Non-Selective Independent PASTORAL school Hampshire/Dorset/Wilts/Surrey areas?

[bottomsup2]

Hi there, I am currently trying to find an independent secondary school for my year five son.

He is very shy; he needs a lot of encouragement and has some SEN but needs a mainstream - but with small class sizes which everyone agrees are essential so he can't do state schools.

So I need a private school that is very pastoral, is either non-selective or has a lower pass rate than the academic hot-houses, and has a small school feel (eg small classes) even if it's got lots of pupils. Day or boarding. From age 11 or 13.

Academically he's never going to get A*s; he might get a couple of As, a couple of Bs, Cs and Ds for example.

Does such a caring and idyllic school exist within a couple of hours of Bournemouth please?

I know about the following, so I am looking for those (perhaps further afield) that I may have missed:
King Edwards Soton - too academic, too boisterous I believe. He won't pass the entrance exam.
Canford - too academic, he won't get in. Too pricey.
Dauntseys - looks good.
Hampshire Collegiate. Possible but I don't know how hard the entrance exam is. It looks quite academic.
Sherbourne - possible
Ballard - possible
Clayesmore - possible
BCS - possible
Bryanston - too expensive
Kings Bruton - have already told me it's not the school for my son!
Milton Abbey - ditto
Millfield - ditto

Are there any mainstream independents that I have missed please?

Many thanks for your help and advice as always.
xx

Blobby - yes that's in consideration but all our reports and the EHCP say he needs to be mainstream so that will be difficult.

Greenfinch - too far away, but thanks

In that case I would agree with Frogspawn and think Clayesmore is a good bet. I know they took a friends' son who did not get 50% in his CE and struggled academically. Do try Dauntseys but I think they are a long shot as they are fairly academic. I know they took a friends child last year who did not pass English in their CE but they had siblings at the school already. I think 11+ might be a better option for your DS than CE so it would be good to line a school up asap. There is another school with very small classes you could check out, I don't even know if it is boarding or day or if it goes to A levels (sorry!) it's called Rookwood in Andover, Hampshire.

Would agree with Greenfinch about Dauntseys, it's increasingly selective and believe its borders only at 13. At 11 some don't get in. Its a great school, but when we looked around we thought that a quieter child might get overlooked. Just my opinion. Do look at Warminster, have heard good things about it.

Great, thank you, I will look into all of these recommendations.

Another to look up is Stonar.

I agree with the Clayesmore vote.

Not Sherborne- the boys have to be very independent, there is very little help with personal organisation, social time etc.

It might be worth looking at Leweston. They have just gone co-ed so will be keen on taking a boy! It has a good pastoral reputation.

Are you planning to move for this school? If not- does he currently board at his prep? He doesn't really sound like the ideal candidate for boarding just from what you've said?

It's really not possible to say what CE grades he would get - very much depends on quality of teaching, learning support, and most importantly the work he puts in, but I would say for a 50% average you'd be looking at CATs of around 100, so more like the 40-50% bracket, but could do better with the right support and work ethic.

Hampshire Collegiate is selective only by wallet - it is NOT an academic scool

However HCS is able to get top grades with academic children. I personally know a recent example of this at GCSE level where the DC had been at the school since nursery.

Thre are indeed some very bright kids there - I know kids who wanted a smaller school environment than the big comps
but HCS is in no way academically selective
nor are schools like St Marys and the Gregg
KES purports to be - but its no different from the top sets at the comps (with whom it regularly swaps pupils)

Not Sherborne.

They don't offer that level of support even if they say they do.

Seaford College, near Petworth.....

Or Slindon College?

My son really flourished at Dauntseys. Mild SEN, average academically, not particularly sociable, not sporty at all. He was very happy there & also really exceeded our expectations when it came to exam results.

Slindon College. I'm sorry to say that those scores are really low. 72 for non verbal shows significantly below average cognition. I think you should be looking at private special schools and tbh, having had a son go through, some of those would turn down your son as they want cognitively 'average' therefore Frewin College, Moore House might turn him down. Try Moon Hall, it's got a small feel and everything is geared towards SEN but is mainstream.

Ditcham Park

I was going to say Dauntseys, you might also consider Monkton Combe, although it might be not far, it’s near Bath.

@clarevoyent I’m considering Sherborne for my son, can you tell me a bit more about it?

I know the school @pootlepootle means and I am not sure its a viable long term prospect. I'd be having a close look at the balance sheet beore I committed. Shame as it used to be a good school.

Also pootles school is distinctly trying to discourage pupils with SEN I hear.

Milton Abbey ticks all your boxes. Brilliant selection of BTECS at GCSE and A level. That's 100% where I'd be looking if I were you.

His scores are really low - but that's only an issue if he's in the wrong school.

@Pretaf whilst you may know more about the balance sheet than I do(although i would recommend you never underestimate a nun) speaking as a mother of a child with significant SEN, your comment regarding SEN children is bullshit.

Ah well I am glad it is working out for you. This was a couple of years ago but a friends dd was asked to leave as they couldn't cope with her SEN. That could have been a cover though, maybe she was just terribly naughty! It's a funny old school though, certainly doesn't appeal to everyone.

They have children with significant both educational needs and physical disabilities. All is fine. I wouldn't say it was a particularly "funny" school, been to far funnier but it's definitely not a factory. the children are known as separate human beings (albeit quite posh ones).

That's good pootle. My sister in law took her dd out, it definitely wasn't for them. She says a lot of people love it though.