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Our View
A gap in the market and demand from parents led to the hotly anticipated opening of Bruern Abbey Senior School in September 2022, and it has been going from strength to strength ever since. The cohort is a mix of boys from the prep school who need a few more years of the Bruern Abbey magic and newcomers who need a self-esteem reboot and carefully targeted teaching to reach their full potential. We don’t use the term transformational lightly, but for the right boy a Bruern Abbey education is just that.
At Bruern, everything is done with neurodiversity in mind and boys who join (who might have dyslexia, dyscalculia or dyspraxia and often struggle with executive function) are supported by an extraordinary and committed staff and a curriculum that is tailored to their needs. Practically, that means shorter lessons and more of them, an unusual and growing range of options alongside traditional GCSEs, small classes and heaps of time outdoors.
The senior school is an extension of the prep in terms of values and ethos but occupying a different site with its own character, uniform and staff. The warmth and style of teaching is similar, while recognising that teenagers need more independence. The overarching aim is to prepare boys to head into a mainstream sixth form or their chosen alternative, brimming with confidence.
Where?
Housed in a beautiful Buckinghamshire Georgian manor (30 minutes east of Oxford and about 20 minutes from the prep school), the senior school nestles in impressive grounds with a tree-lined circular drive, pond, stable block, clock tower, terraced gardens and fine far-reaching views over the Vale of Aylesbury.
The main house is home to the dining room, drawing room, common rooms and three- or four-bed dormitories (all of which are ensuite with communal kitchenettes). The stable block houses the staff room and reception, English and maths lessons take place in the clock tower and converted barns make the perfect art and D&T spaces.
Oxford, Thame and Bicester stations are just a short hop away and it’s a very accessible place – well located for parents of boarders and day boys alike.
Head
The brilliant John Floyd is executive head of the senior and prep schools, anchoring both with his extensive experience and dedication to the boys and their families. Mr Floyd welcomed Kate Walker as head of the senior school in September 2024.
Mrs Walker, a keen rider, joined from Repton School where she was a housemistress and head of English, having previously been deputy head of English at Oakham. She is busy settling in, getting to know the pupils and relishing the opportunity to grow the senior school.
Admissions
About half the boys from the prep school currently head to the senior, with the majority of those being later arrivals to the prep school. For those looking to join from elsewhere, the admissions process is relatively lengthy but tailored to the individual. Bruern looks both for boys who need their help and those who will benefit the most. The school will need an up-to-date educational psychologist’s report, as well as any academic reports from a previous school before the first meet and greet with the headmaster and a full tour. Stage two is an assessment morning and if an offer is made, boys can come back for a taster day (and night if they will be boarding) – after that, if it’s a good fit for all parties, a formal offer is made. Given the small size and tailored approach of Bruern, it’s reassuring and right that the admissions process is a careful one.
Numbers have grown considerably but, with a cap of around 120 boys at GCSE, Bruern will always aim to help boys and their families out of a tight spot if they can, so it’s absolutely worth a call.
Academics and destinations
Bruern has a genuinely broad cohort. The boys’ IQs are
broadly aligned with the national range, with the highest-attaining boys
leaving with a slew of grade 8-9 GCSEs to join leading sixth forms. Others might pursue less-traditional academic routes, but all leave equipped with the qualifications and, importantly, the soft skills needed to choose and follow their own path.
Alongside the traditional core GCSE subjects (a minimum of five, though most do eight) is a range of alternative qualifications, reflecting the different needs of the boys. There are Cambridge National Qualifications in enterprise and marketing or sports studies (both 50 per cent coursework and equivalent to a Level 2 BTEC) and a practical GCSE-equivalent Functional Skills paper in maths and English – brilliant for the workplace, where such qualifications might be a minimum requirement. Pupils can also sit their foundation maths GCSE paper at the autumn entry point, before possibly having a go at the higher-level paper in the summer with a pass already in the bag. A Leith’s cookery qualification is also in the pipeline – much more focused on practical cooking than the GCSE alternative.
