Badminton School

Since 2023, Mrs Jessica Miles, previously head of Haberdashers’ Monmouth School for Girls. A degree in Spanish and linguistics from Oxford and a PGCE from KCL preceded a teaching career (and other responsibilities such as head of sixth form and

Most arrive in year 7, with applicants taking exams in English and maths, plus an online cognitive ability test. Each girl has an interview with a senior member of staff. The transition from the junior school isn’t automatic but virtually all move

Just over a third leave after GCSEs, some for co-ed schools like Marlborough or Westminster. At 18+ leavers head to prestigious universities, with Exeter, KCL and Leeds most popular. Four to Oxbridge in 2025. Increasing numbers overseas – to

In 2025, 75 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 50 per cent A*/A at A level (73 per cent A*-B).

Selective entry, rigorous exam preparation and small classes (eight to 10 in the sixth form and up to 20 lower down) add up to excellent results and a reputation as Bristol’s most academic school. Sixth formers take three or four A levels and a third

Team of four provides support for dyslexia and dyscalculia, either one-to-one or in small groups. EAL is offered in school to support international pupils, even though they’re all required to have a good grasp of English from the outset.

Parents love the fact that Badminton encourages girls to follow their individual pursuits. ‘My daughter is a very serious musician and the school has been very supportive in that,’ said one. The music is glorious. More than 50 per cent play at least

Sport is a real strength, with an Astro, netball courts, 25-metre swimming pool and sports hall (with gym, fitness centre and climbing wall) opened by Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson in 2019. Unlike many other Bristol schools, everything is on one site

The school is 55 per cent day girls and 45 per cent boarders (60 per cent boarders and 40 per cent day pupils at the top of the school). Girls can board from the age of 9 although there’s only a handful of junior boarders. Weekly and full boarding

Pastoral care is clearly signposted, with ‘who can help you?’ posters in every classroom. Form tutors see every girl individually and pastoral heads, subject teachers and leads of lower and middle schools are on hand to offer advice and guidance.

A clear mobile phone policy is a really important part of modern schooling. This school has provided us with their policy.

The girls we met were friendly, unpretentious and keen to make the most of every opportunity. ‘They can be who they want to be here,’ a parent told us. Most day girls come from Bristol itself although a few travel in from south Wales and north

A range of scholarships for entry to years 7, 9 and the sixth form – academic, music, STEM, sport and all-rounder awards as well as one for pupils whose mother, grandmother, aunt or cousin was a Badminton pupil and another for external candidates who

This distinguished Bristol institution is notable on all fronts but it’s wonderfully forward-thinking too. If you’re after a single-sex school, bright, inquisitive girls who want to excel and seize every opportunity will have a whale of a time here.