Badminton School
Badminton School is an independent, boarding and day school for girls aged 3 to 18 years situated in Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, England. Named after Badminton House in Clifton, Bristol, where it was founded, the school has been located at its current site since 1924 and consistently performs well in the government's league tables, particularly at A-Level.[2] In 2008 the school was ranked third in the Financial Times top 1,000 schools.[3]
| Badminton School | |
|---|---|
The school lodge and gates | |
| Address | |
Westbury Road , BS9 3BA England | |
| Coordinates | 51°29′08″N 2°37′04″W / 51.48557°N 2.617705°WCoordinates: 51°29′08″N 2°37′04″W / 51.48557°N 2.617705°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent day and boarding |
| Motto | Latin: Pro Omnibus Quisque, Pro Deo Omnes (Each for all, and all for God) |
| Established | 1858 |
| Founder | Miriam Badock |
| Local authority | Bristol City Council |
| Department for Education URN | 109337 Tables |
| Headteacher | Stuart Dalley[1] |
| Gender | Girls |
| Age | 3 to 18 |
| Enrollment | 437 |
| Capacity | 446 |
| Houses |
|
| Alumni | Old Badmintonians |
| Website | www |
According to the Good Schools Guide, "The secret of the school's success is in its size and a good deal of individual attention."[4]
School history
Miriam Badock established a school for girls in 1858 at Badminton House in Clifton, Bristol.[5] By 1898 it had become known as Miss Bartlett's School for Young Ladies.[6]
The school developed a broad curriculum, and extracurricular activities, including sport, were encouraged which was unusual for the time. The school grew steadily in size, and in 1924 moved to the present site, under the headship of Beatrice May Baker (1876–1973). Baker, known as BMB,[7] was fundamental in shaping Badminton's ethos and had a deep personal influence on individual pupils.[8] She encouraged the girls to be aware of world affairs and internationalism.[9] A pioneer in many educational fields, she established Badminton as a much-admired progressive school.[10] She insisted on the rights of young people to freedom of expression and encouraged a questioning approach to learning: "in chapel 'Jesus often had to share the stage with Lenin'".[11] The international outlook she pioneered continues today.
In 1958, the school celebrated its centenary with the opening of a new Science Centre by Countess Mountbatten of Burma. Dame Sybil Thorndike was president of the school at that time, and a new cantata called "The Crown of the Year" by Michael Tippett was specially commissioned to mark the event.
By the late 1960s, the progressive aspects of the school had all but vanished (Royston Lambert speech at Exeter University, 19 November 1971)[12] and it had become a standard independent academic school.
Old Badmintonians
Alumnae of the school are known as Old Badmintonians.
- Claire Bloom – actress[13]
- Midge Bruford – (9 April 1902–1958)[14]
- Mary Fedden – artist[15]
- Indira Gandhi – Prime Minister of India (1966–77, 1980–84)[16]
- Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein – daughter of King Hussein I of Jordan[17]
- Charlotte Leslie – Conservative Party MP for Bristol North West, 2010–2017
- Phyllida Law – actress[18]
- Dame Iris Murdoch – writer[19]
- Rosamund Pike – actress[20]
- Unity Spencer (1930–2017), British artist[21]
- Shirley Teed – artist[22]
- Polly Toynbee – journalist[23]
References
- ^ "Headmistress's Welcome". Badminton School. Retrieved 9 November 2018.[dead link]
- ^ "Badminton School". Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
- ^ "FT.com – In depth – FT top schools". Financial Times. from the original on 4 March 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
- ^ . goodschoolsguide.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 May 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
- ^ Watson, Nigel (2008). Badminton School: The First 150 Years.
- ^ "Our History". Badminton School. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
- ^ Jean Storry, ed. (1982). At Badminton with BMB by Those Who Were There. Badminton School.
- ^ "Literary Encyclopedia: Dame Iris Murdoch". litencyc.com. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
- ^ Watkins, Christopher (May 2007). "Inventing International Citizenship: Badminton School and the Progressive Tradition between the Wars". History of Education. Routledge. 36 (3): 315–338. doi:10.1080/00467600500419810. ISSN 1464-5130.
- ^ Child, Hubert Alwyn Thomas (1962). The Independent Progressive School. Hutchinson.
- ^ "Preface to the online release, October 2007". oup.com. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
- ^ Lambert, Royston. Alternatives To School. Exeter University Press. ISBN 0-900771-36-4.
- ^ film adaptations of plays on video By Thomas L. Erskine, James Michael Welsh, John C. Tibbetts.
- ^ "Midge Bruford". Cornwall Artists Index. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- ^ "Tate: Mary Fedden". Tate Etc. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ^ Carol Dommermuth-Costa, Indira Gandhi: Daughter of India.
- ^ Jordanian Royalty: Jordanian Princes, Jordanian Princesses, Jordanian Royal Consorts, Kings of Jordan, Recipients of Jordanian Royal Pardons.
- ^ Notes to My Mother-in-Law – P Law.
- ^ Iris Murdoch: A life — Peter J. Conradi.
- ^ Roger Ebert, Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2009.
- ^ Lambirth, Andrew (23 November 2017). "Unity Spencer obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
- ^ "Peter Teed, headmaster, and Shirley Teed, artist". The Yorkshire Post. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
- ^ Rank: picturing social order 1516–2009.
External links
- Official website
- Profile on the ISC website