Headmaster’s Blog
from Bradford Grammar School
Building Bridges: Bradford Grammar School’s Vision for Expanding Public Benefit and Partnerships
Bradford Grammar School's head, Simon Hinchliffe, reflects on the schools public benefit activities and explains the steps being [...]
How will imposing VAT on school fees benefit Bradford… and beyond?
Two years ago, in the Autumn of 2022, I found myself making a case for independent schools like [...]
Exam Excellence: Top Tips for Success
Volumes of educational research, teacher, parent and student experience, and a copious slug of (perceived) common sense, is [...]
The OB and the BBC ‘pips’
A ‘face for radio’…that’s me! It’s proved so again, warbling away about Bradford Grammar School on BBC Radio [...]
Why we’re searching for ‘hope’ in 2024
Hope was the given theme for the first Bradford Grammar Senior School assembly of 2024 – an apt [...]
The benefits of being a good neighbour
Over many years, Bradford Grammar School has sought to enact an impactful public benefit on behalf of the [...]
History and gratitude to our founders and benefactors
The theme of the week at Bradford Grammar School is Gratitude, which ties neatly into our Founders’ Day [...]
A new year at BGS – let the adventures begin
There’s a buzz of eager anticipation in the Price Hall before assembly. I know, it’s not reserved for [...]
Why enabling access to the arts is more important than ever
Last week’s performance of Roald Dahl’s ‘The Witches’ by our Year 7 and 8 ‘Friday Drama Club’ had [...]
The transformative power of sport for all
Watching Bradford Grammar School alumnus, Emile Cairess (2016) finishing the London Marathon in sixth place with a time [...]
‘We can all learn to dance in the rain – if we choose to’
Excellence, Opportunity, and Happiness – these are the words that groups of students, parents, prospective BGS families and [...]
Bradford Grammar School – consistently at the top of The Sunday Times Parent Power listing
The Sunday Times Parent Power survey has again rated Bradford Grammar as one of the top three independent schools in [...]
Quarrels about ‘private schools’ are blind to context and nuance
I’m trying to calmly take stock of the pantomime profiles of independent (private) schools in the media. To [...]
Let’s give our young people the credit they deserve
Congratulations to all students who are collecting A Level and GCSE results this summer! Much has been said [...]
Cognitive collywobbles and the art of struggling
“It’s not that I’m smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer” – Albert Einstein “I get [...]
Is a ramping up of centralised Government power wise for the nation’s schools and colleges?
The government’s new Schools Bill is currently going through the House of Lords. The details therein, and some [...]
The diversity and balance of BGS remains a cherished characteristic
It’s been a whirlwind time at BGS as we head towards Christmas. Opportunities to pause, think or put [...]
‘Momentum is growing for a post pandemic qualifications rethink’
Earlier this week, HMC published a report, ‘Time to Talk’, into the perceptions and attitudes of nearly 800 [...]
‘Dynamic schools continue to be great places to work.’
I sat up straight after a lazy five minutes on social media while reading the following words: “That [...]
Building and sustaining partnerships is part of our heritage and future
As I understand it, the notion of public benefit speaks to the very essence of education as a [...]
Schools cannot work in isolation to foster positive relationships amongst young people
Teachers, when asked at job interview ‘what are the characteristics of effective education?’, or words to that effect, [...]
Enjoy the journey
Today’s start of summer term assembly sets the tone for the weeks ahead. Here it is without alteration. [...]
Our young people ought to be a source of national pride
It’s back to business as (near) normal on Monday. School children at Bradford Grammar and across England return [...]
Do you remember snow days as a kid?
I remember trudging to school as fat damp flakes fell, sound muffled by heavy air, the occasional Styrofoam [...]
Do deadlines and assessments lead to a dearth of creativity? Not necessarily…
I talk about BGS and headship on Twitter. Sometimes Twitter talks back. It occasionally sends welcome distractions, like [...]
The current state of play about 2021 examinations
To be clear, school and college leaders, including those here at Bradford Grammar, have no special knowledge about [...]
Building a meaningful and fulfilled life, one centimetre at a time
This is another occasion when an assembly has been tidied up into blog format. Assemblies at BGS can [...]
With ‘active hopefulness’ we will make our mark in 2021
This week at Bradford Grammar School, a team of teachers, led ably by one of our Geographers, Mr [...]
‘Young people are more public minded than given credit for’
Looking up from my screen, I see two used, but in good nick, not especially smelly, pairs of [...]
Inaccurate and Outdated? What next for GCSEs?
“We were told this summer that it was a “mutant algorithm” that had caused the anguish of the [...]
Leadership values, commitment to the community and good intentions
I read an article in The Conversation last week that captured the critical essence of much anti-Boris feeling. [...]
Learning from the past, looking to the future
The killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers has appalled decent people worldwide. Reactions have been diverse, [...]
‘With a little courage, we continue to find our way forward’
We all get scared. At worst, fear can near paralyse. Less dramatically, fear can cloud judgement, affect behaviours, [...]
I fully expect our young people to prove their character
A reflection, and why not? It’s late, I can’t sleep and there is a restorative glass of something [...]
‘Keep asking the questions’
Whole school assemblies resume next week in the Price Hall following Year 11 and 13 mock exams. In [...]
