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Badminton School, Bristol

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Badminton School details

Address:

Badminton School
Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol BS9 3BA

Telephone:

0117 9055200

Fax:

0117 962 8963

Email:

arennie@ badminton.bristol.sch.uk

Website:

www.badminton.bristol.sch.uk

Authority:

Bristol

Gender of entry:

Girls

Age range:

4-17

Number of students:

405

Affiliation:

IAPS, GSA

Gender of sixth form:

Girls

Last inspection:

February 2003. Read the full inspection report.

General information

Headteacher: Jan Scarrow, appointed in 1997.

Background: Badminton girls are ambitioushigh-achievers. The school eschews the idea of stereotypes and collective mediocrity, priding itself on turning out young independent women who think for themselves and have aspirations towards high-flying careers from medicine and law to the performing arts and journalism. Earlier this year, one of the school's talented musicians, Stephanie Tsang, won the Cathcart Young Composer of the Year competition and performed in front of the Queen at the Royal Albert Hall. Every girl passes her A-levels and gains a place at university. Oxbridge snaps up more than 20% of those leaving Badminton's upper sixth. The school has a 20-acre campus on the edge of Durdham Down, on the outskirts of the city. It ranked third in the UK last year and was named the top girls' school. Not surprisingly, it attracts pupils from 30 different nations around the world. Students can choose from a wide range of academic subjects and sporting activities from Hebrew and Arabic to golf and canoeing. More than 100 extracurricular options are offered and school clubs include the National Youth Parliament, storytelling and the Young Engineers' Society. The girls take part in drama and fundraising, work in the community and participate in exchange schemes with schools in South Africa, Singapore and Switzerland. The school has recently added a new all-weather sports pitch, redeveloped the fashion and textiles area in the art block and updated the school hall and pool.

Alumni: Indira Gandhi, former prime minister of India; Iris Murdoch, novelist; Phyllida Law, actress.

Higher education: 100% (4 Oxford 7 Cambridge).

Special needs: The school works with Bristol Dyslexia Centre to assist children who have mild or moderate dyslexia.

Inspection: February 2003: This is a very good school with many strengths and very few weaknesses. Standards are high and public exam results are well above those of maintained selective schools nationally. Behaviour is exemplary and pupils respond very positively to the teaching, which is lively, enthusiastic, yet academically demanding. The school provides very high levels of pastoral care and boarding provision is good. Relationships among pupils and between them and the staff are of a high order. The school's strategic planning is not yet fully developed, although this is an area that the head and governors currently have in hand.

Feeder schools: The Downs School, Wraxall; Godstowe Preparatory; Knighton House; Riddlesworth Hall Preparatory; The Downs School, Colwall.

Girls' age range: 11 to 18.

Percentage admitted according to academic ability: 100.

Average class size (seniors; 11-16): 18.

Average class size (sixth form): 12.

Badminton School Statistics

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