Basic Information & Location
Bradfield College is a co-educational independent school for 13 – 18 year olds, and is situated in the village of Bradfield, in the county of Berkshire. It was founded in 1850, and belongs to the Rugby Group, a group of British independent schools which meets each year to discuss matters of common interest.
School Motto
Bradfield College’s purpose is to provide an outstanding education for the young people in its care, equipping them to lead happy and successful adult lives.
Academic Matters
The Lower School curriculum consists of core subjects, English, Mathematics and Science, together with four option subjects. The Lower School runs a Divisions Programme, which uses a combination of History, Geography, World Religion, History of Art, Government and Politics and the Classics. Students at junior level who speak English as a second language are tested, and if required they take English as an Alternative Language instead of one modern language. The Minerva Programme is a self-selection course of study which enables students to choose from a veritable cornucopia of subjects, interests and pursuits. At Sixth Form entry students are able to choose two avenues of study. Students wishing to study for their A-levels choose three subjects along with EPQ, the Extended Project Qualification, or they can take the IB route, with three subjects at Higher Level and three subjects at Standard Level.
Boarding / Pastoral Care
All houses are the responsibility of the Housemaster or Housemistress under who are the matron, academic tutors and other onsite staff. Boys and girls in the first year enter Faulkner’s House, which is specifically designed for first-time boarders. By the time students have progressed from one senior house and into a sixth form house – there are eleven houses on campus – they are expected to be paragons of behaviour and etiquette for the younger students, a role which sixth formers take very seriously.
Extracurricular
The school has an extensive sport and activity programme, yet most vital to the school ethos is helping promote awareness of life outside the classroom for their students. One of the ways that Bradfield achieves this is through the International-Baccalaureate Creative Action & Service, which helps students to voluntarily work within the local community, whether raising money for local charities through sponsored sport events, or providing entertainment through musical evenings and plays.
