Thank you for your expression of interest in Bradfield College, which is situated amidst the spectacular beauty of the Pang Valley here in West Berkshire. We hope our website conveys a sense of the intellectual ambition, creative energy and distinctive character of our friendly, progressive and innovative school community.
Whether you are a young person considering your next move or a parent looking at schools for your children, we hope that this website will provide you with a compelling insight into the extraordinarily diverse opportunities that exist for young people here at Bradfield College. Above all, we hope that you will be inspired to come and experience this very special place for yourselves.
Our vision is very clear – it is to inspire young people to develop a lifelong love of learning within a vibrant and inclusive school community; a community which is pastorally nurturing, intellectually exciting and culturally diverse.
We enable young people to flourish both personally and professionally in their lives beyond Bradfield. Our young people leave us with an authentic desire to contribute positively to the world which they will inherit.
Excellent academic results enable our young people to pursue their chosen paths, but they are only one aspect of the lifelong legacy of a Bradfield education. The immense breadth of our curriculum provides opportunities for personal growth and development, and these opportunities serve to stretch and challenge our young people well beyond the confines of the classroom or examination hall.
Bradfield’s distinctive educational philosophy recognises that many of the skills and attributes that young people need in order to thrive in adulthood are constantly evolving.
Developing these skills and attributes is dependent upon the inspirational learning which takes place within our formal academic curriculum. However, confidence, teamwork and communication skills also evolve on the sports pitch, in the concert hall, or on stage in the theatre. Similarly, resilience and leadership skills develop within the CCF or through participation in outward bound expeditions. Our academic societies provide countless opportunities for intellectual inquiry, philosophical speculation and consideration of what it means to be human in the twenty-first century.
Here at Bradfield College, we challenge young people to be critically reflective, and we encourage them to be actively engaged in all aspects of their personal growth. We believe that it is our responsibility to ensure that children become highly effective learners.
It is a formula for success that works very well. For over a hundred and seventy-five years, Bradfield has successfully inspired generations of young people to develop a lifelong love of learning. Many of these young people have gone on to make highly significant contributions to areas as diverse as literature, medicine, politics, academia, sports, and the media.
We pride ourselves upon being a friendly and compassionate community and every aspect of school life is underpinned by a strong commitment to outstanding pastoral care. The superb quality of staff at Bradfield is one of our defining hallmarks. Our staff are caring, kind and wonderfully invested in the emotional wellbeing of our young people. The nurturing of positive relationships and the provision of two hundred and twenty acres of wellbeing facilities provides a stimulating and supportive environment within which young people live and learn together in harmony.
Meaningful relationships are at the heart of all aspects of school life. Whilst we help young people to develop digital fluency and encourage them to explore the potential of artificial intelligence, we believe that education is primarily an emotional and social experience. Consequently, the friendships that Bradfieldians form with one another are an important dimension of school life and very often last a lifetime.
We recognise that with privilege comes responsibility. Young people have a powerful voice within our community, and we challenge them to want to make their school and their planet better places. In the words of a recent leaver, ‘Bradfield enables its pupils to make a difference, not just to make a living’.
Schools are about people and our people are passionate about all aspects of education. However, there is also a real sense of gentleness, warmth, fun and lightness to life here.
This is a school within which children are truly known and celebrated for the uniqueness of their personality and contribution. Our pupils are known for their sense of integrity and the kindness and respect that they routinely demonstrate. Our reputation for being refreshingly ‘down-to-earth’ is based upon a heartfelt sense of humility and a desire to be outward facing, welcoming and inclusive.
We do hope that you will take the opportunity to come and meet our wonderful pupils and see these qualities for yourselves.
