Staff, pupils and parents alike are celebrating today as Bristol Grammar School is named Southwest Independent School of the Year 2024 in the Sunday Times Parent Power Schools Guide.
The co-educational day school for children aged 4-18 has a rich history as the longest-serving independent school in the city and has been providing an outstanding education to the children of Bristol for almost 500 years.
Head of BGS Jaideep Barot, believes ‘everything has come together’ for the school following a period of sustained reflection, refocusing and evolution: “There is an air of real positivity about the school.”
The Headteacher, and Chair Elect of HMC, feels the award recognises the continued excellence in education provided by teaching staff and credits the move towards data driven ‘value-added’ success as a driver to its academic performance. “It is about getting each child to a place they never thought they’d be.” says Barot. “I am delighted to have received this independent validation of our endeavours. The values which underpin our success run throughout the school, from the Infant and Junior School to the Sixth Form, as BGS continues to develop young adults of integrity and character, ready to make a real and lasting difference in the world that awaits them.”
The award also mentions the school’s mission to enable one in four pupils to hold a Bursary Award by 2032, the school’s 500th birthday. As a recipient of an assisted place at Manchester Grammar School, Mr Barot has a firm belief in widening access and says: “If what you have here is those brightest, hungriest minds, then it lifts the whole school, it has got to be fairest that this (sic) is available to everyone who could benefit from it.”
The Sunday Times Parent Power Guide ranks schools by the first true set of post-pandemic examination results and is widely acknowledged as the most authoritative survey of the country’s top schools.
Helen Davies, Editor of Parent Power, said: “The guide showcases academic excellence but also celebrates schools who may not be right at the top but are rising, innovating, and helping pupils flourish. Being a teenager is hard enough, and the past few years since Covid have made life even harder. It is heartening to highlight the achievements of so many students and schools across the UK.
“This year Parent Power includes details on extracurricular clubs, wellbeing initiatives and school lunch menus.”
