Bromsgrove School

Introduction

There are three constituencies to Bromsgrove School: The Pre-Preparatory School (over 200 pupils aged 2-7), the Preparatory School (500 pupils aged 7-13) and the Senior School (900 pupils aged 13-18). The Sixth Form is large, with over 400 pupils.

Academic Excellence

Bromsgrove is unashamedly academic. At the time of writing, the Government’s value-added A-level tables ranked Bromsgrove first out of all state and independent schools in this part of the country (Birmingham, Worcestershire and all surrounding counties).  Our results place us in the top ten (sometimes top five) of co-educational day/boarding schools in the UK. The majority of the 200 pupils who leave the Upper Sixth every year go to Russell Group universities in the UK.

Our own academic facilities have been improved beyond measure in the last decade. Eighteen new and refurbished Science laboratories recently joined a magnificent new Humanities block, Art and Design Building, and Library. All older buildings have been given a 21st century makeover in the classrooms so that every pupil learns in a superbly resourced environment.

Development

Tens of millions of pounds have been invested in the last fifteen years, and if no one iconic building screams “Bromsgrove”, it’s only because there are so many that might. From the 17th Century School house to the many 21st Century structures, the working and living environments are magnificent. The Senior School sits in 100 acres of leafy grounds with the Preparatory School adjacent, while the Pre-Preparatory School is housed in a beautiful Victorian mansion overlooking the countryside.

Creativity  

Music, Art and Drama are central to the life of a School and the creative arts at Bromsgrove allow pupils to breathe, and although all great art demands discipline, we seek to develop rather than cramp the individual muse. The Art and Design facilities are among the country’s finest, Music is taught in purpose built classrooms with an adjacent concert hall that befits the highest quality of performances. Drama teaching is based at the Preparatory School in a state-of-the-art theatre and performance studio.

Sports & Facilities

Bromsgrove offers nationally recognised elite sport together with a mighty breadth of opportunity for those who simply want to participate. All this takes place in superb facilities: sports halls, floodlit astroturfs, tennis and netball courts, a swimming pool, a fitness suite and acres upon acres of grass pitches.  A recently constructed massive sports hall, with seating for 500 spectators, enables the School to host national events.  This area of the sports facility also includes dance halls, a fitness suite, and a café.  

At the highest level we aim to perform like a sports academy. National honours frequently come our way at Prep and Senior level, and many of our pupils play at regional and national level. Every week we play fixtures against other schools – both independent and state - and we also tour internationally.

Extra Curricular

Bromsgrove aims to provide a three hundred and sixty degree education, and to do that we provide extensive opportunities outside of classrooms and sport halls.  Bromsgrovians serve the community, test themselves on mountains and in rivers, debate the issues of the day in competition, make and sell products, teach, march, climb, ride, shoot. Be it Duke of Edinburgh or the Combined Cadet Force, Young Enterprise Schemes or one of the numerous voluntary School activities, the richness of the Extra Curricular programme is available to all.

As well as the huge weekly programme, Bromsgrove offers an optional Saturday morning programme that includes everything from martial arts to creating bio-fuel from discarded vegetable oil which will power the School minibuses. Virtually every conceivable interest is catered for, and in adjacent rooms one might find the chess club and a RADA group hard at work, though at different noise levels.

Pastoral care

The most important aspect of any school is the quality of its pastoral care. We want safe, happy young people to take the School’s values into the adult world, and so we have obvious and necessary facilities such as a superb Boarders' Health and Well-being Hub staffed 24 hours a day. But it’s the people, not the buildings, who define the community, and with specially trained medical, counselling and pastoral staff (including the Chaplain), pupils always have somewhere to turn.

Boarding

Bromsgrove takes boarders from the age of seven and has invested hugely in its boarding facilities in recent years.  Our newly refurbished boarding house for 84 prep boarders aged 7 – 13, in addition to a smaller, recently opened, house for 16 Year 7&8 boarders gives scope for a significant proportion of Prep students to be a weekly or full boarder. Senior School boarding has recently seen the addition of one totally new boarding house with the others having been completely refurbished in the last two years. Boarding life at Bromsgrove is rich and varied. For some people, boarding really is life changing. Nothing can compare with boarding as a preparation for university: independence, co-operation, and leadership skills are all part and parcel of the experience. From Sunday trips and activities to evening or weekend use of the Schools’ facilities, boarders enjoy a diverse, rewarding life away from the classroom. And Bromsgrove never closes in term time. There are no exeat weekends, so if a boarder wants to stay at School for every weekend in a term, he or she can be confident there will be plenty of other boarders on site.

Preparatory School

The Prep School’s green site sits adjacent to the Senior School, and the Prep therefore shares some of the Senior School’s facilities (such as the Music School, swimming pool and astroturfs). However, the Prep boasts fine grounds and buildings of its own and has a unique atmosphere. A modern sports hall, superb Design centre, unrivalled Drama facilities, grass pitches, hardcourts and a magnificent, airy, twenty first century teaching block for the younger pupils are just some of the eye catchers.

The academic syllabus is rigorous, though it does not slavishly follow the national curriculum. Monitoring of performance is tight and the expectation is that everybody will give of their best. We set our benchmarks above national averages and, as ever, we find that busy, happy pupils take this in their stride.

Pre-Preparatory School

Five minutes drive from the Prep and Senior Schools, overlooking the green countryside of North Worcestershire, stands a beautiful Victorian mansion. It is approached by a long drive and surrounded by delightful grounds. This is where the foundation is laid for many pupils. They learn not simply to read and write and paint and operate computers: they learn to live by the values of the School. They learn to care and contribute. From outdoor learning areas to creative curriculum inspired classrooms, the children of the Pre-Prep have wonderful facilities in which to learn and play.