Help me to find school options for my yr6 son - moon on a stick time

[RaisedOnADietofBrokenBiscuitsOh]

I'm looking for potential secondary schools for my son to expand the current list. Criteria are quite specific:

Berks/Bucks/Surrey/West London/Oxon;
He's in year 6 so I've left it too late for some registrations;
Year 9 entry, ideally with no assessment or assessment in year 7/8 to give him more time to get the hang of testing and take the pressure off but initial tests in year 6 would be ok;
Day or Flexi boarding;
Boys or mixed;
SEN friendly as he's autistic;
Under £9k a term.

He is not at all sporty. He's clever, top set for most things but doesn't cope too well with tests, and maths hasn't clicked with him yet. He is outgoing. He likes reading, singing, acting, debating, and would really enjoy CCF. A school that's able to handle a boy with a spiky academic profile and one who's likely to come into his own as a teen would be ideal. Somewhere he'd be happy.

He's currently registered at one ISEB school and I'm going to register soon with two that have their own tests. There's also a decent comprehensive nearby in case none of that works out.

I'd love some new ideas to explore.

I think Ewell Castle school has 11+ entry but they take a wide range of abilities.
Its in KT17 and open day is this week.

Have you looked at Shiplake College?

(Re Shiplake) I don’t know enough to say it would meet all your requirements, but friends have a son there with some SEN, bright but not good in tests, and are very happy with the caring and inclusive approach of the school.

I was going to say Shiplake , or Kingham Hill

Is £9k your fee cap for day fees or for flexi boarding too? What budget have you got for potential fee increases (including if VAT becomes payable on school fees)? Are you actually looking for somewhere which charges more like £7.5 - £8k a term at the moment?
Are you looking for somewhere with a cohort joining in Year 9 or would somewhere with occasional places do?
Do you mean all of Bucks, Oxon etc or just the places within easy reach of the M25 or fast train into London?

I had Shiplake pegged as a sporty school - not sure where I got that from. I'll take a look.

All good questions. £9k isn't a hard cap but I'd be reluctant to go higher because of the likelihood of fee increases and VAT.

I'd rather go for somewhere that has a process for year 9 entry so that he's not the only new child.

You're right - I'm after South Oxon, South Bucks, East Berks and North Surrey.

Luckley House is a lovely gem. Really supportive atmosphere. Highly recommended.

Halliford?
Probably no CCF but Wychwood now Coed
definitely no CCF Leighton Park

Halliford looks lovely but with 5 applicants per place I'm not sure he'd get in. Wychwood is at the limit of where I'd be willing to drive every day but looks like an option.

That's a bit too far in the wrong direction. Sorry - I wasn't specific enough about my search area!

Shiplake is within reach but Chipping Norton is too far. I'm going to a Shiplake open day soon but I noticed on their website that they limit the educational opportunities (no modern languages, fewer GCSE subjects) for some children with SEN, which is concerning.

@Curioushorse do you have DC at Luckley House? I'd love to hear more about it.

OK this is a completely 'out there' suggestion but what about the Brit school?

https://www.brit.croydon.sch.uk/page/?title=Core+Curriculum&pid=1034

THey do a range of GCSEs alongside the performing arts.

You might not be in catchment but £9K could pay for a lot of taxis.

If you pushed your search area out to West Berks I would consider St Gabriel's always been a good school for girls with spiky profile went co- ed ( from bottom up starting year 7) in 2022. It would never be a school for sporty boys, it has good performing arts - my own daughter went on to musical theatre vocational sixth form.
Although year 7 entrance exam is on Monday that has never been a barrier to late entrants they also have year 9 entry.

Luckley would be my first thought.

A slightly out-there suggestion, but what about a boarding place at RGS High Wycombe (state grammar)? Ok they don’t have a Y9 “intake” but I’m fairly sure the boarding house isn’t full in all years.
Singing / CCF / reading all big things there. They are big on rugby but don’t expect every boy to be into sport (my DS will play in games lessons but no more than that, and that’s fine - he’s more into music).
Supportive SEN department, and staff all warm and approachable.

Hullo! No, I don't have kids at Luckley- but I'm a teacher in the local area.

It's nurturing and offers all the things you've said you're looking for. It's hard to tell with autistic kids, because their needs are so individual, but it also has the advantage of being smaller and quiet. Sometimes that alone is beneficial for autistic kids.

I rate Shiplake as well.

He's registered for Luckley and we think it looks like a great fit. Again, we're nervous about the entrance tests, which he'll be doing soon.

For RGS High Wycombe, I assume he would have had to have taken the 11+?

Pangbourne
bloxham

We've missed the registration date for Pangbourne. I'll look at Bloxham.

Ah, Bloxham is very far for us. I'm hoping to find somewhere within 30-40 minutes drive or an easy train journey.

We're not in catchment and it starts in year 10, so we'd still need to find a school for year 9. It's definitely one to keep in mind in case he goes further down the theatre path in future - thanks for the suggestion!

Cranford School in S Oxon might suit except it is really year 7 entry. But they have always taken kids at other entry points. They do enjoy sport but very much sport for all and plenty of non sporty boys seem to get on OK and enjoy music, drama etc. No CCF though.

To join after Y7, entrance is via the “Late Transfer Procedure”, which is a school-specific assessment - not the 11+.
https://www.rgshw.com/page/?title=Late+Transfer+Testing&pid=538

Bruern Abbey Senior School?