NEW ‘Bradfordian’ available to view online

Our NEW edition of ‘The Bradfordian’ (Issue 357, Autumn 2023) is now available to view online. This is BGS’s annual publication that includes a record of the previous school year featuring news from across the Junior School, Senior School and Sixth Form including ‘Communities, Societies and Activities, ‘Events and Visiting Speakers’, ‘Trips’, ‘Arts and Performance’ and ‘Sport’.

A message from the Headmaster, Simon Hinchliffe:

“Excellence, Opportunity and Happiness – these are the words that groups of students, existing and prospective BGS families, and staff most strongly associated with BGS when a survey was conducted a few years ago.

And these three words keep rising to the surface in our everyday BGS conversations and when inspectors dig a little deeper.

Our motto, ‘Hoc Age’ or ‘do it’, describes how we behave, our daily routine – get cracking, no nonsense, a very Yorkshire existence. Excellence, Opportunity and Happiness speak to school identity and character, the things we notice when we elevate ourselves above the daily rhythm and take in a wider perspective, a longer time frame.

I’m a straightforward sort of chap and intuitively understand Excellence and Opportunity, and also ‘Hoc Age’. For me, it goes something like this: make the most of your opportunities by working hard and thus give yourself a shot at achieving excellence – bish, bash, bosh. Happiness, however, is, for me, a more elusive quality.

BGS is not perfect of course, how could it be? But fundamentally, our School knows what it’s about. We put our shoulder to the wheel, play fair, look after each other and try to do some good in the world. I believe there’s a recipe for happiness in this simple list of BGS ingredients, but it’s up to the individual to bake the cake. This latest edition of our long running annual digest, ‘The Bradfordian’, attests to the busy and happy lives lived at our School, and it’s because of these qualities that our young people achieve so richly and highly, not the other way round.

Not for the first time, The Sunday Times named Bradford Grammar as one of the top three independent schools in the North of England and also 80th nationally. The rankings reflect exams results from summer 2022 when 92% of A Level grades were at A*-B and 80% of GCSE grades were at 9-7. Naturally we were delighted that Bradford Grammar School, and the young people of our home city and region, were recognised in this way. But league tables must be regarded cautiously, the devil can sometimes be in the detail, and they never tell the whole story. The premium we place on pastoral care, partnerships, volunteering and wider public benefit work, the arts, sport, clubs and societies – the list goes on – are sources of equal pride and speak volumes about the modern day BGS. There is synergy between our educational, commercial and public benefit activities and this has been reflected in recent recognition:

• Sunday Times: Independent Secondary School of the Year, North in 2018 and top 3 in the North 2019, 2021 and 2022. 
• The Daily Telegraph: Best Value Independent Schools in the UK 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
• Independent Schools Council / Schools Together: ‘Celebrating Partnerships’ 2021 and 2022.
• Independent Parent Magazine: Independent School of the Year 2021 for Social Mobility.
• Times Educational Supplement – Independent School Awards, Wellbeing Initiative of the Year 2020.
• The Education Business Awards, Commended 2023.

But we never get complacent. When things go awry, we are open about it and look to learn and do better. Moreover, we model a kind of professional restlessness, fine tuning the strategy and sweating the details to keep moving forwards. To that end we are excited about our refurbished Sixth Form Centre, green initiatives and Junior School campus redevelopment and expanded age range to include Reception and Year 1 (opening September 2024), the benefits of which will be far reaching for the whole of Clock House.

The countless goings-on that characterise life at Bradford Grammar School are celebrated in the pages that follow. This is not an exhaustive summary by any means, but a representative impression of our wonderful School and a testament to the spirit and endeavour of our young people and staff. Read on and enjoy!”