Badminton School Review – Rankings, Fees And More

Badminton School is among the most prestigious boarding schools for girls in the UK. The school initially was founded to provide equal educational opportunities for girls over 160 years ago. In this review, we’ll explore the ins and outs of this renowned girls boarding school.

Badminton School Guide

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Table of Contents

Summary Of School

  • Type of school: Girls
  • Age range: 11-18
  • Pupils: 550; Sixth formers: 125
  • Boarders: 60%
  • Fees:  £51,375 per annum (Full boarding, Senior School)
  • 2024 A Level Results: 61% A*/A
  • 2023 GCSE Results: 69% 9-7

Badminton School Overview

The school values academic excellence and is selective with its prospective students. Students at Badminton School are confident, well rounded, and have huge aspirations for their futures.  The teachers here know each girl individually and strive to find their talents and nurture them. 

Most students here take 4 A-Levels and have the option to take the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) to further develop their interest. Popular specialisations are Art, Mathematics, Music and Science. Graduates gain places at prestigious colleges such as Central St Martins. Popular career choices are art, medicine, jurisprudence, science and journalism. Famous graduates of Badminton School include Indira Ghandi and writer Iris Murdoch. 

The school values inclusivity and fosters a friendly environment for day girls, boarders, domestic and international students alike. The school recognises all kinds of achievements but does not focus on competitiveness. There are no honours boards and the only prize awarded at the school is the Iris Murdoch award for creative writing.

Badminton School Courses / Programmes

At Badminton School, you can enrol for Primary and Secondary School, GCSE and A-level.

Badminton School Application Deadline

Here you can find the key dates for 2025 entry:

Admission to Year 9 and Year 10

  • Boarding Registration: Monday, 30 September 2024
  • Day Girl Registration: Accepted all year round, but by Wednesday, 30th October 2024 to be included in the first round of results.
  • Scholarship Application and Registration: Wednesday, 30 October 2024

Admission to the Sixth Form

  • Boarding Registration: Wednesday, 30 October 2024
  • Day Girl Registration: Accepted all year round, but but by Wednesday, 30th October 2024 to be included in the first round of results.
  • Scholarship Application and Registration: Wednesday, 30 October 2024

Badminton School Results And Rankings

In 2024, 61% of Badminton School  students achieved A-A* grades for A Levels, while in 2023, 69% achieved 9-7 in GCSE. This achievement highlights the school’s continuous commitment to academic excellence. Tatler Schools Guide reported that the majority of Badminton School’s graduates successfully enrol in Russell Group universities. Six percent of them go overseas to top universities such as Tufts and John Hopkins in the US and four percent of graduates proceeded to Oxbridge universities. 

Badminton School Fees

ACADEMIC YEAR 2024-2025

Day Fees Per Term:

  • Lower Prep School (Reception, Year 1, Year 2): £4,090
  • Upper Prep School (Year 3 and Year 4): £4,330
  • Upper Prep School (Year 5 and Year 6): £4,685
  • Senior School (Year 7 to Year 13): £6,850

Boarding Fees Per Term:

  • Prep School Boarder (UK/EU): £9,325
  • Prep School Boarder (International): £11,095
  • Senior School Weekly Boarder (UK/EU): £12,855
  • Senior School Boarder (UK/EU): £13,640
  • Senior School Boarder (International): £17,125

INCLUDED IN TOTAL SCHOOL FEES:

For Day Girls, the fee includes lunch, break time snacks, and tea. Additionally, Badminton School offers comprehensive ‘wrap-around-care’, allowing parents to benefit from before and after school care, including homework supervision by qualified staff, from 7.45am until 6.30pm for Senior School and until 5.45pm for Junior School on school days, at no extra charge.

For Boarders, full board meals are provided.

For all girls, core textbooks, art materials, food and nutrition resources, and most day-to-day curricular trips and extracurricular clubs are covered.

