Clifton College

Since 2016, Dr Tim Greene. Educated at Methodist College Belfast (Methody, as it’s affectionately known), which he says has a similar ethos to Clifton College. Read chemistry at the University of Oxford and stayed on to do his DPhil. He became a s

Around 60 to 70 pupils arrive from the prep school every year, having sat a transfer exam in advance. They are joined by a similar number from preps like Beaudesert Park, All Hallows, St Peter’s in Lympstone, The Dragon, Exeter Cathedral School, P

Around 20 per cent decamp after GCSEs, sometimes because they have itchy feet and want a change or because their families are relocating. At 18, the vast majority of leavers head to university. Top three university destinations are Durham, Exeter

In 2024, 55 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 43 per cent A*/A at A level (73 per cent A*-B).

Teachers go the extra mile to help pupils make their sixth form choices, whether it’s A levels or BTECs or a mixture of both. ‘It’s about plotting the right course for each individual pupil,’ says the head. Around 35 different options to choose fr

Learning support is housed in the Fife Centre, a key part of the school. Support is offered to pupils with specific needs one-to-one and in small groups. ‘I wouldn’t be where I am now without them,’ said a sixth former. ‘To be in the comfortable e

With 35 visiting music teachers and a third of pupils playing an instrument, it’s no surprise that music is sublime. Joseph Cooper, an Old Cliftonian, gave his name to the music school, which is equipped with a first-class recital hall, high-tech

The school has an impressive sporting history, including the remarkable achievement by Arthur Edward Jeune Collins, who held the record for the highest individual score in cricket for 116 years. In 1899, at the tender age of 13, he hit 628 not out

Everybody, whether they are day pupils or boarders, belongs to a house. As well as five day houses, there are seven boarding houses – four for boys and three for girls. Just under half of pupils board. ‘The school has grown and now every bed is fu

The house and tutorial systems are the backbone of pastoral care, supported by an independent person, a counsellor and the chaplain. Housemasters and housemistresses are all Mental Health First Aid trained. ‘The pupils are more confident in addres

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

Currently slightly more boys than girls (55:45). Up to 25 per cent of youngsters from other countries, including day pupils, and a number from Forces families. ‘Clifton handles military kids really well,’ a pupil said. Day pupils come from as far

Academic, art, drama, DT, music and sport scholarships available at 13+ and 16+, plus a separate 16+ organ scholarship – all merit based and competed for via exams, auditions or other assessments. There are also Polack’s scholarships for Jewish pu

Set among the elegant Victorian villas of one of Bristol's most beautiful residential areas, this is a friendly, welcoming school that achieves superbly on all fronts, whether it’s teaching and learning or sport and the arts. ‘I would have loved t