WHAT? WHERE?

Bruern Abbey School has quite the claim to fame – the UK’s only Independent school with the main goal of helping boys 8-16 years old with learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia to pass Common Entrance exams, GCSEs and gain other nationally recognised qualifications.

The prep school is set in 20 acres of Oxfordshire countryside (a mere 10 minutes’ drive from Bicester Village – just saying), and sits in shabby-chic glory in a late 19th-century manor house that houses the boarders, dining rooms, the headmaster’s dogs, staff and feels like home to the 159 boys, two thirds of whom board weekly. Teaching is largely done away from the main mansion in a variety of shepherd’s huts, converted stables, garages and even an orangerie, giving the school a kind of eccentric charm.

See the campus for yourself here: https://vimeo.com/user170140819/review/882985673/2de916fc2f

THE SENIOR SCHOOL

Meanwhile, Bruern Abbey Senior School for boys 13-16 years doing their GSCEs, is located in the rolling hills of Chilton, Buckinghamshire in a massively impressive spot – its 1740 elegant Georgian mansion, Chilton House (styled on William Winde’s Buckingham House in London which would later become Buckingham Palace) overlooking hectares of stunning Chilterns countryside and a small lake that was once the ‘car wash’ for the carriages that turned outside the gates.

Launched in Sept 2022, boarders here share mostly three to a room (or up to five if they want to be with their mates), all with en suites and tea and coffee making facilities in the room – a benefit of the manor houses’s former life as a posh care home.

As with the prep school, the Senior pupils have small class sizes with a continued focus on literacy and numeracy, a huge amount of outdoor exercise and ‘free’ time to offset what is a long day (9am – 5pm Monday to Friday) and a dedicated bus service to and from London. Unlike the prep school, there is a smattering of evening homework, but it’s still a very light touch compared to other schools.

The interior of Chilton House keeps the shabby chic charm of the prep school – intricate plasterwork of palladian columns and cornicing, historical portraits on the walls, character seeping through every pore. But there’s been quite some investment too, particularly in the art and DT rooms, both visual mediums that are strongly represented at Bruern.

ACADEMICS

Parents often come to Bruern Abbey School desperate for help and it’s an indication of its clear academic recipe for success, plus the lack of credible alternatives, that means the school is three times over-subscribed. So how’s it done? Firstly no class has more than 12 pupils. For 159 children there are 35 teachers. All younger classes have two teachers in English and Maths and have almost double the number of lessons in these subjects than a standard prep school. All boys use a laptop in lessons, and notes are circulated rather than written up from boards to save the boys the enormous time and effort it would take them, as dyslexics/ dyscalculics to do it themselves.

From personal experience I have three close friends whose boys have all been pupils in the last four years (including one at the new senior school), and all three praise this place to the heavens and back for re-instating confidence and helping their children out of an academic abyss. (Texts I received from them include: ‘I only have great things to say about Bruern’; ‘Absolutely amazing school’, ‘Incredible’). The roll call of secondary schools includes Bloxham, Millfield, Rugby, Shiplake, Charterhouse and Gordonstoun and St Paul’s – so success is an understatement.

FACILITIES

SPORTS

No parent is going to dismiss this school on the quality of its facilities – they are desperate to get academic CPR for their children and anything is going to be a bonus. That said, a major asset of Bruern is that, although enormous energy goes into helping the boys in the classroom, it recognises that to release pressure from all this effort the pupils need to immerse themselves in extra-curricular activities too.

So sport is a big deal at Bruern with rugby pitches, an indoor swimming pool, 45 BMX bikes (the kids can zoom off around the 20 acres of grounds), plus a new climbing wall and rope bridge. The core sports are rugby, football, cross country, athletics, swimming and cricket – all accompanied by the infamously gastronomic Match Teas. There are some unusual strings to the bow too – clay pigeon shooting, skiing and polo are strong, as you might expect from an independent school but practical pursuits such as cookery, gardening and carpentry are also a big deal here.

CREATIVE ARTS

Drama was introduced by the current head when he joined the school, part of his drive to make sure that Bruern, apart from its academic idiosyncrasies, performed in all other aspects as a regular independent school. The old chapel has been converted to a theatre where the boys can perform, manage and produce. In terms of music lessons are offered across the usual peripatetic range of instruments.

GENERAL

Facilities are not pristine in every corner (it’s kind of the charm) but there’s a lovely library, and a very cool renovation of the old garages into a science building. There’s now a full time Forest School teacher and new camp-outs built for overnighters.

PASTORAL CARE

Parents turn to Bruern Abbey with unhappy children who need help they can’t access elsewhere, and Bruern understands explicitly that these children need building up, supporting, nurturing and a tonne of positivity and belief. Daily pastoral meetings involving all staff are de rigeur, but beyond this there’s a raft of initiatives, from relaxed Drawing & Talking classes (the right side of the brain is the arty side – but is also the side of buried worries), occupational therapy, Speech & Language Therapy (SALT) to nutrition for ADHD and CBT.

