Badminton School

Badminton School is a prestigious boarding school for girls, founded in 1858. Located in Bristol, a vibrant and cosmopolitan city in the southwest of the UK, just two hours’ drive from London. There are many tourist attractions in the city: historical monuments, houses with magnificent architecture, museums, huge park areas, shopping and business centres, restaurants.

The school occupies 220 acres of parkland. Despite the access to the city centre, the atmosphere of Badminton is safe and secure - the school is surrounded by a historic stone wall.

The school has very high standards of instruction. Badminton is ranked 3rd in The Financial Times, has been 100% successful at passing A-Level exams for 14 years, and achieves the highest scores among all schools in southwest England. Graduates of the school enter the leading universities in the UK and Europe.

The mission of the school is to unlock the potential of students, considering the individual characteristics of each girl. Graduates are self-confident and ready to work in a team people, independent individuals who live in harmony with themselves and with others. The relations between teachers and students are friendly, based on courtesy and mutual respect.

The school has 437 students.

DIRECTOR (stand 2023)

Jessica Miles, education - University of Oxford, Spanish and Linguistics.

FAMOUS SCHOOL GRADUATES

• Indira Gandhi, politician, Prime Minister of India (1966–77, 1980–84)
• Claire Bloom, theatre and film actress (films "The Great Aphrodite", "Ramp Lights")
• Mary Fedden, artist
• Princess Haya Bint al Hussein, daughter of the King of Jordan
• Phyllida Law, actress (films Time Machine, Purely English Killings, Fairy Land)
• Iris Murdoch, writer, philosopher
• Rosamund Pike, actress (films "Pride and Prejudice", "Education of feelings")
• Polly Toynbee, journalist

KEY FACTORS

• Graduates enter the best universities and make a brilliant career.
• Small classes, which means individual attention to each student.
• Highly qualified teachers.
• A flexible combination of educational and extracurricular activities allows each student to choose an individual program.
• A strong sense of community and teamwork allow girls to make friends for life.

EQUIPMENT

The school has a drama studio, a music school, an art studio, and a dance school. One of the newest school buildings is the glass arts centre. The school has a beautiful hall with 250 seats for receptions and concerts. For training purposes, 8 spacious bright laboratories at the centre of scientific and natural disciplines and technologies are intended. The school also has: a 25-meter indoor swimming pool, 7 outdoor tennis courts, 4 netball courts, a sports hall designed for badminton and volleyball, aerobics, yoga, judo, dancing, a football field, and a hockey ground.

High school students’ study in the purpose-built Sixth Form Centre, where classrooms, common lounges and living rooms are located.

PROGRAM

GCSE (certificate of secondary education)

For 10-11 years of study, the main emphasis is on preparing for the GCSE exams. 6 compulsory subjects and 4 optional subjects are studied.

A-level

A two-year university preparation program. In the first year (AS), 4 subjects are selected for study from the list (higher mathematics may be added as the fifth subject in some cases). According to the results of exams after the first year of study, three subjects are selected for in-depth study in the second year (A2).

ACCOMMODATION

The school has three residences.

Bartlett House for girls 9-12 years old has a cosy home atmosphere. Rooms for 3-4 people. The residence has a common room with games, DVD and Wi-Fi.

In 2008, a new modern Sanderson House building was opened for girls 13-16 years old with bright, spacious bedrooms for 3-4 people, underfloor heating, first-class educational and computer equipment, a kitchen and a relaxation room.

The residence for girls 16-18 years old The Sixth Form Centre has single and double rooms. Girls enjoy greater freedom and privileges here, which gives them the opportunity to prepare for their future student life.

SPORT

Sport is part of a healthy lifestyle and creates a sense of competition. The school has enough space to offer a wide variety of sports. The school has a 25-meter pool, tennis courts, gymnastics and fitness centre. The compulsory curriculum includes: swimming, gymnastics, dancing, in winter - hockey and netball, in summer - tennis and athletics. You can also choose other sports: aerobics, badminton, basketball, horse riding, volleyball, martial arts, gymnastics, golf, yoga, ice skating, athletics, netball, swimming, squash, tennis, fencing, frisbee, football, hockey.

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES

Pupils are involved in a huge number of extracurricular activities, everyone can choose their own occupation to their liking. Girls can attend a music school, choir, theatre club, art studio, ballet classes, modern and jazz dancing, classes in the brass and chamber orchestras, chess club, film club, photography and ceramics clubs, information technology courses, driving courses, public speaking, acting mastery, lessons of modern foreign languages, first aid courses. Classes in the drama studio are the most popular in the school. Here a huge number of various performances are staged annually, from pantomime and Shakespeare to modern comedy.

