Bruern Abbey is the only preparatory and senior school in the country to have as its main purpose the preparation of boys and girls with learning difficulties aged 8 to 13 years for Common Entrance and other entrance examinations to mainstream independent senior schools.
In September 2022 the school extended its specialist provision with the opening of the senior school for boys aged 13 – 16.
Bruern Abbey welcomed girls to the Prep School in September 2026, with girls joining the Senior School from September 2027.
This marks an exciting new chapter as they move to co-education, expanding the Bruern experience to more pupils while maintaining our distinctive ethos.
Head's welcome
At first sight, Bruern looks much like any other prep school, a beautiful old building, spacious grounds, children playing sport, climbing trees – and plenty of dogs!
Look a little closer, though, and you’ll find a school where every child is treated as an individual. At Bruern, learning is tailored to each child rather than shaped around a one-size-fits-all model. Bespoke education, neurodiversity and additional needs sit at the heart of our approach, with building children’s self-esteem and confidence our foremost aim.
Teaching is varied, engaging and personalised, with a strong focus on literacy and numeracy. Classes are small, allowing teachers to give every child plenty of individual attention, while additional support is available for those who need it. Every pupil uses a laptop, but technology is simply one of many tools we use to support learning.
Alongside academic progress, we place great importance on kindness, honesty, respect, confidence, creativity and resilience. Through our character education and everyday life at school, we help children develop the self-discipline and confidence to embrace challenges, learn from setbacks and thrive.
Hilary Phillips, Prep School Head
Kate Walker, Senior School Head
The key differences between Bruern and other schools are essentially fourfold. All pupils come to Bruern with a laptop, which is used in most lessons. For those who have difficulty in expressing themselves as swiftly or as coherently on paper as they do in speech, this is an absolute godsend.
There is a clear focus on literacy and numeracy, with nine periods each of English and Mathematics a week.
All junior classes have eleven pupils or fewer and senior classes have twelve pupils or fewer – allowing pupils more individual attention in class. Pupils are rarely taken out for remedial support, as their needs are met in class.
We are steadfast in the teaching of those traditional values which are dear to us all, and we place an emphasis on good manners and self-discipline and encourage boys to share their aspirations and their anxieties.
Boarding school for boys and girls
Ages 8-16
Number of pupils 239
Average class size 12