Bradford Grammar School (BGS) is a

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children and adolescents are given instructions during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compa ...

located in

Frizinghall Frizinghall is a district in the Heaton ward of the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, lying north of the city centre close to the town of Shipley, itself a part of the City of Bradford Metropolitan District along with such other nearby towns ...

, Bradford,

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

, England. Entrance is by examination, except for the

sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...

, 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

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholars ...

s based on academic achievement.

History

The school was founded in 1548 and granted its Charter by King Charles II in 1662. The Reverend William Hulton Keeling became the headmaster in 1871. He had transformed the grammar school in Northampton, and here he did the same, joining forces with the merchant Jacob Behrens, Bradford Observer editor William Byles and Vincent William Ryan Vicar of Bradford. The school was considered as good as the best public schools in 1895 and Keeling died in 1916 having been given the Freedom of the City. His daughter was Dorothy Keeling ran The Bradford Guild of Help and transformed voluntary work in the UK.

Second World War

The new school building in Frizinghall was actually completed in 1939, however the start of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

prevented the building from being opened as a school. During the war, the main school building was used as a Primary Training Centre, and there is still evidence of this around the building. During this time, many BGS pupils were evacuated to Settle, 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. In the end, it was due to the efforts of an English teacher, Robin Sisson, that the station was reopened as a halt. Until 1975 it was a direct grant grammar school, and when this scheme was abolished it chose to become independent. The school

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

is la, Hoc Age (just do it).

Heliport

The school grounds have been used as a helicopter landing ground by the royal family when they are visiting the local. The most recent landing was by King Charles the third during his first trip to West Yorkshire.

Faculty

Headmaster Simon Hinchliffe is a member of the

Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) is an association of the head teachers of 361 independent schools (both boarding schools and day schools), some traditionally described as public schools. 298 Members are based in the Unite ...

(HMC).

Education

In 2013, the pass rate for both GCSE (Grades A* – C) and A-Levels was 99%. 31 courses are offered for A-Levels, and 97% of sixth-form pupils went on to study further education or deferred a year. 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 David Hockney (born 9 July 1937) is an English painter, draftsman, printmaker, stage designer, and photographer. As an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists o ...

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.

Extra-curricular activities

Sport

The school's first sport for boys is

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

, and for girls it is

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

. Other sports at the school include orienteering,

squash Squash may refer to: Sports * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling * Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

table tennis Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...

, cross country,

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

, and

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...

on the

River Aire The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England, in length. The ''Handbook for Leeds and Airedale'' (1890) notes that the distance from Malham to Howden is direct, but the river's meanderings extend that to . Between Malham Tarn and Ai ...

. The school has an all-weather pitch used for hockey 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 eleven rowing machines, two treadmills, two crossfit machines, and weights—which was modernised in 2011. A 25-metre swimming pool is used for swimming and water polo training at lunchtimes and evenings.

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 fly and partake in RAF courses. The school owns its own 25-metre shooting range.

Music

Musical groups and clubs that run for pupils include: Concert Band, Senior Orchestra, Junior Orchestra, junior and senior choirs and chamber choirs, Close Harmony Group, Big Band, Samba Band, String Group, Dixieland Crackerjacks,Junior and Senior brass group, junior and senior saxophone groups, and Soul Band.

Arts

The interior walls of the school are decorated with artwork by pupils and a number of

'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. 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.

Alumni

* John Sharp (1645–1714),

Archbishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers th ...

* 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 Sir Louis Addin Kershaw (27 December 1844 – 17 February 1899) was a British-American judge who was Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court and Allahabad High Court. Career Kershaw was born in Ohio, United States to British parents Matthew and S ...

(1845–1899), Chief justice *

Frederick Delius Delius, photographed in 1907 Frederick Theodore Albert Delius ( 29 January 1862 – 10 June 1934), originally Fritz Delius, was an English composer. Born in Bradford in the north of England to a prosperous mercantile family, he resisted atte ...

(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 Sir Frank Watson Dyson, KBE, FRS, FRSE (8 January 1868 – 25 May 1939) was an English astronomer and the ninth Astronomer Royal who is remembered today largely for introducing time signals ("pips") from Greenwich, England, and for the role ...

