Common Entrance, here it’s all about getting them over the line of GCSEs. Same principles apply – small class sizes (between seven and 11);

The vast majority of support is embedded in the small classes. That said, there were multiple one-to-ones and small-group sessions going on in various parts of the school during our visit. These, we were told, were mainly the boys who take fewer

Art and DT timetabled in year 9, with around a third taking art at GCSE and over half taking DT. Large art studio, where water is a current topic – boys were using oil, clay, watercolour and mixed media. Lino, Modroc and spray paints popular too.

Four games sessions a week, with rugby, football and cricket the staples. No sweat if you’re not a team player (many aren’t). ‘My son just walks the dog instead, they’re so flexible,’ said one parent. Cross-country, skiing, climbing, clay pigeon

About half the boys board – the vast majority weekly (Mon morning to Fri afternoon), a few flexis. ‘Get ready for the worst feng shui ever,’ winced the head as he showed us the dorms (six max for year 9, with threes and fours available for all year

Two full-time SENCos oversee a visiting SaLT and OT for areas of specific need. School is currently considering introducing music therapy. ‘There’s nothing they won’t consider that could be a barrier to learning and building self-esteem,’ said one

Pastoral care is the start and end of everything here, and a large part of the reason parents pick the school: ‘The attentiveness of staff, and the care they show for them, far exceeds any other mainstream school we visited, which at last count was

Boys we met were studious, polite and only too happy to tell us about daily life here. Around 40 per cent hail from London (usually taking the half-hour train from Marylebone to Haddenham & Thame Parkway, 10 minutes away), a further 40 per cent are

Mostly privately funded, with around 10 per cent LA funding. Bursaries up to 100 per cent.

A small, caring and aspirational school – parents speak of ‘winning the lottery’ at finally finding one to suit their able boys who need specialist support and a nurturing environment. ‘Mainstream schools are too big and don’t get it, and specialist