Bryanston is a leading co-educational boarding and day school for pupils aged 3–18, based in Dorset.
Inspired by over 90 years of innovative practice, our approach to education and our distinctive culture nurtures purposeful, curious and well-rounded individuals.
We work tirelessly to ensure that each pupil not only achieves the results they deserve, but also learns to think independently, be self-reliant and explore new interests. At the heart of our approach is the ‘Bryanston Method’, a one-to-one, five-year duration relationship for every pupil with a hand-picked tutor who acts as champion, mentor and enabler.
This has been the keystone of the School’s philosophy since our foundation, tailored to the needs and interests of each pupil. There is no Bryanston ‘type’ – we want our pupils to think for themselves. Alongside high academic standards and expectations, we provide an emotionally and intellectually supportive environment, allowing pupils to develop independent, creative and unbounded thinking.
Bryanston is a place where children learn to love their minds, free their spirits and find their mission.
Situation. The School is located in beautiful Dorset countryside near the market town of Blandford. There are 400 acres of grounds, which include a stretch of river used for rowing and canoeing, playing fields, woodland and parkland.
Numbers. There are approximately 405 boys (30 in Prep) and 392 girls (83 in Prep).
The size of Bryanston Prep ensures that each pupil is known by everyone; each child has an identity and is respected for their individuality.
Admission. At 13, assessments and interviews. At 16, entrance tests and interviews.
For Bryanston Prep, assessment is conducted via taster days and informal interviews.
Scholarships. Academic, Art, Computer Science, Design & Technology, Music, Performing Arts, Sport, and the Richard Hunter All-Rounder Scholarships are available annually for entry at 13+.
Academic, Art, Drama and Music Scholarships, plus Udall Awards for Sport are available annually for entry to the Sixth Form.
Scholarships range in value and may be supplemented by means-tested bursaries. Music Scholarships carry free musical tuition, optional Alexander Technique lessons and a weekly accompaniment lesson.
Organisation. Bryanston Prep keeps pace with the expectations of 21st-century learning, while nurturing traditional values and a strong ethos. We pride ourselves on our pastoral care and the opportunities we offer children through a crucial developmental stage of their life. We encourage independent thinking and creative learning, and outdoor play is a key part of the school day. In a delightful country setting, the school provides a safe but challenging environment in which children can discover their strengths, take risks and make friends.
The senior school is organised on a house basis with five senior boys’ houses, five girls’ houses and two junior boys’ houses, although the house system is less rigid and formal at Bryanston than in many senior schools.
All pupils have a personal tutor throughout their time in the school, with whom they meet on a one-to-one basis at least once a week. One-to-one tutoring starts in Year 6 at Bryanston Prep as the School begins to equip pupils with the skills they need to become independent learners.
All sixth-form pupils in their final year have individual study-bedrooms, while lower-sixth formers usually share study-bedrooms. All meals are served centrally in the Dining Hall, providing additional opportunities for friendships to be formed across house and year groups.
Religion. Christian inspiration and Christian ideals are fundamental to the Bryanston philosophy, but the school recognises that pupils may come from homes which follow other faiths or have no strong religious affiliation. There is, therefore, no attempt to impose worship on pupils, rather the intention is to provide an atmosphere in which spiritual values can be discovered and developed.
School work. The school encourages innovation in all areas of the curriculum, passionately believing that it is not what you learn, it is how you learn.
The School aims to lead pupils to a position where they are capable of working on their own, for a university degree or professional qualification, or in business. In addition to traditional class teaching, there is, therefore, increasing time given to private work as a pupil moves up the school in the form of assignments to be completed within a week or a fortnight. Teachers are available to give individual help when required, and tutors supervise pupils’ work and activities in general on a one-to-one basis.
Pupils experience more freedom than at many schools, yet the safety net of the one-to-one tutor system and one-to-one subject tutorials is also sturdier than most.
Every pupil is encouraged to explore a range of opportunities. At Bryanston Prep, the small class sizes and high staff-to-pupil ratio ensures individual attention.
All pupils follow the same broad and challenging curriculum in D (Year 9), if at all possible. This curriculum includes Latin, Modern Languages, three separate Sciences, Creative Arts, Technology and Music as well as English and Mathematics. GCSEs are taken after three years when a pupil is in B (Year 11). There is a highly flexible choice of subjects at this level and subjects are set independently.
In the sixth form, pupils can choose between A levels and either the International Baccalaureate Diploma or the International Baccalaureate Career-Related Programme. All lower-sixth formers follow a compulsory Personal and Social Education course, and the academic enrichment programme provides supplementary sessions to develop key skills and approaches to learning.