INCLUDED IN TOTAL SCHOOL FEES FOR INTERNATIONAL BOARDERS:

The International Boarding fee, applicable to girls residing outside the European Economic Area, covers the cost of escorted travel to and from Heathrow Airport at the beginning and end of each term and half-term, provided journeys align with the School’s designated travel dates and specified arrangements made with Boarding Administration. Additionally, it includes the option for girls to remain in School during Exeat weekends at no extra cost.

EXTRAS:

The following items incur additional charges and are invoiced in arrears:

  • Occasional boarding
  • Public examination fees
  • Individual and small group tuition (e.g., music, sports, drama, language, or study skills)
  • Residential trips, excursions, occasional specialist trips, and social outings
  • Boarders’ disbursements
  • Sundry shop purchases (including stationery)
  • Travel expenses (taxi, rail, and coach), excluding those covered for International Boarders.

Optional Extras:

Charges for major options effective from 1 September 2023:

  • Music tuition (instrument or voice): £34.00 per lesson
  • Hire of musical instrument: £45.00 per term
  • Speech and drama lessons, and EAL lessons: £34.00 per lesson
  • Extra-curricular sports (e.g., judo, fencing, tennis): variable, as advised by the Director of Sport
  • Occasional Boarding per night (inclusive of dinner & breakfast): £70.00. Pupils paying day girl rates may stay overnight on an occasional basis by agreement with the Head of Boarding.
  • Occasional Meals – Day Girls: Breakfast £3.50, Supper £4.50. Lunch, morning break, and tea are included in the total school fees. Additional occasional meals are charged.

Badminton School Entry Requirements

Most students arrive in year 7. Everyone below Sixth Form is required to sit for papers in English, Maths and take an online cognitive ability test. Year 7 or Year 8 pupils sit for their entrance assessment in January, while Year 9 or Year 10 pupils do so in November.  Then each girl will have an interview with a senior member of staff. Those who have been at school in the UK for less than 2 years must sit for papers in English as a foreign language.

All girls transiting from the junior school must take the same entrance assessments although the vast majority are accepted. 

Prospective Sixth Formers must sit for papers in two of the subjects they intend to study at A level and as well as an online reasoning test. Each girl is also interviewed by a senior member of staff and references are obtained from the girl’s current school.

All applicants are interviewed, Skype will be used when necessary. 

The school prefers overseas candidates to take UKISET. The test can be taken at any approved test centre around the world. If international candidates have met the initial criteria, they will then be invited for an interview remotely with a senior member of staff. Scholarship applicants must take the entrance exam at Badminton in person or in an approved test centre.

Badminton School Reviews

Lisa, Upper Sixth
5/5

“I started at Badminton in Year 9 as a Boarder which was a completely new experience for me, although now as a Sixth Form student I cannot believe it has been that long! I really have grown up at Badminton.”

Mollie
5/5

“The teaching is brilliant; my challenging, interactive and engaging lessons motivated me to select a degree course that encompasses each of my A-Level subjects. Knowledgeable, approachable teachers coupled with small class sizes mean that we are always offered individual attention and support and are encouraged to articulate our own ideas.”

Esme
5/5

“I feel that the opportunities I had at badminton helped me look out for more and meant that from the beginning I had something a little bit different. This has helped me to secure a place at university, work experience, scholarships and internships, but so much more importantly than that, it’s given me the enthusiasm to make the most out of every opportunity I find.”

Shivana
5/5

“I love that I get to explore my favourite subjects in more depth especially with all the extra-curricular clubs, such as Law Club. Also, I really enjoy having study periods throughout the day which helps me to stay on top of all my work and relax a little bit before the next class.”

Liza
5/5

“You might think that boarding school is a sheltered life, but I’ve had such different experiences here. I’ve learnt how to talk to people, how to be with people, how to be responsible, how to get on with things and get things done but also when to seek help. Badminton has given me that healthy balance between needing help and support (because all of us do), but at the same time being independent enough to get on with things.”

Mrs Coveney
5/5

“I have had three daughters at Badminton – all completely different personalities and abilities – the main reason I chose Badminton was that it allows each girl to be an individual and they are valued for who they are and what they can achieve.”

