Non selective secondaries in west essex

[EssexCat]

Help! We've always state educated so I don't know where to start with private schooling.

Ds7 struggles academically (yr3 but v young for year and also for his age), and we are starting to ponder secondaries for him.

Early I know but eldest, bright son is in Y7 at a (fastly) improving school and although he is doing well there I think his younger brother will struggle as he will be in the lower sets and they are quite disruptive and the school doesn't have great results for the less able pupils.

How do I go about looking for secondaries that are nurturing and not selective?

We are near bancrofts and Chigwell so my gauge for schools is somewhat skewed as these two are super selective. But surely not all children at indies are bright and gifted?

Darn. Didn't put private in the title! Hopefully the post is clear!

Not sure there are too many options. There aren't that many private secondaries in Essex at all really and all will be selective to varying degrees. Apart from Bancrofts and Chigwell guess Brentwood is not too far but that is quite selective. Bit further afield Felsted used to be less selective but not so much now. Maybe St Nicholas in Harlow or St Johns in Billericay which I believe are much less selective but only up to 16. Maybe further afield somewhere with boarding?