Indie/grammar schools for bright very dyspraxic ds south London

[Ateallthechoccies]

Hi all,

So we have twins (year 5), this is a question for ds. He is doing well academically - top of the top sets in Maths and English, winning prizes in various inter-school comps etc and doing well in most things. However, he is really, really bad at sport. I mean, probably the worst in his school year at every sport there is. Outside of school he horse rides and swims and has physio every Thursday night. He is active and healthy and happy and we're just glad he enjoys sport. We are looking for an academic school where ds can continue to be stretched but where his being not in the least bit sporty won't cause him too many problems socially. We are easygoing re co-ed or boys, but think single sex may be better for ds just because he won't have girls witnessing his inability to catch/kick a ball (I am also dyspraxic and remember being so embarrassed when boys watched me struggle at sport). Any advice very gratefully received!

If you're in South London and are really looking purely on his academic skills because he isn't sporty, I would look at Graveney, Sutton, Wilsons, Wallington, and Tiffin in no particular order. All State. If you want private Dulwich, Alleyns for the academic. City is easy from South London depending on where you are and is very academic but you don't need to be sporty. All competitive, but all good. Depends on your circumstances.

Seriously; he's not at all unusual in that respect so please, don't make his dyspraxia the basis for your choice. Visit the schools and pick the best one for him that he can get into. Yes, there may be compulsory rugby for example, but there will be a good chunk of the year for whom that means they go and hang around the sports field chatting. Lots of bright kids are just like your DS and he will fit in fine.

My DS went to Sutton Grammar, he's not sporty at all but nonetheless enjoyed the games etc on offer and for a while almost liked cross country (wore off in the end!)
Teaching and pastoral care excellent there. Little bit smaller school than some of the others, which he liked.

Mostinept- I'm so pleased to hear that. My DS is hoping for Sutton. It was his highest preference in his state choices and was the school he liked the best out of all of them.

I have another DC at Graveney and it is a fantastic school. Something for everyone.

There actually are a lot of great schools for kids in South London both state and private. It's just finding the one you and your DC respond to the most.

Oh my - can of worms - 🙄 - not making any points - - maybe we should all just stick to the OPs query

Just came onto second a look at Trinity. My ds is there and loves it (his primary school also not interested, said he had no chance of getting in etc etc). I have been very impressed at how inclusive and diverse it is. There are very sporty boys, up at Whitgift level, bit surprisingly to me, very, very academic boys who don't play rugby or do any sport, very musical boys and everything in between. My ds also got a place at whitgift but he is a general all rounder, likes sports but not county/scholarship blah blah and bright (like they all are at Trinity) but not one of the ones doing hard maths club getting 100pc on every maths paper, so we chose Trinity. So far that seems to be fine, the jocks, nerds, geeks, everybody else, whatever you want to label them as all seem to rub along fine and, crucially for us, seem equally valued.