COST, 2023-2024

£10,100 - £15,590 per semester (depending on age).
There are 3 semesters in the school year.

Included in cost

• Teaching
• Accommodation and meals

Extra paid

• Flights
• Transfers to / from the airport
• Visa
• Services of the company "Paradise"
• Guardianship (as required by British law)

SERVICES OF THE EDUCATIONAL COMPANY INCLUDE

• Selection of 5-6 schools that best meet the individual characteristics of the child, further goals, talents, with the desired environment. Help in the correct interpretation of school ratings, an explanation of why the school occupies one place or another. Help in obtaining reliable information about schools that are not included in the ratings, with an explanation of the reasons for non-participation in it.
• Admission to 1-3 schools, selected from the proposed. Which includes the preparation of the necessary documents, school reports, characteristics, recommendations. Selection and submission of tests to prepare the student for exam testing, assistance in preparing essays. Preparation for an interview with the teacher / principal, registration for the exam. The necessary list of recommendations when attending school for passing entrance examinations. Correspondence with the school (not all schools enter into correspondence with foreign parents, treat them with caution, trust only a trusted agent).
• Assistance in paying registration fees, deposits, bills. Clarification of school rules, including disciplinary and legal aspects.
• Filling out the required medical forms.
• Selection of guardians required by UK law.

Student supervision during the first month of study is provided as a gift: assistance in resolving issues related to resettlement, billing, etc.

Impressions from a school visit

Olga Karpova
Key Account Manager
Paradise Company
karpovaos@yandex.ru

The Junior School:

I visited the Open Day at elementary school on July 1, 2015. Children came with their parents, they were met in the main hall, got acquainted, and then girls, students of 10-11 years old, conducted a school tour for them. Two of my guides vied with each other about everything. One of them is an Englishwoman, the second from China. She is 11 years old – on spoke perfect English!

The school is not gigantic, comfortable both inside and out. All buildings and sports facilities are within walking distance. Inside, in the school building for the little ones, everything is full of different objects, thematic paintings and crafts. It can be seen that a lot of creativity.

Younger students have classes in English, history, geography, and mathematics. You go into the classroom and immediately understand what they are studying there. The girls had the last school week, they were in the classroom. Seeing a stranger, greeted and continued to do their own thing, some did not even notice me, since they were so engaged in what they were doing.

There is a laboratory science class, where girls even have pets, they are cared for and played with. There is a special class for art and design. This is mandatory. A boarding house for a small, clean, girly. Very cute house mom. 2-4 people live, amenities on the floor. There are showers, all the plumbing is new.

High school. Located in the main building. Classes are small, everywhere there are interactive whiteboards, new furniture, upholstered chairs and carpet. There are subject classes in the building, which are no longer so “vanilla”, a little stricter.

There are only 5 buildings in the school:

-Junior School.

-2 music blocks - old and new, where students learn to play the instruments and do vocals).

- A scientific block, half of which is occupied by classes of mathematics, and half - by scientific laboratories: physics, chemistry. All equipment is modern.

-Sports block: gym, large games room, pool (swimming is very developed here, as well as netball, hockey, tennis). There is simply a huge field for various sports, as well as tennis courts.

-Art block, in which there are many classrooms and a lot of students' work, creativity is visible.

The high school boarding house is the newest. Three floors, warm floors, everything is very new. 2-4 people live, amenities on the floor. View from the living room 3 floors to Bristol, there are watching fireworks. There is a kitchen where children can cook for themselves. There is a complete feeling that everything is at home.

The boarding house for the 6th Form was built several years ago, there are classes, and at the top of the second floor of the room for 1-2 people. The rooms are small, there is a bed, a wardrobe and a table. Everything is cosy and girlish. In all buildings, combination locks, children only know the code from their home.

Three Russian girls’ study in high school, several people study in the senior.

My personal feelings. I did not see pathos and snobbery at school. Everyone is smiling, teachers and staff are friendly, children are alive, eyes are burning. The girl who guided the tour from Hong Kong has been at school since she was 14 years old, now she is 19. She is completely simple and open, sincerely expresses emotions. The girls who met on the road, in uniform. Children enjoy school. Since she is small, everyone knows everyone, teachers help and support. Both in study and emotionally.