We were delighted to read our review in the latest edition of Tatler Schools Guide 2025 and see recognition for our innovative new music curriculum to replace GCSE and the fantastic new St Andrew’s Study Centre which has transformed the way our students can co-work and study. The quote from one of our pupils about our wonderful teachers, is the icing on the cake.
Offering weekly and full boarding, this red-brick and flintstone enclave surrounded by lush playing fields is beautiful and homely; its friendly atmosphere aided by Year 9 entrants beginning in Faulkners, where they get to know each other before dispersing into their senior houses. Meanwhile, head Dr Christopher Stevens has overseen a revamp of other key areas, investing in common rooms, and improving the dining hall, the squash courts and classics block. (The newly opened St Andrew’s study centre saw £9 million spent on converting a church into a modern ‘co-working’ space – complete with seminar rooms, library and café – which should help prepare students for employment and study in later life.) Plans for a new wellness centre are also in the pipeline, as is the Bradfield Diploma, which aims to encourage pupils to take part in activities outside of their comfort zones. In music, the GCSE is being replaced by the school’s own syllabus, which will allow a wider range of assessments; and a recent highlight was a stirring rendition of Rutter’s ‘Gloria’ and Handel’s ‘Zadok the Priest’, held in Reading Town Hall, which was organised with the Berkshire Music Trust and three local state schools.
The stand-out element of Bradfield that I love is the teacher-student dynamics. Every teacher is very personable and displays their character and sense of humour.
Bradfield Pupil
