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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Secondary schools suggestions

14 replies

Sowy · 03/01/2024 13:53

Hello! My DS current in Wetherby prep , he has adhd and really struggles with exams. Medication will be trialed soon.. We started looking at next schools and I’m a bit at loss. He is not super academic (even with the best possible focus) and I’m looking for a weekly boarding option for him. Not a huge school with good pastoral care and demanding but not to extreme levels curriculum. His self esteem is already low and I don’t want to damage it even more. Moreover, I still have no idea how he can prepare for exams. Tutoring him for 3 years in english didn’t get him anywhere near the expected level.. TBH I don’t know what to do.. wetherby senior will of course accept him but I think it will be the last option.. any suggestions where to look at?
school is rubbish with recommendations and I don’t trust consultants.

OP posts:
Jaxx · 03/01/2024 14:14

More House in Frensham or Thames Christian College may be worth a look. It may also be worth having a look at the state schools your son may get a place - we went with a state option in the end and it turned out well. Best of luck to you.

HawaiiWake · 03/01/2024 14:36

Depends on the type of tutoring and selected school list will have different exams.
Some tutors help kids understand marking schemes and helps get better marks. Creative writing is not creative in a novel sense but more a checklist of things to put into story.
Some schools exams are online and others are written.
goodschoolsguide.co.uk, get subscription monthly and you can get some data.

cyclamenqueen · 03/01/2024 14:41

Try Shiplake or Milton Abbey

preppingforlife · 03/01/2024 17:27

Oakham?

tennissquare · 03/01/2024 17:49

Bruern Abbey - but I'm sure Wetherby will advise you too.

laughinglemons · 03/01/2024 21:14

Aldenham

DibbleDooDah · 03/01/2024 22:22

Shiplake

Bellsgone · 06/01/2024 17:53

We are in a similar position, there is no clear responsibility of roles in the leadership team so we never know who to direct our questions to.

Buckshome · 06/01/2024 18:17

The new Head there is very knowledgeable and there is a person in charge of the future schools. Make an appointment to discuss with them.

Sowy · 07/01/2024 07:47

As I've been with the whole group for years, and I'm asking here, that's because I have already explored the head's advice ))

OP posts:
Sowy · 07/01/2024 07:49

Bellsgone · 06/01/2024 17:53

We are in a similar position, there is no clear responsibility of roles in the leadership team so we never know who to direct our questions to.

that's the huge problem of the school, I don't know which year is your son, but I think this has been a constant issue for the last year and a half since the new head came.

OP posts:
MrPickles73 · 07/01/2024 07:56

Tbh our heads advice was pretty useless.. due to our remote location my request for a academic and sporty day schools came back with boarding schools up to 3hrs away..
I've heard others look at Bruern Abbey.

limoncello23 · 07/01/2024 14:57

If you can afford boarding, he will find a place at senior school. Also many boarding schools that are near to London empty out most weekends even if they're not officially weekly boarding so I wouldn't discount full boarding initially.

For a very long list of potential schools, you could do worse than look at the leavers destinations for Bruern Abbey prep, which specialises in boys with specific learning difficulties like dyslexia (not just the senior school itself). Even though you're working with a different diagnosis, I expect parents of boys at Bruern are looking for many of the same things such as good pastoral care. It's a broad range of schools, but you can probably discount the ones you already know won't be right or are too far away to make it more manageable https://www.bruernabbey.org/about-bruern-abbey-school/leavers-destinations

Milton Abbey, Clayesmore, Bloxham and Shiplake are on that list and all offer BTEC as well as A-level which, if your son continues to struggle with exams, might suit him really well in the longer term as they are less exam-focused qualifications. I'm sure there are other schools listed there that do, as well as the more academic options.

Also, don't discount state schools. They are often better resourced and skilled at working with pupils with ADHD than private schools and in London there are many good state schools. If you are looking for a place in London outside the main Y7 entry then you'll find something. London is transient and schools have to accept you if they have a vacant place.

It's difficult to know from what you say whether your son is above or below average academically compared to a broader population. It is certainly possible to be average or below at Wetherby, but be able to get above average results in the right senior school. Every child deserves a school where their particular strengths are valued and they can achieve their potential.

Bruern Abbey School, An Independent Day and Boarding School for boys aged 8-13 with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties

Leavers’ Destinations

Destination Schools in recent years have included: Ampleforth College Bede's School Bloxham School Bryanston School Charterhouse Clayesmore Senior School Cokethorpe D'Overbroeck's Epsom College Ewell Castle Felsted School Framlingham Colleg...

https://www.bruernabbey.org/about-bruern-abbey-school/leavers-destinations

VividRedQuoter · 03/10/2024 18:14

The whos who in Wetherby - no clear leadership. We tried for years to understand who to go to. We went round in circles.

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