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05 October 2017
by Ferdinand Steinbeis
by Ferdinand Steinbeis
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English Boarding School In Profile: Is Bryanston School the prettiest boarding school in England?
Hello from autumnal Oxford!
A very rewarding part of our job at von Bülow Education is that we regularly get to visit our partner schools. With our offices just outside Oxford, we are conveniently close to the best schools the UK has to offer.
And of course we make use of this advantage! Every week at least one of us is out and about visiting a school, meeting ‘our’ pupils, getting updates from headmasters and registrars about the latest goings-on, admiring a recently opened science block or boarding house, or sitting in on a maths class. Like this we always stay up to date with what goes on at our partner schools – insights we pass on to our families of course.
Yesterday, our managing director Ferdinand Steinbeis and educational consultant Dorothee Hawkins visited Bryanston School in lovely Dorset.
Let’s just say that we were very, very impressed.
Bryanston School is located in the middle of 400 acres of luscious parkland. The main building is a gorgeous, immaculately preserved pre-Georgian manor house, surrounded by horse-stables, boarding houses and state-of-the art sports and creative facilities.
The school's reception hall
Adjacent to the main house is the tastefully designed music-, design & technology- and natural sciences block, and the beautiful main concert hall. Both buildings are aesthetically in perfect harmony with the main manor
house.
Inside, we witnessed a hive of activity with chirpy-looking pupils in regular clothes - no school uniform here! - going about their business. In the DT department, a class of Y11 pupils was busy building prototypes for new and improved pieces of furniture. Under the supervision of teachers, they used buzz saws and 3-D printers like real product designers. In the music department we were allowed to peek into two state-of-the art recording studios, where pupils were composing music. The chemistry class we attended had an interactive blackboard in the classrooms and all the necessary equipment to compete with the best university laboratories.
Bryanston's Science Department
All things creative
Bryanston School has something for everyone. And yet, one stand-out feature is what the school offers pupils intent on exploring their creative talents. The arts department is a stunning, modern, well-lit atelier with ample space for pupils to spread out. The school invites local artists to teach as part of an ‘artist-in-residence’ program. Music is also big here, with several bands, choirs, chamber orchestras and the school orchestra. The convivial Head of IB Sophie Duncker, who took us to lunch, invited us to the big annual school concert in London in October. We’ll be there!
A painting of a Y11 student in Bryanston's Art Department
The art department - modern, well-lit, masses of space!
Oh, and on the topic of lunch: Bryanston’s food is delicious! We had a choice of pulled pork in a bun, chili con carne, vegetable stir-fry and a large choice of salads on the salad bar. Yum!
Great food!
A lot of support
At the end of the day though, it isn’t the buildings and the facilities that make a school. Our tour guides, two 6th form pupils, were full of praise for the inspiring, supportive teachers at Bryanston. We especially liked the school’s walk-in clinics where subject teachers are on stand-by all day long to help pupils with their questions. The results are commendable – an average of 36 points in the IB and 48% A*/A for A-Levels.
And finally…
So, do we believe Bryanston is the prettiest school in the England? Let’s say it definitely makes our Top 3. More importantly this is a school that has a lot more to offer than just a pretty campus!
If you would like to find out more about Bryanston School, please get in touch!
info@buloweducation.com // +44 (0) 1235 838540
Bryanston facts:
Offers both A-levels and IB No school uniform worn Number of pupils: 780 IB results 2017: 36/45 points average A-Level results 2017: 48% A*/A
Want to read about other boarding schools? Have a look here:
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von Bülow Education
Holbrooke House
34 - 38 Hill Rise
Richmond
TW10 6UA
Tel: +44 (0) 203 9534063
Email: info@buloweducation.com
Holbrooke House
34 - 38 Hill Rise
Richmond
TW10 6UA
Tel: +44 (0) 203 9534063
Email: info@buloweducation.com