THE HEAD

From September 2024, a new head of the senior school, Katie Walker, joined the Bruern family. She made the move from co-ed Repton School with her husband Olly and son Albie where she was Head of English and Housemistress. She’s dedicated to creating a supportive learning environment, so should fit right in.

Former headteacher John Floyd stays on as executive head. He is dyslexic himself, as is the deputy head, and the head of academic has dyscalculia. Floyd been at the helm since 2011 and has been the driving force that has seen the school massively oversubscribed, and with wildly successful results. He used to write backwards as a child (literally – backwards written ‘sdrawkcab’) and knows intimately the energy and ‘in it togetherness’ that it takes to help these kids. Behind the self-deprecating jokes, he’s clearly driven to do his best of the kids, and is up on all the latest techniques and philosophies surrounding dyslexic and dyscalculic children.

John Floyd interview: https://vimeo.com/user170140819/review/886152674/664542abcf

BOARDING

The school pulls in children from all over the UK – nearly every southern county is currently represented – with half from London, so it’s no surprise that weekly boarding (Mon-Friday only) is a big deal here. Don’t expect buffed and preening luxury though – the children at the prep school live in typically functional boys’ houses, with bunk beds in traditional dorms of 4-8. The Senior School bedrooms are a more flash though, with their en suites and generous Georgian proportions.

Any jokes about boarding school food have no place here – Bruern Abbey spends BIG on awesome gastro fare. On the morning I visit the chef is preparing catfish straight from the market. (*mind blown*). Twice a week candlelit parent/pupil dinners are put on, with each pupil inviting four friends – a lovely way for parents to feel involved, chat informally to the teachers beforehand and teach the kids to behave well across a dinner table. This idea is replicated in the Senior School on a Wednesday evening with Evensong in the local church followed by formal dinner in the main Chilton House.

ISI REPORTS

The most recent detailed report is the ISI Regulatory Compliance Inspection Report from Dec 2021. See all recent reports here.

QUIRKS

There are around 11 dogs on site compared to the two dogs I met when I last visited (a black labrador hidden under the desk, and a spaniel ready for walkies), creating a homely atmosphere and charming chaos that you’d expect from 159 boys living in a mansion in the Oxfordshire countryside.

Boys in bright yellow school jumpers – a bit of a sartorial shocker, but no-one seems to care! – pad around the first floor in their socks if they remember to take their muddy shoes off. Others head outside and tend to the school chickens in the biggest chicken run I’ve seen since Aardvark Productions pitched to DreamWorks.

There’s also a fantastic manor house in the Loire valley, known as ‘Bruern South’, that all boys visit in their annual trip to France. In 2023 the boys went on a ski trip to Norway , as well as a tour of Sri Lanka – technically for the cricket team, but open to other boys who wanted to go for a cultural experience.

TRANSPORT

No surprise that the London-Bruern route is a well-oiled machine. A bus service has been operating since 1996 with seven stops from Hans Place to M40 Junction 4.

FEES

On the steep side, but then again Bruern Abbey does reach the parts other schools can’t reach. Per term for the Prep School it’s £12,168 for day pupils. The Senior school fees are £11,812 per term for day pupils, and £13,779 per term for boarders. All rates are VAT inclusive. Flexi boarding for both prep and senior is £83 per night.

WORD ON THE GROUND

Not often I say this but the word ‘glowing’ comes to mind. The executive head is wildly popular with parents and the results of the school speak for themselves. The general vibe of both prep and senior schools is heritage shabby-chic – gorgeous set pieces, and no-one seems to mind that the interiors are a bit scruffy in parts – it’s seen as part of the charm.

https://vimeo.com/user170140819/review/886154458/e834a15f83

THE MUDDY VERDICT

GOOD FOR: Any boy struggling with dyslexia, dyspraxia or dyscalculia. Bruern Abbey actively discriminates towards boys who need expert help in these areas. Amazed parents, watch self-esteem and exam results rise.

NOT FOR: It’s rare for Bruern Abbey to take children on for a year or so as the school knows it takes time and more time to build the necessary academic building blocks. That’s tough for those parents who are late to recognise that their child needs meaningful help. Though, this has changed slightly now with the addition of the Senior School taking boys up to the age of 16: they can start their Bruern journey in the Prep School and then have the option of carrying on up the ladder.

WANT TO VISIT? Be my guest! There’s no particular open day here but get in touch with the school here for a personal tour.

Bruern Abbey School, Chesterton Manor, Chesterton, Bicester, Oxfordshire, OX26 1UY. Bruern Abbey Senior School, Chilton, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP18 9LR. Tel: 01869 242448. W: bruernabbey.org.

Bruern Abbey School, Bicester

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