Homework features more prominently than in the prep school but is still limited to four relatively limited sessions a week plus reading time. Every pupil has a Chromebook (most boys type vastly quicker than they can write) for which parents put down a deposit. Laptops are then returned, refurbished and passed on.
Learning extends way beyond the classroom with parents, old boys and
friends of the school offering lectures and workshops on their
industries and reflecting on the ways in which neurodiversity has been
part of their own career path. DofE is a popular choice (the first group have just completed their Silver award), and the new Bellevue Initiative modelled on Young Enterprise fosters entrepreneurial thinking and gives pupils the opportunity to demonstrate their initiative and business acumen outside the curriculum. But kindness and care continue to be a theme throughout, and senior boys mentor their counterparts at the prep and help with sports and games. Small class sizes – generally fewer than 10 – mean that a bespoke education and boatloads of individual care and attention are guaranteed.
SEND provision
With an eminently kind environment, this school is set up to offer maximum support for those with learning difficulties in speech, language, literacy and numeracy. The supportive style of teaching is great for the majority – and we’ve heard from many parents who tell us just what a transformative experience it has been for their boys – but might not suit those with significant occupational-therapy needs or who aren’t aiming for a mainstream sixth form.
Bruern Abbey is always going to be a ‘small school’, so knowing each and every boy’s character inside out is ultimately the overarching strength of the SEND programme here. Teaching staff were endearingly described to us as ‘ridiculously caring’ and wholly supported by the additional skills of Bruern’s cognitive behavioural therapists, educational psychologists, school counsellors, positive psychology
coaches and psychiatrists.
Co-curricular
Bruern may not be known as a particularly big hitter from a co-curricular point of view, that doesn’t mean that these aspects are embraced with anything less than the usual Bruern Abbey enthusiasm. Senior boys have three games sessions a week with rugby, football and cricket as headline sports (with regular local competitive fixtures as part and parcel) but with swimming, athletics, clay-pigeon shooting, polo and cross country as options for those less keen on the team scene. Facilities are growing apace, a new swimming pool and weights room have just opened and new
pitches are to be in use later this academic year.
Music is enhanced with visiting peripatetic staff, and the choir’s weekly practice raises the roof of the local church, which is accessed through a gate in the boundary wall, and boys also do cadets locally.
Extracurricular clubs and activities keep boys busy and engaged in dedicated twice-weekly slots, and dog walking is a very popular way to keep active. It’s massively therapeutic, and the walled campus makes the perfect natural boundary for boys to walk independently. ‘There are sometimes more dogs than humans,’ a member of staff told us, meaning that there’s never a shortage of willing wagging tails keen for some youthful company. The recent socials with Wychwood School have also proved a great hit, with plans for more links with other schools in the future.
Boarding
The senior school is currently about half and half day and boarding. Boarding is very flexible, and boys can join in with the evening frivolities for between one and four nights (there’s no weekend school). Dorms are small, generally three- and four-bed affairs with ensuite facilities and kitchenettes where boys can rustle up drinks and snacks. All super smart, totally fit for purpose and perfect for slowly teaching these youngsters how to be independent. Boys can contact home using their own devices, but these are put away during the school day and in the evenings to minimise distraction and encourage more sociable pursuits Crucially, though, boys are prepared for sixth form with plenty of lessons and conversation around online safety and the impact of social media.
School community
When most boys arrive at Bruern, their self-esteem has taken a bashing – and Bruern Abbey as a whole does a stellar job of building it back up. They are a tight-knit bunch who know each other well, and boys particularly are very supportive of each other’s needs and difficulties.
Friday morning matins at the senior school is a lovely touch with a weekly service of singing, prayers and readings at the local village church of St Mary the Virgin. There is also a formal dinner on Thursday evening to which parents are invited.
And finally....
There must have been an audible sigh of relief from parents of older children when Bruern Abbey senior opened its doors. This organically growing senior is already hugely popular and, with its blend of kindness and nurture, academic focus, individual attention and a deep understanding of the challenges of learning difficulties, it’s not hard to see why.