(1868–1939),

Astronomer Royal Astronomer Royal is a senior post in the Royal Households of the United Kingdom. There are two officers, the senior being the Astronomer Royal dating from 22 June 1675; the junior is the Astronomer Royal for Scotland dating from 1834. The post ...

* Charles Wilson(1869–1959), physicist * John Lawrence Hammond (1872–1949), historian and journalist *Sir

William Rothenstein Sir William Rothenstein (29 January 1872 – 14 February 1945) was an English painter, printmaker, draughtsman, lecturer, and writer on art. Emerging during the early 1890s, Rothenstein continued to make art right up until his death. Though he c ...

(1872–1945), artist * Henry Ernest Stapleton (1878-1962), chemist, numismatist *

Christopher Lintrup Paus Christopher "Kiff" Lintrup Paus (; 6 November 1881 in – 28 May 1963) was a British diplomat, who served at the British Embassy in Oslo for several decades, as commercial counsellor and as the British consul in Oslo and head of the British ...

Albert Rutherston Albert Daniel Rutherston (5 December 1881 – 14 July 1953) was a British artist. He painted figures and landscape, illustrated books and designed posters and stage sets. Personal life and education Albert Daniel Rothenstein born 5 December 18 ...

(1881–1953), painter and illustrator * Humbert Wolfe (1885–1930), poet and civil servant *

Charles Fairburn Charles Edward Fairburn (5 September 1887 – 12 October 1945) was an English electrical engineer whose work mainly concerned rail transport. Born in Bradford in 1887, and educated at Brasenose College, Oxford, his career included railway e ...

(1887–1945), railway engineer * Eric Craven Gregory (1887-1959), benefactor of the arts * John Rawlings Rees (1890–1969), psychiatrist *Sir

Mortimer Wheeler Sir Robert Eric Mortimer Wheeler CH CIE MC TD (10 September 1890 – 22 July 1976) was a British archaeologist and officer in the British Army. Over the course of his career, he served as Director of both the National Museum of Wales an ...

(1890–1976), archaeologist and broadcaster * Arthur Raistrick (1896–1991), civil engineer,

industrial archaeologist Industrial archaeology (IA) is the systematic study of material evidence associated with the industrial past. This evidence, collectively referred to as industrial heritage, includes buildings, machinery, artifacts, sites, infrastructure, docu ...

and pacifist * Harry McEvoy (1902–1984), breakfast cereal manufacturer * Richard Eurich (1903–1992), painter *

H. L. A. Hart Herbert Lionel Adolphus Hart (18 July 190719 December 1992), known simply as H. L. A. Hart, was an English legal philosopher. He was Professor of Jurisprudence (University of Oxford), Professor of Jurisprudence at Oxford University an ...

(1907–1992), legal philosopher * Geoffrey Barraclough (1908–1984), historian * William Henry Walsh (1913–1986), philosopher * Kenneth Garside (1913–1983), Academic Librarian and Military Intelligence Officer * Michael Wharton (1913–2006), columnist Peter Simple *

Alan Bullock Alan Louis Charles Bullock, Baron Bullock, (13 December 1914 – 2 February 2004) was a British historian. He is best known for his book '' Hitler: A Study in Tyranny'' (1952), the first comprehensive biography of Adolf Hitler, which influence ...

(1914–2004), a.k.a. Baron Bullock of Leafield, historian * Denis Healey, Baron Healey (1917–2015), Chancellor of the Exchequer *Sir

Ken Morrison Sir Kenneth Duncan Morrison CBE (20 October 1931 – 1 February 2017) was an English businessman, Life President, and former chairman of Morrisons (Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC), the fourth largest supermarket group in the United Kingdom. He ...

(1931–2017), Executive Chairman of

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*Rt Rev Alan Smithson (1936–2010), Bishop of Jarrow *

(born 1937), artist Sir Duncan Nicol CBE, Chief Executive of NHS, 1985 -1993 * David Miliband (born 1965), former

Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Seen as ...

