Bucks prep for very sporty but dyslexic DS

[BananaMoon4]

I am looking for recommendations on prep schools for my 6 year old DS, currently in year 2. My husband and I both commute and work in the city. DD is at Pipers and we live locally in that area. DS is currently in a local state primary.

DS is very talented in sport (multiple observations, not just ours) and I would hope that potentially he would enter a senior school on a sports scholarship, or at least go on to a senior school that provides an enriching curriculum of sport, as this is where his strength and passion lies.

The issue we have is that he is very dyslexic, so much so that reading is a serious challenge for him. He has fallen behind massively in his state school and is lost in a class of 30 children. The gap is only going to increase as he progresses through the school, which will seriously impact his chances of passing the admission assesments to a private, sporty senior school.

He also wouldn't pass any academically selective year 3 entry test, and the schools I have looked at that excel in sport for his age have academic entrance assesments.

Logistically, we can't travel too far from Pipers. I loved Ashfold, but it's just too far for us. The Gateway is on our doorstep, but isn't as sporty as I would like. The Beacon and Chesham Prep suit well sport wise, but have academic entry criteria - are they both very academic schools? Thorpe house, I wasn't blown away with but would consider. Westbrook Hay is further away, but does have a bus route from Amersham - I don't know anything about this school so any information would be great.

I suppose I am looking for any fellow Mumsnetters who have DC in, or have experience of, the schools listed above and can provide any insight into how they may or may not be suited to my sporty but dyslexic DS. Also any schools within a reasonable commute that I may have overlooked?

Thanks all 😊

Local but not up with boys schools.
Anecdotally Chesham Prep has good SEN, which would make me consider looking. I agree with comments on The Beacon and Gateway.
Have you considered Caldicott?

Westbrook Hay would be a great shout. Since announcing they are going through to 16 they have re-emphasised their pastoral side and are basically the opposite of Berkhamsted School. This is proving to be a popular decision with many who just don’t want the focus so heavily on academics. It’s going to be a small school - 40 children in each year - which some might feel off putting but this allows them to truly know each child individually and offer a very personalised learning experience.

It is a VERY sporty school with a big focus on football and they have the trophies to prove it. Lots of children in the youth academies at London teams. It is all a bit “untested” when it comes to the secondary section as it’s so new though. They will have their first Y9 in 2025.

Chesham Prep does also have good SEN support so is worth a look. Yes they have a big focus on 11+ grammars there but again it’s very sporty. Several boys have moved / are moving to WBH at 11 though.

Avoid Berkhamsted like the plague for SEN. They are really not interested. My daughter had offers from Habs and Wycombe Abbey with two creative scholarships on top and never made it off the waiting list for Berkhamsted. Go figure.

Thank you both. I hadn't actually considered Caldicott as I thought it was too academic for him, but I could be wrong? (Based on a very bright male colleague of mine attending Caldicott as a child)

I have booked to attend the open morning at WBH this month, really interested in that one, particularly due to their football success. Also going to see Chesham Prep as I think this could work well for DS too until he is 11.

I agree with comments on Berkhamsted - I looked for DD and didn't feel it was the right fit for my children, however, we have friends who's DCs are thriving there.