Bradford Grammar School

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Bradford Grammar School
Address
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
A650 Keighley Road Bradford , West Yorkshire , BD9 4JP England
Coordinates	53°48′52″N 1°46′11″W / 53.81455°N 1.76981°W / 53.81455; -1.76981Coordinates: 53°48′52″N 1°46′11″W / 53.81455°N 1.76981°W / 53.81455; -1.76981
Information
Type	Independent day school Grammar school
Motto	hoc age (Do this)
Established	1548; 473 years ago (1548)
Headmaster	Simon Hinchliffe
Gender	Co-educational
Age	6 to 18
Enrolment	1122
Colour(s)	Blue & Maroon
Co-education since	1999
Website	bradfordgrammar.com

Bradford Grammar School (BGS) is a co-educational independent 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.

History[]

The school was founded in 1548 and granted its Charter by King Charles II in 1662.^[1] Until 1975 it was a direct grant grammar school, and when this scheme was abolished it chose to become independent.^[2] The school motto is Latin: Hoc Age (Do This).^[3]

The school grounds have been used as a helicopter landing ground by the royal family when they are visiting the local area due to its large fields. The most recent landing was by Prince William, in 2020.^{[citation needed]}

Second World War[]

The new school building in Frizinghall was actually completed in 1939, however the start of the Second World prevented the building from being opened as a school. During the war, the main school building was used as a Primary Training Centre,^[4] and there is still evidence of this around the building. During this time, many BGS pupils were evacuated to Settle,^[5] 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, as they used it as their main source to school. In the end, it was due to the efforts of an English teacher, Robin Sisson,^[6] that the station was reopened.

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%.^{[citation needed]} 31 courses are offered for A-Levels, and 97% of sixth-form pupils went on to study further education or deferred a year.^[7] 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.^{[citation needed]}

Extra-curricular activities[]

Sport[]

The school's first sport for boys is rugby union, and for girls it is netball or hockey. Other sports done at the school include 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 and football 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 rowing machines, cycling machines, a treadmill and weights which was modernised in 2011. A 25m swimming pool is used for swimming and water polo training at lunchtimes and evenings. A further junior gym is used for fitness training and PE lessons.

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 now regularly fly and partake in RAF courses. The school owns its own 25-metre shooting range. In later years, the CCF has been regenerated by Squadron leader Dheeraj Bhasin, a former RAF pilot.

Music[]

Musical groups and clubs that run for pupils include: Senior Orchestra, Junior Orchestra, junior and senior choirs and chamber choirs, Close Harmony Group, Big Band, Concert Band, Samba Band, String Group, Dixieland Crackerjacks, junior and senior saxophone groups, and Soul Band. The Music School is equipped with classrooms, a recording studio, auditorium and 12 private teaching rooms for individual instrument tuition.

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, in which the drama department works closely with the music department to produce a performance. 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.

Annual events[]

Founders Day is an annual event held at Bradford Cathedral to remember the start of the school and notable characters from its history.^{[citation needed]}

Alumni[]

This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Please by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations. (August 2019)

