BRIDGEWATER SCHOOL Competitors

The Manchester Grammar School is one of the nation’s truly great schools. Academically, we stand amongst the very best schools in the country. What makes us remarkable is that our pupils achieve outstanding academic results alongside tremendous success – nationally and internationally – in sport, music, drama and many other areas. Founded in 1515, the School proceeded to build a reputation as one of the country’s leading educational establishments, a position we still hold today as an independent day school. The School was founded in 1515, and during the last 500 years, the School has adapted and evolved to remain one of the country's most outstanding schools. However, our core mission to educate the brightest young men in the North of England, regardless of their social, cultural, religious and financial backgrounds, has not. We treat each boy as a unique individual, and aim to teach boys to think for themselves and to develop a life-long love of learning. Lessons are taught by academic specialists with a passion for their subject, and teaching goes well beyond the narrow confines of examination syllabuses, offering our students the best preparation for the very top universities, both in this country and abroad. Almost all our leavers go on to university, and there is a strong tradition of boys progressing to Oxford, Cambridge and other Russell Group universities. Our Junior School opened in September 2008 in award-winning accommodation, admitting boys from age 7, and there is a strong focus in our Junior School curriculum on creativity, academic enrichment and skills-based learning. There is, however, much more to an MGS education than what happens in the classroom. What makes this School truly special are the outstanding achievements of our pupils in areas such as sport, music and drama.

Bolton School provides a first-class education for boys and girls from age 4 to 18 in the co-educational pre-preparatory school, Beech House, and then subsequently in the single-sex Junior and Senior departments. In addition, the School operates a day nursery with an 84 place capacity and a Pre-School Class for 3 and 4 year olds. The School employs approximately 175 teaching staff and 280 support staff and has 2,500 pupils. A large Foundation Services Department supports the School operations and within this there is a trading arm, Bolton School Services Limited (BSSL). This includes: BSS Leisure; BSS Weddings and Events; Kidzone, a wrap-around childcare and holiday club; and Patterdale Hall, on the shores of Lake Ullswater in the Lake District, which is leased out by the School and serves as its outdoor pursuits centre.

Ellesmere College is an independent 7-18 coeducational boarding and day school, based in 150 acres of rural Shropshire.