Music. Bryanston has an exceptional musical tradition, and music is at the heart of school life.
The scholarships and awards won by Bryanston Prep pupils reflect academic, musical, artistic and all-rounder prowess; there is a strong artistic and musical tradition.
Inclusion and participation, as well as excellence, are core values and to achieve these every pupil in D (Year 9) learns an instrument for the entire year. An extraordinary range of concerts, recitals and musical groups take place, with over 600 individual music lessons taught each week.
Drama. A well-equipped, modern theatre provides the venue for the many school productions which take place during the year as well as for touring professional companies. In addition to acting, pupils are involved in stage management, stage lighting and sound, and front-of-house work. There is also a large Greek Theatre in the grounds.
Sport and leisure. A wide variety of sports is on offer at the school, including athletics, archery, badminton, canoeing, climbing, cricket, cross country, fencing, fives, hockey, indoor hockey, kayaking, lacrosse, netball, riding, rowing, rugby, rugby 7s, sailing, squash, swimming and tennis.
Extensive playing fields between the school and the River Stour provide 42 tennis courts, two Astroturf pitches, nine netball courts, a grass athletics track and grass pitches for all major sports, an all-weather riding manège and cross-country course.
A sports complex provides an indoor heated 25-metre, six-lane swimming pool, Performance Sports gym with dual axis force platforms and 360-degree motion cameras, 40-metre indoor sprint track, two large indoor sports halls, four squash courts, three indoor fives courts, spinning studio, 200 m2 fitness suite, bouldering wall, multipurpose studios, analysis room, physio room, and an outdoor and adventure hall and storage.
At Bryanston Prep, team sports and swimming have an all-year-round place in the timetable. There are many extracurricular activities including riding, triathlon, dance, drama, and outdoor environmental pursuits.
Additional activities. Pupils are encouraged to contribute to their community, using their time proactively and developing a growing self-reliance. All pupils take part in all or some of the following:
•Community and Social Service
•extracurricular activities chosen from a wide range of options
•the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
•Adventure Training.
This careful balance of academic subjects and extracurricular activities encourages all aspects of personal growth.
Dress. At Bryanston Prep, the uniform is practical, comfortable, and smart, suitable for both boys and girls.
At the senior school, there is no uniform but there is a dress code and firm expectations for academic achievement.
Careers. The Sixth Form and Careers Department work closely with tutors, houses and departmental heads to provide guidance for pupils at every academic age and stage of development, at a pace that is right for each individual.
Our goal is to empower pupils to develop confidence and self-awareness, to reflect on their abilities and aspirations, and to gain insights into their future career options and higher education pathways.
Work-related learning is actively included as part of curriculum development, with psychometric profiling offered in Year 11. Higher Education and ‘next steps’ events are organised annually, providing the chance to meet with employers, academic subject specialists and overseas universities. Ongoing support is provided one to one, in small groups, via PSRE and guidance events. Bespoke support is available for those who are applying to university overseas.
Further Education. The vast majority of pupils in the sixth form gain admission to universities or other academies of further education.
Fees per term (2024-2025). Senior: £16,389 for boarders for Autumn term, £14,996 for boarders for Spring and Summer terms (excluding VAT), £13,439 for day with bed for Autumn term, £12,297 for day with bed for Spring and Summer terms (excluding VAT) and £10,920 day only pupils for Autumn term, £9,992 day only pupils for Spring and Summer terms (excluding VAT).
Prep: Boarders £8,233-£10,950 and Day Prep £3,343-£6,481. There are no compulsory extras.
Charitable status. Bryanston School Incorporated is a Registered Charity, number 306210. It is a charitable trust for the purpose of educating children.
