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Original poster

HELP !! Surrey Secondary Independent Schools - Dyslexia Friendly

31 replies

SDF · 14/06/2016 21:18

Does anyone have any recommendations for boys or co-ed day secondary schools that are supportive towards dyslexia and that have great sports facilities?

My son is in year 5 at an independent prep school in Surrey and his dyslexia was picked up just over a year ago - so pretty late and we are playing catch up. He's not performing well at school and his CATs scores were low due to no allowances for his slow processing speed...

From his ed psychologist evaluation - he's got a very high verbal and visual intelligence but very low processing speed and working memory and has the potential to do well subject to overcoming these challenges and finding a way that works for him.

We'd be interested in schools like St Johns', Leatherhead or Reeds in Cobham (we are attracted to these because of the sports facilities as our son is a great all round sportsman). Our current school is strongly advising against them and has seemingly written him off based on current performance. The only suggestions we have been given are boarding options or day schools an hour or more away which don't work logistically. Desperately don't want him to board!

Do all schools really only select children on the basis of exam performance and CAT scores? Both of which are possibly not a true reflection of potential in this instance?

OP posts:
NetballHoop · 14/06/2016 22:45

Ewell Castle is definitely worth a look and it is now coed. It's a trek from Guildford though.

Original poster
SDF · 14/06/2016 22:33

Thanks for your suggestions we are around the Woking / Guildford area. Both of us work and have a DD in a school in the Guildford area so logistics are complex! She might move for 6th form if we find the right coed school.

OP posts:
lasermum · 14/06/2016 22:14

Sorry Halliford

lasermum · 14/06/2016 22:13

Not sure where in Surrey you are but I have heard good reports of Hallifird (which is only just over the Thames in Shepperton)

LIZS · 14/06/2016 21:59

Ewell Castle, Box Hill and Seaford College ?

merlottime · 14/06/2016 21:53

I believe Reeds are really trying to improve their academic standing, so that they are not just known as a school with good sports facilities. I don't know though whether this means that it is out of the question for your DS, after all dyslexia is a specific learning disability and not lack of intelligence. In your shoes I would want to be sure that they have appropriate learning support in place, and that the outcomes for people with Dyslexia are good. As they are a very popular school though the hardest bit is making it through the entrance procedure, where they may have so many candidates that they can pick from the most high flying applicants. If your DS is a very high sporting standard (county or above) in any of their major sports it may help.

Alternatively there are two specialist dyslexia schools in Surrey - Moon Hall (Reigate) and More House (Frensham). Both are probably more suited to DCs with more severe SpLD where they really benefit from specialist tuition. My DS goes to one of these. The compromise we have had to make is that he does his sport outside of school - for example there is no Astro pitch, and although they do play competitive sport, the class sizes are so small they need to put several year groups together to form a team.

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