• John Sharp (1645–1714), Archbishop of York
• Abraham Sharp (1653–1742), mathematician and scientific instrument maker
• David Hartley (1705–1757), philosopher and physician
• John William Whittaker (1790–1854), clergyman
• Louis Addin Kershaw (1845–1899), Chief justice
• Frederick Delius (1862–1934), composer
• Ernest Leopold Sichel (1862–1941), artist
• Sir Charles Harris (1864–1943), civil servant
• Henry de Beltgens Gibbins (1865–1907), economic historian
• John Coates (1865–1941), singer
• William Binnie (1867–1949), civil engineer
• Sir Frank Watson Dyson^[8] (1868–1939), Astronomer Royal
• Charles Wilson^[9](1869–1959), physicist
• John Lawrence Hammond^[10] (1872–1949), historian and journalist
• Sir William Rothenstein^[11] (1872–1945), artist
• Christopher Lintrup Paus^[12]
• Albert Rutherston (1881–1953), painter and illustrator
• Humbert Wolfe (1885–1930), poet and civil servant
• Charles Fairburn (1887–1945), railway engineer
• Eric Craven Gregory (1887-1959), benefactor of the arts
• John Rawlings Rees (1890–1969), psychiatrist
• Sir Mortimer Wheeler^[13] (1890–1976), archaeologist and broadcaster
• Arthur Raistrick (1896–1991), civil engineer, industrial archaeologist and pacifist
• Harry McEvoy (1902–1984), breakfast cereal manufacturer
• Richard Eurich (1903–1992), painter
• H. L. A. Hart^[14] (1907–1992), legal philosopher
• Geoffrey Barraclough^[15] (1908–1984), historian
• William Henry Walsh (1913–1986), philosopher
• Kenneth Garside (1913–1983), Academic Librarian and Military Intelligence Officer
• Michael Wharton^[16] (1913–2006), columnist Peter Simple
• Alan Bullock^[17] (1914–2004), a.k.a. Baron Bullock of Leafield, historian
• Denis Healey, Baron Healey^[18] (1917–2015), Chancellor of the Exchequer
• Sir Ken Morrison^[19] (1931–2017), Executive Chairman of Morrisons
• Rt Rev Alan Smithson (1936–2010), Bishop of Jarrow
• David Hockney^[20] (born 1937), artist
• David Miliband (born 1965), former Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
• Malcolm Laycock^[21] (1938–2009), radio presenter and producer
• Vivian Nutton (born 1943), classicist and medical historian
• Paul Slack (born 1943), historian
• Michael Jack^[22] (born 1946), politician
• Jonathan Silver (1949–1997), entrepreneur and art gallery owner
• Colin Lawson (born 1949) clarinetist, academic and Director of the Royal College of Music
• Nick Toczek (born 1950), writer and performer
• Victoria Braithwaite (1967–2019), animal behaviour scientist
• Boris Rankov (born 1954), Professor of Roman History at Royal Holloway, University of London; 6-time Boat Race winner with Oxford
• John Bainbridge Webster (born 1955), Chair of Systematic Theology at King's College, University of Aberdeen
• Alistair Campbell (born 1957), journalist, former Downing Street Press Secretary (1997–2000) and the first Downing Street Director of Communications (2000–2005)
• Sir David Wootton (born 1958), Lord Mayor of London
• Roger Mosey (born 1958), Master of Selwyn College, Cambridge
• John Mann, (born 1960), Member of Parliament for Bassetlaw
• Steven Wells (1960–2009) Ranting poet, punk journalist, novelist, comedy writer for On The Hour.
• Ashley Metcalfe (born 1963), former Yorkshire County Cricket Club cricketer
• Andrew Jones (born 1963), Member of Parliament for Harrogate and Knaresborough
• Adrian Moorhouse^[23] (born 1964), Olympic gold medallist swimmer
• Richard Nerurkar, (born 1964), marathon and 10,000 metres runner
• Enzo Cilenti, (born 1974) actor
• Robert Ashforth, (born 1976) professional rugby union player (Fly half)
• Robert Hardy^[24] (born 1980), bassist of Franz Ferdinand
• Jon Sen, (born 1974) TV producer, Executive Producer EastEnders
• Dan Scarbrough (born 1978), England rugby union player (Full back / Wing)
• Charlie Hodgson^[25] (born 1980), England rugby union player (Fly half)
• Benson Taylor (born 1983), film composer
• Uzair Mahomed (born 1987), cricketer
• Alistair Brownlee^[26] (born 1988) British triathlete; brother of Jonathan Brownlee
• Jonathan Brownlee (born 1990) British triathlete; brother of Alistair Brownlee.
• Georgie Henley (born 1995), actress
• John Hollingworth, English actor

See also[]

• Listed buildings in Bradford (Manningham Ward)

References[]

External links[]

• Official website
• BGS Old Bradfordian Association
• BGS Boat Club website