Bradford Grammar School

Bradford Grammar School (BGS) is a co-educational private day school located in Frizinghall, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Entrance is by examination, except for the sixth form, where admission is based on GCSE results. The school gives means-tested bursaries to help with fees. Unlike many independent schools, BGS does not offer scholarships based on academic achievement.

Bradford Grammar School
Address
A650 Keighley Road

Bradford
,
West Yorkshire
,
BD9 4JP

England
Coordinates53.81455°N 1.76981°W / 53.81455; -1.76981
Information
TypePrivate day school
Grammar school
MottoLatin: hoc age
(Do this)
Established1548 (1548)
HeadmasterSimon Hinchliffe
GenderCo-educational
Age6 to 18
Enrolment1122
Colour(s)Blue & Maroon   
Co-education since1999
Websitebradfordgrammar.com

History

The school was founded in 1548 and granted its Charter by King Charles II in 1662.[1] The Reverend William Hulton Keeling became the headmaster in 1871. He had transformed the grammar school in Northampton, and here he did the same, joining forces with the merchant Jacob Behrens, Bradford Observer editor William Byles and Vincent William Ryan Vicar of Bradford.[2] The school was considered as good as the best public schools in 1895 and Keeling died in 1916 having been given the Freedom of the City. His daughter was Dorothy Keeling ran The Bradford Guild of Help and transformed voluntary work in the UK.[2]

Second World War

The new school building in Frizinghall was actually completed in 1939, however the start of the Second World War prevented the building from being opened as a school. During the war, the main school building was used as a Primary Training Centre,[3] and there is still evidence of this around the building. During this time, many BGS pupils were evacuated to Settle,[4] and returned when the building was released from army occupation and completed. Inside the school there is a large memorial to the former pupils who died in the war.

Frizinghall railway station

Frizinghall railway station closed in 1965 and remained closed for 22 years. During this time, staff and pupils at the school campaigned to get the station reopened. In the end, it was due to the efforts of an English teacher, Robin Sisson,[5] that the station was reopened as a halt.

Until 1975 it was a direct grant grammar school, and when this scheme was abolished it chose to become independent.[6] The school motto is Latin: Hoc Age (just do it).[7]

Heliport

The school grounds have been used as a helicopter landing ground by the royal family when they are visiting the locality. The most recent landing was by King Charles the third during his first trip to West Yorkshire.

Faculty

Headmaster Simon Hinchliffe is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC).

Education
Bradford Grammar School

In 2013, the pass rate for both GCSE (Grades A* – C) and A-Levels was 99%. 31 courses are offered for A-Levels, and 97% of sixth-form pupils went on to study further education or deferred a year.[8] The standard requirement for entry to the sixth form is nine B grades at GCSE, in 2008 the lower sixth had an average equivalent to ten A grades at GCSE.

Facilities

Over the past 15 years the school has completed a £14 million buildings development programme.

In 2001 the school built a multi-million pound Sixth Form Centre, funded primarily by Roger Evans and by pupil fundraising. Former pupil David Hockney contributed to the funding of the large theatre, where many school productions are performed, adjacent to the sports hall. The school's computing facilities have been updated regularly in the past few years, and the school now has ten IT suites.

Extra-curricular activities

Sport

The school's first sport for boys is rugby union, and for girls it is netball or hockey. Other sports at the school include orienteering, squash, tennis, table tennis, cross country, swimming, water polo, cricket, and rowing on the River Aire.

The school has an all-weather pitch used for hockey as well as nine courts used for netball and tennis. The £1m pavilion, built in 2008, contains changing rooms and space for functions. The school has two squash courts (each with their own showers and changing rooms). BGS has four rugby pitches, which in the summer are converted into two cricket grounds. The school has an equipped gym—with eleven rowing machines, two treadmills, two crossfit machines, and weights—which was modernised in 2011. A 25-metre swimming pool is used for swimming and water polo training at lunchtimes and evenings.

Cadet Force

As an alternative or a supplement to extra-curricular sport, the school maintains a volunteer Combined Cadet Force. In the 1980s, this was reduced to just the Army contingent. However, the RAF section has since been reopened, and pupils fly and partake in RAF courses. The school owns its own 25-metre shooting range.

Music

Musical groups and clubs that run for pupils include: Concert Band, Senior Orchestra, Junior Orchestra, junior and senior choirs and chamber choirs, Close Harmony Group, Big Band, Samba Band, String Group, Dixieland Crackerjacks, Junior and Senior brass group, junior and senior saxophone groups, and Soul Band.

Arts

The interior walls of the school are decorated with artwork by pupils and a number of David Hockney's works are on display in public and private areas of the school. The music suite has several practice rooms and holds concerts throughout the year. A musical is staged every two years. The Hockney Theatre hosts a programme through the year and a full-time technician manages a student production team to service the performances. Curriculum evenings by the lower school drama groups or the A-Level Theatre Studies groups are placed between plays written specifically for pupils, Shakespeare performances, comedies and musicals.

Alumni

Sir Duncan Nicol CBE, Chief Executive of NHS, 1985 -1993

See also

References
  1. "History of the School". Bradford Grammar School. Archived from the original on 5 September 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  2. Matthew, H. C. G.; Harrison, B., eds. (23 September 2004), "The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography", The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. ref:odnb/72786, doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/72786, retrieved 24 December 2022
  3. The people's war Archived 22 July 2012 at archive.today A recollection by a soldier who was at BGS during the war
  4. "The peoples war". Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
  5. "Robin Sisson".
  6. "Direct Grant Schools".
  7. Merriam-Webster definition of Hoc-Age
  8. "Bradford Grammar School – Bradford – West Yorkshire – BD9 4JP".
  9. Eddington, A. S. (1940). "Sir Frank Watson Dyson. 1868–1939". Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society. 3 (8): 159–172. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1940.0015. JSTOR 768881. S2CID 161595112.
  10. "Janus: The Papers of C. T. R. Wilson".
  11. Schoolnet info Archived 17 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  12. "Bradford Libraries". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 7 June 2007.
  13. "Paus, Christopher Lintrup, C.B.E.". Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage, and Companionage. 1963. p. 1813.
  14. "Archaeological Sciences" (PDF).
  15. Oxford biography Archived 29 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  16. History Honor Society
  17. "Login".
  18. Leeds University Honorary graduands Archived 1 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  19. Autobiography Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  20. "University of Leeds Centenary 1904 – 2004 – Centenary celebration ceremony – Presentation addresses – Sir Ken Morrison citation, by Victor Watson".
  21. "Bio – David Hockney".
  22. Peter Vacher Malcolm Laycock Obituary, The Guardian, 10 November 2009
  23. Michael Jack official website
  24. T&A article
  25. PlayLouder interview Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  26. RFU profile Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  27. Beijing Olympics GB profile
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