My DS is currently in Y6 and we're considering Bruern Abbey.
He is bright, funny and an incredibly sociable boy. He has severe dyslexia and is around 2–3 years behind in reading age, but what he lacks in reading and writing he more than makes up for in confidence and sport.
I'd really appreciate hearing from parents with children at BA. What is the social mix of the school like? Is it mainly children with significant additional needs, or is there a broad range of boys with different strengths and challenges? My biggest concern is finding a place where my son will feel he fits in socially, can build strong friendships, and where his dyslexic needs can be met.
The alternative is our local feeder secondary, where all of his current friends will be going. It's a large school and I'm worried he will struggle academically there, but at the same time he would have familiar faces around him.
I also have a question about the social side of school life. We are by no means wealthy and would be making a huge financial commitment to send him there. We live in a small terraced house and will need to remortgage to cover the costs. I imagine many families at independent schools are in a very different financial position to ours. Have children from less affluent backgrounds found it easy to fit in socially, or can there be noticeable differences that make them feel left out?
Any honest experiences or advice would be hugely appreciated. We want to make the right decision for our son, both academically and socially.