Badminton School

Badminton School, its campus nestled in the leafy outskirts of the vibrant university city of Bristol. Badminton is a thriving independent day and boarding school for girls aged 4-18, which has remained at the forefront of girls’ education for 165 years. The size of the campus and community gives a homely and vibrant feel to the School. This, coupled with our excellent pastoral care, leaves no scope for anonymity, but rather lends itself to strong mutually supportive relationships between girls as well as between girls and staff. Whilst the school retains a nationally outstanding academic record, its focus continues to be on nurturing the girls’ natural curiosity and fueling their passion for learning. Therefore, we select girls on their personal strengths and all-round ability, as well as their academic potential. It is a characteristic of Badminton girls that they are thoughtful individuals, able to evaluate information and decide for themselves. This approach extends beyond their studies and into the day-to-day life of the School, where girls are given a wide range of opportunities to grow, develop and express themselves in an enormous range of extra-curricular activities.

Teachers are highly qualified specialists in their field and encourage girls to develop academic confidence and to become independent learners by taking responsibility for their work and progress.

The School’s broad curriculum provides a rich and varied experience for the girls. Through Art, Drama and Music programs, each girl has many opportunities to express her individuality and develop her own unique identity. In an increasingly global society, the importance of languages has never been greater and girls have the opportunity to study Mandarin and Greek in addition to more traditional languages such as French and Latin.

Small classes ensure that all the girls receive individual help and attention from their teachers. Badminton girls are proactive and independent learners; they are not afraid to take intellectual risks and are always happy to ask questions. The emphasis at Badminton is on a holistic education, not narrowly academic, and both the curriculum and the timetable are constructed to create a balance between academic achievement, personal development, life skills and other enterprising activity.

Badminton has a fine academic record at GCSE and A Level. Sixth Form leavers go on to study at some of the top universities and Music Conservatories in the UK and overseas, including Oxford, Cambridge, the Royal Academy of Music and further afield.

All facilities are situated on site and include: a new Sports Centre opened in 2018 complete with fencing piste, four court sports hall, climbing wall and fitness suite; a 25m indoor swimming pool; international-sized astro pitch; tennis and netball courts; as well as a fully-equipped Science Centre, Creative Arts Centre and self-contained Sixth Form Centre. There are extensive fiction, careers, music and art libraries as well as a Music School.

All girls are involved in the Arts, both within the curriculum and as extracurricular activities, and the School attaches great importance to the development of musical and artistic talent.

Music is extremely popular at Badminton with over 85% of all pupils studying at least one musical instrument. There is a wide range of choral and instrumental groups to join including Junior and Senior Choir, Schola (choral group), orchestra, swing band, string ensembles, woodwind ensembles and other mixed musical groups. With visiting peripatetic teachers, all of whom are professional musicians, the students can study any instrument of their choice. There are a wide variety of performance opportunities including informal concerts and concerts for the local community.