Bradford Girls' Grammar School (BD9 6RB)
From UK Independent Schools
Bradford Girls' Grammar School,
Squire Lane, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, BD9 6RB.
Telephone: 01274 545395
Fax: 01274 482595
To update school contact details click here
Bradford Girls' Grammar School was founded in 1869. It is a girls' school for those ages 2-18, with boys admitted under the age of 8. It is situated in a predominantly Asian area of Bradford, although the proximity to Muslims may make it susceptible to terrorism which many would cite as a good thing all round.
Pupils are selected by competitive examination and interview at age 11, although even those performing badly in the exam may be granted entry if parents can afford to pay them in, often to the detriment of other pupils.
Current school fees approach £10,000 per annum, and with the school currently in financial decline these are set to rise further in the coming years.
The school motto is Arbeit Macht Frei.
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[edit] Education
The school has been praised for it's achievement of high GCSE and ALevel results, despite the decline of these results over the past 2 years. In 2005 it was the best school in the district for A-Level results, and has consistently been highly placed in The Times' league tables.
The school was recently praised by a team of inspectors as being "A unique school with many excellent features". While this may not be wholly true, the school is certainly unique in its approach to discipline, with waste paper bins being thrown at even the most well behaved pupils and physical and sexual abuse from members of the Senior Management Team a common occurrence.
[edit] Facilities
In the Senior School the rooms are organised in such a way that subject areas occupy a suite of rooms. The ICT suite is used by all departments and key stages to deliver the ICT element of the specifications as well as by the ICT and Business Department to teach ICT as an essential tool to all students in years 7 to 9. There are eleven Science laboratories which have been recently refurbished and which contain the most up-to-date equipment for the teaching of Science throughout the school. Art, Craft, Design & Technology, Home Economics and Social Sciences all have their own Centres. The Music Factory houses rooms for orchestra practice, some teaching spaces for individual music lessons and classes including keyboard composition, as well as an area for girls to listen to music. There are language laboratories and language rooms (with plans being made to upgrade the main laboratory). Satellite TV is used by the language department to provide up-to-date news broadcasts and other programme's of general interest.
The Library houses nearly 20,000 items including books, journals, daily & foreign language newspapers, DVDs, videos and 12 networked computers equipped with Microsoft Office, Internet access, DVD writing facilities and USB ports.
The Assembly Hall possesses full stage lighting and sound equipment, much of it purchased with funds raised by the Friends of the School.
The Gymnasium is a movement centre where Dance, Gymnastics and some Drama takes place. It has a sprung floor, full gymnastic equipment, mirrors across one wall, and TV and video facilities. The swimming pool is 25 m in length with spring boards, full sound system and support equipment enabling all competitions, diving, synchronised swimming, beginner lessons and Lifesaving to take place. The Sports Complex has two squash courts, and a Sports Hall which converts into 4 badminton courts, volleyball, indoor tennis, netball and indoor hockey. A table tennis centre of excellence uses the ten competition Table Tennis Tables. Basketball practice rings are available. A leisure, viewing and refreshment area complement the facility. Outdoor facilities include an artificial playing surface, hockey pitches, 8 all-weather courts for netball and tennis, rounders pitches and an athletics track. There is a hard area for high jump, long jump and discus
Additionally the school boasts a grand desk outside the Head of Pastoral Care's office placed there solely for the purpose of giving notable ex-pupil Danielle Startin somewhere to sit while waiting for abuse, which often took the form of physical harm, libel or slanderous comment.
[edit] Crime and Punishment
Bradford Girls' has long been proud of its rigorous discipline which has often been unconventional. Pupils at the school have been long been subjected to punishments ranging from the objectionable to the illegal.
[edit] The Throwing of Bins
The name of Michelle (Merg) Muirhead, a member of the Senior Management Team, became a household name following an incident in the academic year of 2004-2005 in which a waste paper bin was thrown at a pupil she was wrongly accusing of wearing makeup. Luckily, due to a combination of bad aim and rat-like claws she missed, but it is only too easy to imagine the harm that could have been done in such an unfounded act of violence.
