Badminton School
Badminton School is an independent, boarding and day school for girls aged 4 to 18 years situated in Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, England. Named after Badminton House in Clifton, Bristol, where it was founded, the school has been located at its current site since 1924 and consistently performs well in the government's league tables, particularly at A-Level.[2] In 2008 the school was ranked third in the Financial Times top 1,000 schools.[3] In the 2023 A-Levels, the school saw 48.5% of its candidates score A*/A.[4]
| Badminton School | |
|---|---|
 | |
.jpg.webp) The school lodge and gates | |
| Address | |
Westbury Road , BS9 3BA England | |
| Coordinates | 51.48557°N 2.617705°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private boarding and day school |
| Motto | Latin: Pro Omnibus Quisque, Pro Deo Omnes (Each for all, and all for God) |
| Established | 1858 |
| Founder | Miriam Badock |
| Local authority | Bristol City Council |
| Department for Education URN | 109337 Tables |
| Headteacher | Jessica Miles[1] |
| Gender | Girls |
| Age | 4 to 18 |
| Enrollment | 550 |
| Capacity | 550 |
| Houses |
|
| Alumni | Old Badmintonians |
| Website | www |
According to the Good Schools Guide, "The secret of the school's success is in its size and a good deal of individual attention."[5]
School history
Miriam Badock established a school for girls in 1858 at Badminton House in Clifton, Bristol.[6] By 1898 it had become known as Miss Bartlett's School for Young Ladies.[7]
The school developed a broad curriculum, and extracurricular activities, including sports, were encouraged which was unusual for the time. The school grew steadily in size, and in 1924 moved to the present site, under the headship of Beatrice May Baker (1876–1973). Baker, known as BMB,[8] was fundamental in shaping Badminton's ethos and had a deep personal influence on individual pupils.[9] She encouraged the girls to be aware of world affairs and internationalism.[10] A pioneer in many educational fields, she established Badminton as a much-admired progressive school.[11] She insisted on the rights of young people to freedom of expression and encouraged a questioning approach to learning: "in chapel 'Jesus often had to share the stage with Lenin'".[12] The international outlook she pioneered continues today.
In 1958, the school celebrated its centenary with the opening of a new Science Centre by Countess Mountbatten of Burma. Dame Sybil Thorndike was president of the school at that time, and a new cantata called "The Crown of the Year" by Michael Tippett was specially commissioned to mark the event.
By the late 1960s, the progressive aspects of the school had all but vanished (Royston Lambert speech at Exeter University, 19 November 1971)[13] and it had become a standard independent academic school.
Old Badmintonians
Alumnae of the school are known as Old Badmintonians.
- Claire Bloom – actress[14]
- Midge Bruford – (9 April 1902 – 1958)[15]
- Mary Fedden – artist[16]
- Indira Gandhi – Prime Minister of India (1966–77, 1980–84)[17]
- Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein – daughter of King Hussein I of Jordan[18]
- Jenny Joseph – poet [19]
- Charlotte Leslie – Conservative Party MP for Bristol North West, 2010–2017
- Phyllida Law – actress[20]
- Dame Iris Murdoch – writer[21]
- Rosamund Pike – actress[22]
- Unity Spencer (1930–2017), British artist[23]
- Shirley Teed – artist[24]
- Polly Toynbee – journalist[25]
- Shirley Hopkins Civil – musician ,[26] French Horn, Wagner Tuba specialist. Born 1933.
References
- "Headmistress's Welcome". Badminton School. Archived from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
- "Badminton School". Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
- "FT.com – In depth – FT top schools". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 4 March 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
- "Badminton School: Reviews, Rankings, Fees, And More". Britannia UK.
- "Badminton School, Bristol – The Good School Guide". goodschoolsguide.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 May 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
- Watson, Nigel (2008). Badminton School: The First 150 Years.
- "Our History". Badminton School. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
- Jean Storry, ed. (1982). At Badminton with BMB by Those Who Were There. Badminton School.
- "Literary Encyclopedia: Dame Iris Murdoch". litencyc.com. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
- Watkins, Christopher (May 2007). "Inventing International Citizenship: Badminton School and the Progressive Tradition between the Wars". History of Education. Routledge. 36 (3): 315–338. doi:10.1080/00467600500419810. ISSN 1464-5130. S2CID 144980232.
- Child, Hubert Alwyn Thomas (1962). The Independent Progressive School. Hutchinson.
- "Preface to the online release, October 2007". oup.com. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
- Lambert, Royston (1972). Alternatives To School. Exeter University Press. ISBN 0-900771-36-4.
- film adaptations of plays on video By Thomas L. Erskine, James Michael Welsh, John C. Tibbetts.
- "Midge Bruford". Cornwall Artists Index. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- "Tate: Mary Fedden". Tate Etc. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- Carol Dommermuth-Costa, Indira Gandhi: Daughter of India.
- Jordanian Royalty: Jordanian Princes, Jordanian Princesses, Jordanian Royal Consorts, Kings of Jordan, Recipients of Jordanian Royal Pardons.
- Brownjohn, Alan (19 January 2018). "Jenny Joseph obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- Notes to My Mother-in-Law – P Law.
- Iris Murdoch: A life — Peter J. Conradi.
- Roger Ebert, Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2009.
- Lambirth, Andrew (23 November 2017). "Unity Spencer obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
- "Peter Teed, headmaster, and Shirley Teed, artist". The Yorkshire Post. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
- Rank: picturing social order 1516–2009.
- "Shirley Hopkins Civil". International Horn Society.
External links
- Official website
- Profile on the ISC website