‘The shared experiences which bind us’
It is impossible to hang your hat on one theme or moment in any given academic year, term [...]
Follow your passion – like Darwin – and you will succeed. (Regardless of the size of your nose…)
New Year, new term at Bradford Grammar School and one of those blogs that comes from playing back [...]
In praise of our rich, musical life at BGS
‘Twas the night before Christmas’ – well, not quite, but the feel is much the same at BGS [...]
‘A generation of school children need to be put before ideology’
Rallying ideologies and party-political point scoring have characterised recent debates about the future of education in the UK [...]
‘I’m a better person for spending time ‘off grid’ in Wales’
Every year it’s the same. We’ve been back at school for a few days only, but it feels [...]
‘Anyone can influence and provide a lead to others in a positive and powerful way’
I wrote about leadership earlier in the year and have reflected on this theme since, usually as my focus [...]
‘Galvanising our efforts to provide the best opportunities for all’
“Inequality is now entrenched in Britain from birth to work, and the Government needs to take urgent action [...]
Giving back
Tuesday last week was the first day back after Easter and in true BGS, some would say Hoc [...]
End of term reflections: Happy Easter
Not a typical blog, but a tidied-up version of the Headmaster’s closing remarks at our end of term [...]
There is no ‘one size fits all’ leader in education
“The emphasis on seeking ‘almost superhuman beings’ to lead schools deters people from applying for headships, a prominent [...]
Metrics are marvellous but they don’t drive real character change
Character education is back on the national agenda following an address by the Education Secretary, Damian Hinds. Great. [...]
The power of a good book
BBC Mastermind … contestant, Hinchliffe … specialist subject: The Life and Times of Peppa Pig. We have two [...]
‘We have a responsibility to get kids moving’
Practice what you preach. Twice this week I have been out for a dash (I’m building-up my part [...]
BGS: Tradition and Innovation
Each school term is a sprint. It’s a dangerous thing sitting down for ten minutes with a mug [...]
‘Academic success cannot be measured by raw grades alone’
I’ve just finished a few lines of introduction for the latest edition of ‘Hoc Age’, our termly school [...]
A fresh start at BGS
The summer break is over and today is the first day of the new academic year. We are [...]
The arts: Part of a balanced liberal education
The arts are under threat in our schools. This week The Independent reported Press Association analysis charting a “significant” [...]
‘It’s heartening to see the continued growth of outdoor education’.
Having tackled the BGS in-tray over the opening Bank Holiday weekend of the half term break, we retreated [...]
You can choose to see difference … or similarity
When I was a kid, my experiences of ‘posh’ private schools were largely confined to getting beaten at [...]
Why marking is about much more than logging progress
Interviews for a new Teacher of English have filled much of today. The field was extensive and strong [...]
Our sense of identity: The value of proving yourself
A departure from the normal blog format. I let my phone record this morning’s start of term assembly. I [...]
Fit for learning: the benefits of sport and its unifying strength
I remember my first school rugby practice. Autumn, Year 9 (Third Year in old money), an exposed sports [...]
Cooperation not coercion
In late November the Social Mobility Commission published its annual ‘State of the Nation 2017’ report, which described [...]
Special recognition for BGS
On 24 November I had the great pleasure of addressing the Annual Dinner of the Old Bradfordians Club [...]
Open Day and life at BGS
Mid-afternoon and the Price Hall seems oddly quiet now that the rush of our Open Day has come to [...]
Onwards and upwards
Monday, mid-morning coffee half-sipped, biscuit resisted, fruit eaten, (a small victory – lead by example), but I’m battling [...]
Excellence: The best version of yourself
Not a typical blog, but one final insight into the current term at BGS. This is the script [...]
Wild things: Why we need to get outside
Wild things: Why we need to get outside The Easter Holiday has once again played host to various spring-time [...]
Community support: Compassion and service
At BGS we have been working with local schools and charities for some time. It is the right thing [...]
From tech to teaching, maximising digital opportunities, confidence and safety
A little over one year into Headship at Bradford Grammar School and my forays into the world of social [...]
Honesty in all things
Sunday morning, the first weekend of the February half term break. I’ve settled in the kitchen to catch [...]
Going into bat for independent schools
Summer 1976: England cricketer and fellow Yorkshireman Brian Close batted famously on foreign soil (Old Trafford!) against a [...]
Keep calm and carry on revising
Exam season is once again upon us, or perhaps a more accurate way to put it would be [...]
The right kind of confidence
Where does confidence come from? Dashing adventurer and broadcaster Ben Fogle suggested in the Sunday Times recently that [...]
Arts under threat? – Not at BGS
The start of the Easter holiday and the first three days have been spent catching up with family, getting [...]
Navigating difficult waters
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take [...]
A risk worth taking?
We’ve talked a lot in recent assemblies about taking risks – ‘deep breath and stick your neck out’ [...]
Education and happiness
Dick Moore’s engaging and poignant talks to BGS students, parents and teachers about teenage mental health reminded us [...]
A new year, a new beginning
It was deeply humbling to lead the start of term assembly as the 29th Headmaster of Bradford Grammar [...]
Happiness, mental health and HMC (and hard rock)
It is half past four on the first Thursday of a new term. I’ve just finished my daily [...]