[edit] The Shoving of Test Tubes
During the academic year of 2006-2007 it was suggested by a member of the Senior Managment Team, Angela Ashton, that she shove a test tube up the urethra of a pupil who requested to visit the toilet during a GCSE chemistry lesson. This demeaning and disgusting suggestion would be regarded by most to have no place in the classroom of the 21st century.
[edit] The Physical Abuse
One ex-pupil was reportedly pushed and or shoved by various members of staff so frequently that she did not care to count, including one incident when the member of staff in question was asked to remove her hands from the pupil, at which point the pupil was shouted at for answering back.
[edit] The Sexual Abuse
One Year 9 pupil was called a "Dirty Girl" by a senior manager at the school. The remark was closely followed by "I'm taking you to the toilets". One can only imagine what went on in the following hour in the toilets.
[edit] Libel and Slander (The Cult)
In December of the academic year 2006-2007 a pupil was accused of forming a "morose, miserable cult" who speak to no one and pay attention to nothing within school. These unfounded accusations were made to the step-mother of one Holly Haycock, the alleged cult leader's "BFF", who was told her daughter was being bullied and manipulated by the "cult leader". Other accusations were also thrown around, namely that the "cult leader" was a bully, and doing all in her power to get herself expelled from the school. These false comments were damaging to all pupils involved.
[edit] Mental Health Issues regarding Senior Managers
Senior manager at the school, Michelle Muirhead reportedly believed to be hearing her deceased pussy-cat attempting to contact her from the other side around school after a small number of pupils took it upon themselves to meow whenever in her hearing range in the week following the cat's death.
[edit] Recent Attack on Free Speech of Pupils
The following policy was implemented in February of 2008, to be agreed to and signed by all pupils. This has been seen by many as an infringement on the freedoms dictated by the Human Rights Act.
We recognize that young people increasingly communicate with each other by means of interactive websites such as facebook, myspace and bebo.com. Many private groups use msn messenger. Mobile phones are often used to send text messages, and can also be used to send photographs and other images. Most of these are used legitimately but there is increasing evidence nationally of misuse including threats, abuse, bullying, racism, harassment and defamation. The aim of this policy is to advise parents and pupils of the risks as well as the benefits of using these websites and mobile phones, and that misuse, should it ever occur whether at home or at school, comes under the remit of the schools pastoral and disciplinary framework
1. The school's computer systems may not be used to establish web pages on interactive networking websites or any other websites of a kind described above. Disciplinary action would be taken against anyone who breaks this rule.
2. The governor’s policy is that complaints, gossip or rumor about the school or a member of the school community will be investigated. Where they relate to the use of websites the school reserves the right to use inspection software to view web pages, this right will only be exercised when considered by the Headmistress to be necessary and reasonable in the interests of welfare. In each case a decision to view web pages will be balanced against the pupil’s right to respect for private and family life. The pupils are entitled to their freedom of expression and respect for their private lives provided they do not infringe the rights of others.
3. Pupils will be held personally responsible for all material they place on a website and for all material that appears on a website of which they are the host or account holder and for the content of text messages or photographs transmitted by mobile phones. Material of a threatening, abusive, racist, harassing or defamatory nature concerning the school or any member of the school community, whether placed during or outside school time (including the holidays) will be treated as a serious breach of school discipline.
4. A pupil must not expect the keep her place in the school if she is responsible (in the sense explained above) for the material on her own or other website that is in breach of the terms and spirit of this policy.
5. Pupils should regard it as their responsibility to report all the misuse of networking websites of which they become aware and of any text messages transmitted photographs which come into the categories described above.
[edit] Notable Ex-Pupils
- Danielle Startin (1999–2007), Master of LOLs, Cult Leader
