Address: Bryanston School, Blandford, Dorset DT11 0PX
Pupils: 673, Upper sixth 136
Fees: £10,109 per term (Day), £12,328 per term (Boarding)
Enquiries: the Admissions Registrar
Description: At Bryanston our aim is to develop well-balanced 18-year-olds, ready to go out into the wider world, to lead happy and fulfilling lives and to contribute, positively and generously.
We provide every pupil with individual attention and support. The school’s tailored approach means that pupils benefit from extensive one-to-one time with their tutor and also with their subject teachers each week, providing the academic and pastoral encouragement they need to achieve their full potential as individuals. We believe pupils do best when they learn to relish every opportunity and discover their own individual talents and interests, exploring them to the best of their abilities. Pupils are encouraged to experience a wide range of academic subjects and extra-curricular activities, all of which helps them to discover areas where they can flourish and excel, giving them an extra boost of confidence inside the classroom as well as an appreciation of others’ talents.
In weekly one-to-one tutorials a pupil’s tutor will help them to analyse their academic progress, identifying what went well and where improvements need to be made. Co-curricular activities for the week, such as sport, music and drama, are also planned and the previous week’s activities are discussed. In this way, the tutorial develops a pupil’s understanding of their own particular strengths and weaknesses and how they can use their strengths to support the areas where they are more challenged.
Bryanston has a strong creative tradition and not just in the obvious areas of art, drama and music. We recognise the need for creativity across the curriculum, as an essential component of the ability to solve problems, the basis of maths, science and business. In our experience, this combination of exploring their own capabilities coupled with the encouragement to think (not just act) creatively provides pupils with the skills, knowledge and attitude they need to lead happy and fulfilling lives in an ever-changing world. They leave us knowing what they require to succeed and have well-practised strategies for achieving their potential, thanks, in part, to the fact that creativity, underpinned by extensive support and attention for the individual, is woven deep into the school’s structure and ethos.
School Head: Sarah Thomas read classics at Hertford College, Oxford, took her PGCE at King’s, London, and came to Bryanston in 2005 after helping to run two of Britain’s most successful co-ed public schools. She was deputy head at Uppingham for six years and before that spent 13 years at Sevenoaks teaching classics, housemistressing and heading the sixth form.
Results: Of the 2017 IB cohort of 15 pupils, one third achieved a score of 40 or more, placing them among the top 10% of IB pupils worldwide. Overall Bryanston pupils achieved an average score in 2017 of 35 out of a possible maximum of 45. Against a backdrop of reform and changes to A levels in 2017, Bryanston pupils, with support from their dedicated teachers, worked hard to achieve an excellent set of results and gain places at top universities in the UK and overseas. Across the year group the number of pupils achieving the top grades was up with 33 pupils celebrating at least one A*, six of whom achieved three or more A*s, and 16 pupils gaining straight A*/A results. Â At GCSE 38 pupils achieved an A* or A in six or more subjects. Of these pupils, ten achieved straight A*/As, including one pupil who gained 12 A*s and another with 11 A*s. There were strong performances across a breadth of subjects, including Biology (98.1% A*-B), Chemistry (92.6% A*-B), Physics (92.6% A*-B), Further Maths (90.9% A* Distinction-B), Music (85% A*-B), Design and Technology: Resistant Materials (83.3% A*-B), History (80.9% A*-B), Fine Art (78.9% A*-B), Art 3D (78.6% A*-B) and Maths (76.2% A*-B).
Furtherhigher: Bryanstonians apply to a very wide range of universities and courses, from traditional academic degrees to creative, vocational courses, as well as non-university routes into further study and employment. In 2017, as well as successful applications to UK universities, there were 12 successful applications for art foundation courses, two to music conservatoires (Guildhall and Royal College), and 13 applications to non-UK universities, including ETH Zurich, Trinity College Dublin, Columbia, NYU and Northeastern University in the USA, and the universities of Leiden and Amsterdam. Of the three Oxbridge applicants who were made offers during this cycle, all were successful. There were also two applications to read Medicine this year and both were successful.
Arts: Music: Over 60% of pupils learn a musical instrument; instrumental exams can be taken. 2 full orchestras, string chamber orchestra, concert band, dance band, 6 choirs and many smaller informal ensembles and bands. Many musical events. Drama: Drama offered. A-level theatre studies and LAMDA exams taken. Some 15 pa plays produced; 12 pa professional musical/dramatic performances in the school. Art and design: On average, 70 take GCSE, 30 A-level. Sculpture, pottery, photography, print-making and textiles. Pupils regularly accepted at art colleges.
Sport: One of the key aims of sport at Bryanston is to encourage all pupils to develop affectionate connections with sport and so a wide variety of sports and activities are available for pupils to try, including the traditional major games, kayaking, rowing, climbing, dance and many more. In addition, football was introduced for the sixth form in the spring of 2018 and is proving popular with both players and spectators. The fundamental aims are to encourage physical activity, and for health and well-being to be the bedrock of the individual pursuit of excellence for every member of the Bryanston community. For our elite sportspeople, as well as those who have the determination and commitment to improve, the Performance Sport Programme provides a structured framework throughout a pupil’s time at Bryanston, starting with generic skills and techniques and moving to a bespoke, sport-specific programme for each individual involved. Under the expert guidance of Alex Chapman, Head of Performance Sport, PSP is focussed upon character, effort and respect, all of which underpin the pursuit of excellence. At the same time, the school is working with research institutions to produce UK and world-leading sports science research, with a particular interest in growth and maturation, which complements the school’s delivery of physical education and sport.
Boarding: Upper sixth have own study bedroom, lower sixth share in 2s; remainder in rooms of about 4. Single-sex houses of approximately 55, divided by age group. Sanatorium with resident qualified nurse. Central dining room. Pupils can provide and cook some own food. Visits to local town allowed – any age, twice a week on average.
Activities: Extra-curricular activity at Bryanston is treated as carrying real significance for the full development of the pupil. Many Old Bryanstonians have found their future paths from engagement in the extra-curricular life of the school; many others have found that success outside the classroom has given them greater confidence within the classroom. Over 100 extra-curricular activities (ECAs) are on offer each year, including Duke of Edinburgh Award, musical groups, art, drama, CREST Awards, history club, football, and many more. All pupils also take part in Pioneering, which provides opportunities for pupils to get involved in a wide range of activities around the school and in the local community.
Formerpupils: Sir Terence Conran (product designer); Jasper Conran (fashion designer); Lucien Freud, Howard Hodgkin (artists); Fred Sanger OM (molecular biologist, winner of two Nobel prizes); Sir John Eliot Gardner, Mark Wigglesworth (conductors); Mark Elder CBE (Musical Director of the Halle); Philip de Glanville (rugby player), Ben Fogle (TV presenter), Emilia Fox (actress).