Badminton School Accommodation

Badminton is a boarding school where at least half the pupils are Day Girls. The school offers many boarding options from Full, Weekly, Occasional and Flexi for all kinds of boarding needs. 

The school offers three homely Boarding Houses: Bartlett House, Sanderson House and The Sixth Form Centre. 

  • Bartlett House is based at the heart of the School to best take care of the youngest Boarders between Years 5 – 8.  The cosy dorm rooms can accommodate up to four girls. The house has common living rooms with entertainment and a separate music room to best suit all the girls’ needs.
  • Sanderson House is a modern, state-of-the-art Boarding House for girls in Years 9-11. The bright and airy rooms can host up to four girls. The house is divided into Berkeley House and Lynmouth House to foster friendships across different ages. There are a large common room, a quiet room and additional social areas on each floor. Entertainment such as Wi-Fi, modern consoles, games and table-football table is available for after-school usage.
  • The Sixth Form Centre is dedicated to the oldest Boarders in the Sixth Form level. The school aims to nurture independence for university life. As a result, the rooms are single or twin study bedrooms only. There are ‘brew rooms’ on every floor, a large refurbished communal social area as well as a kitchen and a laundry room. The girls can have meal exeats onsite or offsite or travel to certain areas of Bristol in pairs. The school provides a late bus on Friday and Saturday evenings for those who want to stay out late. The girls have exclusive access to the School’s facilities such as the Fitness Suite, Swimming Pool, Art Department and Music Department practice room.

There are Housemistresses, Deputies and Resident Tutors who live on-site to provide support and pastoral care. On weekends, the girls can go on frequent external trips, participate in the Gardening Club, bike around or just relax and spend time with their friends.

Badminton School Student Services and Extracurricular Activities

Pastoral Care

Badminton is proud of their outstanding pastoral care, identified as “Excellent” by Inspectors in their recent ISI Inspection. There is a tutor assigned to each girl, a vertical house system and peer mentoring with great emphasis on academics.

Extracurricular Activities

Music and drama activities flourish at Badminton School.

Most girls here learn at least one musical instrument. Sixth Form students have many musical opportunities including the Schola Cantorum and Badminton Choir, various orchestras and ensembles as well as music theory classes. There are regular performances with a major concert each term, such as the Spring concert at St. George’s Bristol – Bristol’s foremost concert venue.

Many Drama Club activities take place throughout the year, creating opportunities for developments in relating fields such as lighting, sound management and set design. The girls regularly visit local theatres, Stratford-upon-Avon and London as well as the Bristol Youth Theatre – the local drama club. Sixth Form students can work in the annual School production, supporting lower-year girls on their performance projects or develop their performances as part of a Theatre Company. Some notable actresses who graduated from the school are Clare Bloom, Phyllida Law and Rosamunde Pike.

Besides music and drama, Badminton School has over 50 clubs and societies for the girls to spend their free time and to develop social skills. The list of clubs evolves each year and students are encouraged to create their own clubs if they can not find one they like within the current list.

Sports

Unlike many other Bristol schools, Badminton School invests in on-site well-maintained sporting facilities such as astro, tennis courts, netball courts, a 25m pool and an eye-catching new sports hall with cricket nets and climbing wall. The school also has easy access to other specialist sport-facilities such as dry slope skiing and riding.

The best sports in Badminton are hockey, netball, tennis and swimming. However, the abundance of activities means that all students can enjoy a sport of choice. Some of the extracurricular opportunities here include the Westbury Harriers, Redland Green Tennis, Redland Hockey Club, St Ursula’s Badminton Club and Cavaliers Fencing Club.

The school also runs the Level 3 Sports Leadership programme to give students a formally recognised qualification in leading and assisting in the delivery of sport and physical activity sessions.

Badminton School Contact Information

  • Official website: https://www.badmintonschool.co.uk/

  • Email: [email protected] (Mrs Katherine Stewart, Admissions Manager)

  • Phone call: +44 177 905 5200

  • Location: Westbury Road, Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, BS9 3BA

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