Governors & Staff:
Governors:
E Benedict (Chair)
N Bickford, BA
B P Broad, BA
J A F Fortescue, BA
C G Martin, ACA, MA
M E McKeown, BA, MSc
L M V Soden, BA, MA
J Spence
R Swallow
Head: R G Jones, BA, MEd
Deputy Head, Academic: M S Deketelaere, BA, MSc & DIC, PGCE
Head of Bryanston Prep: S Ridley
Staff:
* Head of Department
† Housemaster/Housemistress
Art:
*D G Knight, BA, PGCE
G J Cedeira, BA
A Connolly, BA, PGCE
†H E Dean, BA, PGCE
†J A K Dickson, BA, PCGE
J E Jehu, BA, PGCE
Classics:
*B Pullan, BA, MA, PhD, PGCE
†Dr H L Fearnley, BA, PhD
D Fowler-Watt, MA
L M Jones, BA, MA
Drama, Theatre Studies and Film:
V Green, BA, MA (Director of Drama)
S N Wheeler, BA, PGCE (*Film)
G A Martin, BA Videographer
Economics and Business Studies:
*R H Ings, BSc, PGCE
A N R Bray, BA (*Work-Related Learning)
†J J A Beales, BA, PGCE
†M S Christie, MA, PGCE
G E S Drake, BSc, PGCE
N L Payne, BA, PGCE
English:
*H E J Weatherby, MA
M Belassie
L R Boothman, BA, PGCE
†S H Davies, MA
N M Kelly, BA, PGCE
A Matthews
O Nicholson, BA, MA, PGCE
L Perry
Geography:
*K E Andrews, BA, PGCE
M S Deketelaere, BA, MSc & DIC, PGCE (*Curriculum Planning)
J E G Ralphs, BA, PGCE (*Sixth Form)
R J Boulton, BA, PGCE
L C Kearney, BEd (International Coordinator)
History and Politics:
*W J Bridges, BSc, PGCE
*J G Strange, MA, PGCE
A B L de Steiger Khandwala, MA, MA, MPhil, PGCE
P Quarrell, BA, PGCE (Senior Tutor)
T Strongman, BA, PGCE
S M Vincent, BA, PGCE (Admissions Tutor)
J Waters, BA
History of Art:
*S A Wilson, BA, MA
Mathematics:
*D Banham, BSc, PGCE
†C B Craig, BSc (B/C Coordinator)
S B Green, BA, MA
P A Griffin, BSc, PGCE
C L Kean, BSc, PGCE (C Coordinator)
C E Murray, BSc, PGCE
V R M Peck, BSc
E Pyke, MEng, PhD
T Reynolds, MA, MSc
A K Tarafder, BSc, PGCE
Modern Foreign Languages:
*L C Johnson, MA (*Modern Languages, Senior Tutor)
C Dechirot, BA, MA (*French)
M Sanger, BA (*Spanish)
L C Blanco, BA
A J Gilbert, BA, PGCE
L R Haynes, BA, PGCE
R A Pakenham-Walsh, BA, PGCE
L Tate, BA, PGCE
†J M I Velasco, BA, PGCE
Music:
X Illes, BA, PGCE (Director of Music)
G M Scott, BA, PGCE, Premier Prix, ARCO, LTCL (Assistant Director of Music)
D Andrews (*Jazz)
A Dickinson (*Singing)
C S Scott, BMus, PGCE, FTCL, ARCM, LTCL (*Strings)
R B K Rowntree, BMus (Singing Coordinator)
PE and Sport Studies:
R McCann, BSc, MA (Director of Sport)
B C Rodford, BSc, PGCE (Assistant Director of Sport)
*S E Morris, BSc, PGCE
M Foster (*Football)
C L Miller, BA Ed (*Boarding)
C L Bray, BSc, PGCE
J E Morris
Philosophy and Religious Studies:
*L J D Pollard, BA
Revd J Davis (Chaplain)
Psychology:
*Dr H A Hogarth, BSc, MSc, PhD (IB Extended Essay Coordinator)
Science:
*A J Elliot, BSc, PGCE (*Chemistry)
C A Çava, MPhys (*Physics)
S H Jones, BSc, PGCE (*Biology)
C G Bloomfield, BSc, PGCE
R J Collcott, MEng, MSc, PGCE
G S Elliot, BA, PGCE
A M Harwood, BSc, PGCE
P L Haywood, BSc, PGCE
†R J Johnson, BSc, PGCE
Dr M T Kearney, MA, PhD, CEng, MRAeS, CPhys, MInst
†E Morris, BSc, PGCE, DipEd
J D Pritchard, MSc, PGCE
†N G Welford, BSc, PGCE
Technology:
H Attride (Director of Technology)
M J Davis, BSc, PGCE (*Computer Science)
C J Mills, BA, PGCE (*Design and Technology)
N J Davies, BEd
R H Ings, BSc, PGCE
J Ladd-Gibbon, BA, MA
Careers:
A N R Bray, BA (*Work-Related Learning)
L C Kearney, BEd (International Coordinator)
Academic Support:
*A Hicks
J S Bell, MA
K E Heminsley
C Steven-Fountain, BA, PGCE, Cert SpLD
Library:
E C Minter, BA, PG Dip ISM, MCLIP
Outdoor Education:
D P T Curry, BSc
Head of Admissions: M Burke