Founded in 1553, Bromsgrove School is one of the oldest schools in the country with a long and distinguished history. We continue to draw on our past, remaining true to our core values whilst ensuring that the education provided is dynamic, progressive and rooted in the care for the individual. We are inspired, not constrained by our history. We believe that the broad education they enjoy at school, prepares young people to go on to lead motivated, moral and fulfilled lives in the future. As with so many of their predecessors, our aim is that Old Bromsgrovians will share the talents and qualities they have developed at school, in partnership with parents, and use them to enrich the lives of others, regardless of the paths they choose to follow.
When they join us, some Bromsgrove pupils are at the very start of their educational journey whilst others are within a few years of making their way confidently in the rapidly changing world. We have day pupils and boarders; for some home is very close by, whilst others have travelled across the world to learn with us; there are a wide variety of subject and course options including A level, International Baccalaureate and BTEC. Whatever their chosen ambitions and passions, be they members of the Nursery, the Pre-Preparatory, Winterfold, the Preparatory School or Senior School, we value every pupil as an individual and seek to find personal pathways for them to find success and fulfil their potential.
Frequently Asked Questions
These are just some of the questions that the Headmaster gets asked by visiting parents.
What is Bromsgrove's standing in the 21st century?
Official views tend to accord, right down to the adjectives. The Good Schools Guide proclaims that Bromsgrove "inhabits the academic stratosphere", enjoys "outstanding leadership" and "outstanding sport", while official inspectors OFSTED rate both Senior and Prep School as "outstanding." If you believe in league tables, then Bromsgrove is in the top ten (sometimes top five) of all British coeducational boarding/day schools. The School's facilities are exceptional.
The ultimate measure, though, is not league tables or the buildings: it's whether young people want to be here and then, whether they become adults who make a difference for the better. They do. As well as the fourteen hundred British pupils, four hundred pupils from about fifty nationalities attend Bromsgrove. Bromsgrove Thailand, opened in 2005, thrives in Bangkok and Bromsgrove Mission Hills in Shenzhen, China, which joined the family of Schools in 2016. Internationally, nationally and locally, Bromsgrove School burns bright.
What kind of pupils enjoy Bromsgrove?
We don't do public school clichés: no swagger and no arrogance. If we may quote the Good Schools Guide again: "pupils are bright and articulate .. refreshingly lacking in false sophistication and have an endearing straightforwardness and pride in their School." That, we believe, is a fair assessment. Inclusivity, diversity, compassion and commitment to achieving potential are common denominators. We offer staggering breadth and expect our pupils to respond with enthusiasm and a will to succeed. The uniform is worn with pride, not disdain, and the piccolo player is as valued as the tennis ace. (Better still, play piccolo and tennis).
Do you have to be very strong academically to get in?
The School is selective, yes, but provided pupils are committed to the ethos, they do not have to be Einstein or Picasso in order to thrive at Bromsgrove. Lots of schools way below us in the dreaded league tables are actually far more selective at entry, but our value added scores are exceptional. There are easier Schools to come to than Bromsgrove, but we exist to broaden horizons, not pad out comfort zones.
Has Bromsgrove's profile always been as it is now?
No: the School's history is very unusual. An ancient chantry school founded some time in the Middle Ages, Bromsgrove was re-established as a Tudor grammar school between 1548 and 1553. The endowment of Sir Thomas Cookes in 1693 produced the first buildings on the present site and also the historic link with Worcester College, Oxford. At the foundation of the Headmasters' Conference in 1869, Bromsgrove was one of the original fourteen members. During the Second World War the School moved to Wales while the buildings were used by British Government Departments. Throughout all of this, however, Bromsgrove was a relatively small, albeit highly successful, school. It was only towards the end of the twentieth century that rapid growth in numbers and an extensive new building programme began.
So it's a big school. Does that mean quieter pupils might be overwhelmed?
Absolutely not. Bromsgrove is now one of the country's larger independent schools but it has grown because so many people want what it offers. Crucially, the House system ensures that a warm and secure micro-environment exists for every pupil within the larger community, and the ethos of respect and inclusion is reiterated constantly. Paradoxically perhaps, given the sporting as well as academic reputation of the School, Bromsgrove is a gentle giant.
You can drive through Bromsgrove town and not even see the School. How is that possible?
There is no Harry Potter bell tower. No sweeping driveway through undulating fields (the entrances are, frankly, unprepossessing). Indeed, no single iconic building (perhaps there are too many now) screams Bromsgrove School. Despite the millions of pounds invested in recent years, Bromsgrove keeps one hundred acres of secrets from a casual visitor, hidden like a vast walled garden. The buildings are low and set back from nearby roads. An aerial photograph shows that half of central Bromsgrove is taken up by the ancient School and its grounds, but you would never know it from street level.