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Bristol Cathedral School, Bristol

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Bristol Cathedral School details

Address:

Bristol Cathedral School
College Square, Bristol BS1 5TS

Telephone:

0117 9291872

Fax:

01179 304 219

Email:

Head@BristolCathedral.org.uk

Website:

www.bristolcathedral.org.uk

Authority:

Bristol

Gender of entry:

Mixed

Age range:

8-19

Number of students:

386

Affiliation:

HMC

Gender of sixth form:

Mixed

Last inspection:

November 2005. Read the full inspection report.

General information

Headteacher: Anne Davey.

Background: Bristol Cathedral school was founded by St Augustine and one of his followers, during his visit to Britain around 600 AD, which made the school the second oldest in Britain, and the oldest in Bristol by a good 500 years. When Henry VIII closed the monasteries the school was allowed to continue, on the same site, and, presumably, with the same monks acting as teachers. The land was sold off, and the monastic church, together with the surrounding area with its buildings, was given to the City of Bristol as a cathedral. The school was re-founded as a charity, with a specific responsibility to educate the choristers. The school continued to exist in the old monastic buildings.During the 17th century the school was visited by Archbishop Laud, as part of his famous ?Visitations?. By the 18th century the nature of the school was changing, as the school began to expand to take in more students for a fee. The Second World War saw the school escape disaster ? a German ?plane flying over Bristol (taking photographs to assess the damage caused by a raid the night before) unloaded its bombs before heading home. One high-explosive bomb landed in the Lower Quad and demolished a building (later replaced by the Science Block). The school continues to use buildings built as part of the monastery, known today as Abbey House (the Porter?s Lodge), the Deanery (much of it is 17th century, but there are Norman features at its base) and the Head?s Block (the Frater), and, of course, the two quadrangles, Upper and Lower.

Inspection: November 2005: 'Bristol Cathedral School is very largely successful in its aim of providing good quality independent education at reasonable cost for pupils across the academic spectrum. Academic standards are good overall and frequently very good in the sixth form. Both academic and pastoral guidance are of high quality, contributing to a strong sense of community where all contribute and all have a place. The transition to full co-education is being sensitively accomplished. The academic monitoring function of middle management is not consistently carried out. In some lower and middle school lessons, expectations of pupils? behaviour are too low. Very good support is provided for pupils with learning difficulties; more could be demanded of some potentially high achievers in lower and middle school.'

Boys' age range: 10 to 18.

Girls' age range: 16 to 18.

Bristol Cathedral School Statistics

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