My recent tour of schools took me to the thriving all-through girls boarding and day school Badminton School, for ages 4-18 and located in Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol. Its location means it has excellent transport links and access to one of the UK’s most vibrant cities. Despite the bustle of Bristol, Badminton is in 220 acres of picturesque parkland. Very much a calm, relaxed and safe environment for the girls.
Badminton has an outstanding academic record but is not a hot house and offers a holistic all-round approach to education. They encourage girls to see learning as fun, ask questions and make the most of exploring the music, art, drama, sports, theatre performances, concerts, expeditions, and trips that the school run throughout the year. This is a school where girls have played cricket since 1858, the sciences are strong with a high proportion studying science and maths at A level.
Pastoral care is excellent. The girls are nurtured and encouraged within a calm and supportive community which allows them to have the self-confidence and can-do-attitude which is demonstrated by the excellent results it achieves.
Superb facilities
Superb facilities which include a drama studio, art studio, dance school, music school and 8 Science laboratories. The school also has a sports hall, 25-meter indoor swimming pool, 7 outdoor tennis courts, 4 netball courts, a sports hall designed for badminton and volleyball, aerobics, yoga, judo, dancing, plus a football field, and a hockey ground.
A broad academic offering
The A levels on offer are mainly the traditional academic subjects, but there are more modern subjects on offer such as Psychology, Business, Photography and PE. Alongside the core A level choices, there are enrichment opportunities through their ‘Plus Options’ which range from AS levels, which run over two years, to sporting qualifications or bespoke diplomas such as Leith’s Certificate in Food and Wine. Badminton is one of a small group of schools currently pioneering a new creative writing Apprentice of Fine Arts.
At GCSE the school run their GCSE+ model which requires all pupils to do Maths, English and two Sciences of their choice as a standard. Pupils then choose an additional four ‘options’ subject choices and they ask that one of these is a language (Chinese, French, German, Latin or Spanish) unless the pupil has no prior language experience. Many pupils select a third Science, plus three other ‘options’ from the full GCSE range.
Creative arts are amazing, and the standard of work is seriously impressive. The wonderful art studio enables students to study art, ceramics and textiles, printing, photography, and metal work. The Music Department is housed in two music blocks and has three full-time members alongside 20 plus visiting music teachers. There is a huge array of instruments available to learn from piano to African drums, as well as choirs, orchestras, jazz bands and more. There are superb drama productions throughout the year and LAMDA is available.
Extra-curricular activities
There are a vast range of co-curricular activities on offer allowing the girls to purse wider interests from an extensive list of clubs including Model UN, Horticulture and Agriculture, Science Outreach to the Hot Potato Club (which discusses current events), the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme and so many more. At least 80% of the girls at Badminton will learn a musical instrument during their time at the school.
Sport during and after school
Badminton has wonderful sports facilities which include a full-size hockey Astro pitch, 4 netball courts, 7 outdoor tennis courts, basketball courts, gym, fitness centre and a 25-metre swimming pool. The main sports during the winter are hockey and netball, and in the summer tennis and athletics. However, pupils can also get involved in an extensive range of co-curricular activities such as fencing, judo, cross fit, aerobics, yoga, fencing, dancing, squash, basketball, football and badminton, and there is a programme of fixtures for after-school and Saturday matches and tournaments.
Boarding for ages 9 – 18yrs
There are three boarding houses. Bartlett House for the younger girls aged 9-12 years old which has a home from home atmosphere. Girls are in small cosy dorms with three or four other girls. The house mistress, deputy housemistress and two resident tutors are on hand to care for the girls and provide dedicated support.
Sanderson House was opened in 2008 for girls aged 13-16 years old and is a modern, state of the art boarding house with bright, airy rooms which sleep three to four girls in each room. The house has underfloor heating, a kitchen, and a large communal sitting room. The girls living in Sanderson are split vertically into two Houses (Berkeley and Lynmouth) so that they can forge friendships across year groups. Both houses have a housemistress and a deputy house mistress. In addition, they also share two resident tutors, and all these staff members live on site and are specialists in supporting teenage girls.
The Sixth Form Centre for girls aged 16-18 is fabulous. The girls are in either single or double rooms. The house has a newly refurbished kitchen alongside a communal social area which is designed in fun colours, cosy sofas, dining nooks, TVs and table footballs decorated with super murals on the walls. Here girls are starting to prepare for life beyond school and so have more flexibility, freedom, and privileges.
Weekend activities and downtime
Plenty of weekend activities are on offer for all girls and located in Bristol means they can make the most of the opportunities that the city offers from shopping, Christmas markets, ice skating, surfing in Devon, voluntary work, Bristol Aquarium, the cinema, access to the fitness suite, swimming pool, art department, music practice rooms or just some downtime with their friends.
Creating a global society
Girls at Badminton come from all over the world. Badminton’s vision is to provide the best preparation for girls who will live and work in a global society. With the school’s holistic approach to education the girls can try, study, and do anything they want to do which allows them to leave the school as curious, confident, and courteous individuals who will thrive in a competitive world.
If you would like to know more about Badminton School, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
