Bruern Abbey

[Confusedmum1981]

Hi
We are thinking of sending our 9 year old dyslexic boy to Bruern Abbey. Would love to chat to any current or past parents of the school.
We live about 45 minutes away so considering boarding or day. Ideally we would like him to board.
Obviously it is a massive expense which we are happy to pay if he'll be happy and get the support he needs.
Any thoughts either way of going or staying in the local mainstream school?
He is quite a sensitive boy and struggles with friendships. So pulling him away from his friends is going to be tough. But he is working about 2 years behind his peers. And so want to get him the help he needs.

I don't have children there but know three families who do and I've only heard good things from them, not only in terms of academic support but also support and progress with processing, executive functioning and socialising. There seems to be a feeling for these boys that they've finally found their tribe after years of struggling in mainstream.

It sounds just perfect for our boy! Thanks for the feedback!

Beautiful school! My DS is v bright and I looked at it for him, but decided mainstream would be better. As wonderful as it is, I worried what it would be like to transition into mainstream again. I can see how kids are transformed there for the better, but it wasn’t for us. I saw some classes in progress, and they were all very calm.

Hi, my ds loves it there. He has moved onto Bruern senior and loves there too. Its not chaotic - its a fun, nurturing place with a heavy emphasis on education and bolstering confidence. Best decision I ever made.

Such good news. Our boy has a sleepover next week. 😀

Bruern juniors is a an amazing place, OP and all DS' cohort transitioned happily back into mainstream seniors at age 13. I hear that Bruern senior is also going well, in its first term.

Thanks. It's so great to hear from parents who's boys have been to the school!

I’m loving Bruern senior. Besides helping my ds it has resulted in a much less stressed home life and my mental state has returned to postivity about the future whereas before it was all doom and gloom

Our grandson has just finished Bruern Prep and is now in Bruern senior. It has been the making of him. It is such a caring, nurturing place. It is also a place where they let boys be boys and mess about in the woods etc.

He was so unhappy at school before he went there and has been transformed.

Thanks both. Really hoping our boys stay over next week goes well! Then he'll start after Christmas!

My DS’ bestie at senior school went through Bruern prep and clearly thrived there. He’s highly intelligent but acutely dyslexic, now doing extremely well in a mainstream school, happy, confident and highly regarded. Good luck @Confusedmum1981, I hope the sleepover goes well.

Thank you! Such a happy story!

Hello, how is your son settling in Bruern Abbey? still happy with the school? My DS will be going for a visit and assessment next term 😬

Hi Gabs
He is getting on really well. Took a bit of a while to settle with boarding.
But now he is more than happy to go back on a Monday 😀

Good luck with the visits and assessments. Feel free to PM if you want to chat.

Sorry, slight veer off topic but looking at Bruern Senior for my son who started Y9 elsewhere. @ushma do you know what the GCSE choices are at Bruern Senior? Also, what is the timing of the school week? I couldn't see anything on the school website.

Hi I have dropped you a lengthy set of emails with the info. As always I am happy to chat. My son loves it there and he will be taking 9 to 10 GCSE's with Bruern. His predicted grades are looking really good. I would say its a miracle, but it's not. It's really down to the excellent teaching and pastoral care provided by Bruern.

When looking at gcse's you may find this info useful:
Maths, English and Science are the core subjects everyone must take at GCSE in England and Wales.

State schools will provide children with 7-9 GCSE's. IMO 5 GCSE's/BTecs are a must for college/6th form A level's. Most independent schools will offer between 8-11 GCSE's. when I looked at 6th Form the grade average was the most important thing combined with gcse grade in any pre-req GCSE's for study. The number of GCSE's held did not even factor.

I say this only because many people are hung up on the number of GCSE's being provided as opposed to what is needed to achieve a goal. So hopefully this info helps.

Thank you @ushma I didn't know that about the grade average. So quality trumps quantity.

Can anyone advise what "games" entails? We are considering applying to the senior school, but my son does not like rugby. Will this matter? Will he be required to participate? Are there other option during "games"?

Hi lots of other options for sports (too many to list) and no child is forced to do a sport they hate. I hope that helps and best of luck!

Great to hear your child is thriving. Am I right in thinking there is no homework in senior years? If so, how do kids reinforce their learning?

There is homework. Where possible they encourage the boys to complete the homework in their prep time at school. The homework certainly happens every weekend once the gcse years start. Hope that helps. As my ds boards so a lot of his work is completed at school.

Hi,
I am looking at Bruern for my 8yr old son. He is ASD, very bright and sociable but has quite a spike PDA profile so needs somewhere with really good flexility and understanding of emotional regulation. I would love to hear from any other parents whose sons have been to Bruern who had a bit more of a challenging emotional profile? Are the staff trained in this aspect of neurodiversity or is it more geared towards the learning difficulties? The school says they can support and be really flexible but I would love to hear from a parent who has experienced it! Hugest thanks.