Overview
Bristol Grammar School is a 4–18 co-educational, independent day school in Bristol, England. The school was founded in 1532 and is divided into three sections: the Infants and Juniors (ages 4–11), the Senior School (ages 11–16) and Sixth Form (ages 16–18).
Teaching and Curriculum
Bristol Grammar offers GCSE, IGCSE and A-level courses. Since 2018, the school has also offered the International Baccalaureate (IB).
The size of teaching groups ranges from 25 students per teacher in lower years to occasionally one per teacher (for less popular subjects in the sixth form). Optional subjects are very broad and include rarer subjects such as Russian and Economics. All students have access to computers with internet access. Pupils will engage in both French and Spanish from year 7, and the sciences are split from year 8.
Entrance and Feeder Schools
Half the pupil intake in year 7 comes directly from the linking junior school. The other half from around 40 Bristol-based primary schools. The vast majority of pupils enter in year 7. External entries are required to take January entrance exams in English, verbal reasoning and problem-solving.
Top leaver’s destinations
The school sees only 10% of its students leave at the end of year 11. The vast majority go on to sixth-form studies. At 18+ most students go on to higher education. Yearly Oxbridge acceptances are normally in double figures.
Special Needs Education (SEN) Support
The school SEN support network is overseen by the assistant headteacher. The school employs a part-time SENco and dyslexia specialist. A number of pupils at Bristol Grammar have dyslexia, ADD, and various physical disabilities.
Extracurricular: Art, Music, and Sport
Extracurricular: Art, Music, and Sport. During the autumn term, the sport curriculum is dominated by rugby for the boys and hockey for the girls. During the spring term, it is dominated by hockey, football and rugby for the boys and netball for the girls.
International Students
Bristol Grammar School has developed a refugee admissions program in consultation with Bristol City Council. The scheme is open to any child refugee arriving in Bristol subject to places being available in the relevant year group.
Pastoral Care
Six house teams are responsible for the pastoral care of pupils. The school places a strong emphasis on positive reinforcement, peer mentoring and investment at pupils’ transition stages.
Bristol Grammar School also provides a student help desk that is staffed all day, a full-time nurse and two pupil counsellors.
Fellow Parents
The majority of families come from North-West Bristol. Most parents are professionals working in the city centre. It’s also noteworthy that a very large number of staff send their own children to the school.
Please contact us for expert schools’ advice and support with applications to prep and secondary schools in London and throughout the UK