* Malcolm LaycockPeter Vache
Malcolm Laycock Obituary
''The Guardian'', 10 November 2009 (1938–2009), radio presenter and producer * Vivian Nutton (born 1943), classicist and medical historian * Paul Slack (born 1943), historian * Michael Jack (born 1946), politician *

Jonathan Silver Jonathan Silver (1949–1997) was an entrepreneur from Bradford, Yorkshire, who was responsible for restoring Salts Mill as a thriving cultural, retail and commercial centre. Life Silver was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, England in 1949, o ...

(1949–1997),

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values t ...

and art gallery owner * Colin Lawson (born 1949) clarinetist, academic and Director of the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including performanc ...

* Nick Toczek (born 1950),

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

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 John Bainbridge Webster (1955–2016) was an Anglican priest and theologian writing in the area of systematic, historical, and moral theology. Born in Mansfield, England, on 20 June 1955, he was educated at the independent Bradford Grammar Sch ...

(born 1955), Chair of Systematic Theology at King's College,

University of Aberdeen , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

* Alistair Campbell (born 1957), journalist, former

Downing Street Press Secretary The Downing Street Press Secretary is an adviser to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on news media and how to manage the image of the British government to the press. The position is part of the Prime Minister's Office and involves using ...

(1997–2000) and the first Downing Street Director of Communications (2000–2005) *Sir David Wootton (born 1958), Lord Mayor of London *

Roger Mosey Roger Mosey (born 4 January 1958)"Rose ...

(born 1958), Master of Selwyn College, Cambridge * John Mann, (born 1960),

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for Bassetlaw *

Steven Wells Steven Wells (10 May 1960 – 24 June 2009) was a British journalist, author, comedian and punk poet born in Swindon, Wiltshire. He was best known for ranting poetry and his provocative, unapologetic music journalism. In June 2006, he wrote in t ...

(1960–2009) Ranting poet, punk journalist, novelist, comedy writer for On The Hour. * Ashley Metcalfe (born 1963), former

Yorkshire County Cricket Club Yorkshire County Cricket Club is one of 18 first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Yorkshire. Yorkshire are the most successful team in English cricketing hi ...

cricketer * Andrew Jones (born 1963), Member of Parliament for Harrogate and Knaresborough * Adrian Moorhouse (born 1964), Olympic gold medallist swimmer * Richard Nerurkar, (born 1964), marathon and

10,000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The ra ...

runner *

Enzo Cilenti Vincenzo Leonardo "Enzo" Cilenti (born 8 August 1974) is an English actor, known for his roles in works such as '' The Theory of Everything'', '' Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell'', and ''Game of Thrones''. Early life Cilenti was born in Bradford ...

, (born 1974) actor * Robert Ashforth, (born 1976) professional rugby union player (Fly half) *

Robert Hardy Timothy Sydney Robert Hardy (29 October 1925 – 3 August 2017) was an English actor who had a long career in theatre, film and television. He began his career as a classical actor and later earned widespread recognition for roles such as Sieg ...

(born 1980), bassist of

Franz Ferdinand Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria, (18 December 1863 – 28 June 1914) was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His assassination in Sarajevo was the most immediate cause of World War I. Fr ...

* Jon Sen, (born 1974) TV producer, Executive Producer EastEnders * Dan Scarbrough (born 1978), England

player (Full back / Wing) * Charlie Hodgson (born 1980), England

player (Fly half) * Benson Taylor (born 1983), film composer * Uzair Mahomed (born 1987), cricketer * Alistair BrownleeBeijing Olympics GB profile
/ref> (born 1988) British triathlete; brother of Jonathan Brownlee *

Jonathan Brownlee Jonathan Callum Brownlee (born 30 April 1990) is a British professional duathlete and triathlete. He is a six-time World champion (once World Triathlon Series, twice World Sprint Triathlon, three-time World Triathlon Mixed Relay), and one-ti ...

(born 1990) British triathlete; brother of Alistair Brownlee. *

Georgie Henley Georgina Helen Henley (born 9 July 1995) is an English actress. She first began acting as a child, and became known for starring as Lucy Pevensie in the fantasy film series ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' film series (2005–2010), which grossed o ...

(born 1995), actress * John Hollingworth (born 1981), English actor

References

External links

*
BGS Old Bradfordian Association

BGS Boat Club website
{{Authority control Member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference Independent schools in the City of Bradford Schools in Bradford Educational institutions established in the 1540s 1548 establishments in England *