Bryanston was founded in 1928 to provide an alternative secondary education to the well-established public school system. Central to this was the modified Dalton Plan whereby pupils could enjoy the benefits of a flexible timetable, their responsibility being to personal tutors rather than to a form teacher. In the 1970s, co-education was introduced and the present numbers are roughly 360 boys and 260 girls, distributed through 13 houses. Each pupil has a housemaster/housemistress and personal tutor, as well as close contacts in and outside the classroom. In their first year all pupils must sample the activities on offer. Entry to Bryanston is via Scholarhsip examination, Common Entrance or the School's Special Papers. The GCSE and A Level pass rates are in excess of 90% and the same proportion of pupils go on to further education. There is no especial academic bias towards Arts or Sciences, a broad curriculum fulfilling the school's main objective, which is to produce well-balanced school leavers.
Set in extraordinarily beautiful surrounds, Bryanston is above all a happy and enthusiastic school. A magnificent theatre, extensive and immediately accessible playing fields, a sports hall, gymnasium, swimming pool, riding arena and the river Stour provide for almost every sporting and leisure activity. The main sports are rugby, hockey, netball, cricket, rowing, tennis and athletics, but the school is also prominent in canoeing and small bore rifle shooting. The Music School provides a centre for 450 individual lessons a week as well as rehearsal rooms for the school's orchestras, bands, choirs and smaller ensembles, and there is a strong Christian tradition maintained by the Chaplain.
This is Bryanston's view of itself. Visitors to the school are shown round by pupils and are very welcome to see how accurate this description is.
