Badminton School: a Bristol girls’ school where boarding shapes the week

The route leads through GCSE or IGCSE to an A-level sixth form

The current curriculum policy supports GCSE and IGCSE study, followed by A levels, EPQ and wider sixth-form enrichment. The public material does not establish an IB or BTEC route.

Before choosing Badminton for its subject range, ask whether your child’s likely combination can be timetabled for 2027.

Ask for the weekly pattern in nights, not adjectives

Badminton’s boarding overview advertises full, weekly and occasional boarding. ISI identifies separate age-stage houses for Years 4–8, Years 9–11 and sixth form. Day pupils can join weekend activities, which can make the community feel less divided.

The public overview does not state the exact weekly-boarder nights, normal departure and return times, exeat rules or how many weekends most pupils remain. Ask for a sample half-term calendar and speak with a pupil using the same boarding pattern your family is considering.

The long day and buses can change the family calculation

Senior wraparound runs from 7.45am to 6.30pm; Prep runs from 8am to 5.45pm. Current school-operated routes include Thornbury and Bradley Stoke, Portishead via Clifton, and Backwell, Nailsea and Long Ashton.

Published fares are £200–£300 per term, with limited first-come places. Route-dependent return arrivals run from roughly 5.10pm to 6.15pm. Check whether that timetable works after your daughter’s actual activities and whether a 2027 seat can be reserved.

Early disclosure gives the school a fair chance to plan

Parents must disclose relevant health, SEND, disability and English-language information before assessment. The school may request medical, educational-psychology or current-school evidence and discuss reasonable adjustments.

The policy also says physical accessibility is limited and an offer depends on whether needs can be met. Do not treat a general inclusion statement as an individual plan.

The latest inspection was positive—with one next step

The December 2025 ISI inspection found all applicable standards met and described boarders as kind, inclusive and tolerant. Its recommended next step was to broaden sixth-form pupils’ knowledge of public institutions and services in England.

Day and boarding budgets need different checks

The 2026–27 fee page lists Senior tuition at £8,142 per term and compulsory day lunch is £360, producing £8,502 per term or £25,506 over three terms. Day fees include snacks, tea, wraparound, textbooks, ordinary curricular visits, many materials and clubs.

The page says boarding includes full-board meals, yet its lunch section broadly calls lunch compulsory and separate. Check whether the £360 lunch charge applies to boarders before adding it to the bill. The acceptance deposit is not on the current fee page, so the only reliable total is a written, all-in quote.

Bursaries for UK-based Senior entrants

Means-tested bursaries are for UK-based external Senior candidates. The school says priority generally goes to strong academic entrants, often described as the top 25%, but that is not a guaranteed cutoff or award. The exact 2027 deadline and remission range remain unpublished.

The Year 7 calendar is clear; the paper detail is lighter

The current Year 7 page sets the application deadline at Wednesday 9 December 2026. The Year 7 taster is Tuesday 3 November. Interviews are in the week beginning 11 January 2027 and assessment is Saturday 16 January; first-round outcomes are normally in early February.

The assessment includes English, online maths and an online cognitive-reasoning test. A roughly ten-minute interview and current-school reference also contribute. The public page does not give paper durations, a cognitive-test provider or school specimens.

Prepare core reading, writing and maths steadily. Let a child become comfortable with digital reasoning without telling her there is a known Badminton cutoff. There is no published pass mark to aim for.