Please help to choose the best school my DS in Hertfordshire / Essex 11+?

[Lenazayka]

Hello,

I can not to decide which school (schools) will fit to my DS best of all.

1. DS attends a state primary school and has very strong proven academical knowledge ( extra tutoring at home).
2. Boy is a member of professional swimming club.
3. He is not too bad in art ( knows how to draw technically, has some awards but not an artist by nature) .

On another hand, the boy is hyperactive, easily could be distracted and likes very much an individual attention from teachers.
He is not ready to go to and from school by himself: walk along on busy roads for 1.5 miles.
DC also can not imagine his life without swimming and would like to continue art lessons.
Boy is self-motivated (especially, if the subject is interesting to him).

My son and I already looked at the Haileybury Imperial College, Bishops Stortford College and Bancroft's school. I think to show him St Albans School and Haberdashers' Aske's Boys School too.

I would be appreciated if you find a time and share with your experiences at the named schools.

Pastoral care? Discipline? Possibility to continue swimming as a sport? Small classes? Strong art teacher? The best math, literature, language and science departments? Kindness towards hyperactive children? Ability to persuade back to lessons? Good medical support? Music lessons for beginners ( son asked)?

Thanks

Some of those are an hour apart - which do you live nearer?

In this order for what you have described:

Haileybury - Very strong in music and sports, offer learning support to dyslexics etc good academics, good all rounder. Good pastoral care
BS - Strong in music and sports good academics slighty more academic than Haileybury. Good all rounder.

St albans - . Very strong reputation for Academics all the way. Not many extra curriculars. Not very tolerant, Not great on pastoral care, i know too many dc who have left.

Habs - Very Strong academic profile. Rumours of it being a hot house, not sure but its a good school for the right child. Lots of extra curriculars but focus is mainly on academia.

Bancrofts - Another rumoured to be a hot house, but not sure. Does lots of extra curriculars. Far from all the other schools but depends where you live.

You haven't provided any information on where you live so what he can and can't walk is impossible to guess. 2 of those schools have boarding, Haileybury in particular is very pro boarding, BS does flexi boarding.
St albans is a day school, as is Habs, not sure about Bancrofts.

Thank you Hersetta427 and Shime for the fast respond.
We live near Goffs and ready to relocate closer to school. So, this is not a problem. We are not interested in boarding ( till 13, I am still cooking porridge to him every morning 😂); know that Haileybury and BS teach for 6 days.
My DS ready to work harder, he knows about a discipline, can think logically as a mature person. 🤓 However, he is still a boy ( sometimes silly) 🤪
We would like be sure he is in proper hands. We do not want to kill his childhood with strict teachers and discipline ( reasonable is ok). If we find this place, the boy will show all his academic and sport potentials.

Have you considered Chigwell or Forest? Both strong academically (103rd and 150th in the times league tables respectively), they are both known to have excellent pastoral care and fantastic sports and music facilities (set on 100 acres and 50 acres). They are in promixity to bancrofts (Which is higher in the league tables, but not known for its pastoral care). Check out each of their ISI reports too.

newmum0808,
Thank you for the comment.
I know these schools, my neighbors work there.
Unfortunately, they are not from our preferences for some reasons.