Bradfield College

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A job might be coming up at Bradfield College and I was wondering if anyone knows about the school? i.e. what departments are strong - sports/music/art/drama/sciences etc. ?? Whats the morale like there?
thanks.

Friends with DD who left there last year were very happy with it and she is a lovely young lady. They also had a DS who went there but that was maybe ten years ago - large age gap.
If you have more specific questions I can ask them for you. Is it a teaching job you are looking at?

Thank you. That's a good start.
It's a creative arts post, so I'm wanting to find out if people consider the arts to be important/respected/strong there really. At interviews they'll always tell you how good the department is etc etc, so I posted here to try and find out the REAL info!

Bradfield is a well regarded school, it has good facilities and friends we know with a DS there talk highly of it. Its not considered to be a super selective academic results are on par with similar type schools, the school has a caring reputation to is primarily weekly boarding and day pupils. DS2 who has been to many boarding schools said they had he nest food!
Most boarding schools have strong art departments basically parents are stumping up considerable sums in fees and the sort of parents who choose Bradfield are expecting the school to provide a broad education with lots of different opportunities. Secondly boarding schools have to basically entertain children from 7 in the morning until they go to bed, its not all wall to wall lessons, so arts, music sport are part of the many activities offered to fill in the time. Boarding schools will do significantly more plays concerts art exhibitions etc than a day school (in either sector), Ive never been to any drama/concerts/art exhibitions at Bradfield but Ive attended them at other boarding schools standards are usually very higher a school production. So Bradfield I'm sure will have a strong arts dept, i.e. similar to others of similar ilk. But IMO in the world of boarding schools it doesn't a highly "respected" arts department in that it doesn't have a particular reputation for the creative arts. But I wouldn't let this put you off.

the best food not "he nest food"!!!

Just read back my post, it sounds like my DS has been a pupil at many boarding schools he hasn't he been to lots including Bradfield for a match and most provide match tea afterwards, pupils are apparently friendly and the food is the best of any school he's been too.

Thanks. So long as its not known for being weak in that area, it's ok.

Lol at "nest food" - a bit twiggy was it!!

DH worked there 10 years ago. We were there for 5 years and had a lovely time. Obviously info is out of date.

At the time all staff 'lived in' and some of the staff housing was a bit ropey. We had a beautiful looking cottage, but it was damp, freezing and the ancient boiler never worked. Maintenance was not wildly efficient. The food available (free) from the kitchens was great and there was a staff wine cellar!!! It was incredibly friendly and we made good friends amongst the staff. It was DHs first job and he was very well supported and enjoyed teaching.

The area is great, but you can't walk to a shop or a pub from the school, so if you live in be prepared to drive everywhere. No busses either so you definitely couldn't do without a car. It's a nice distance from Reading (for me). Access to a decent city but still a quite rural feel.

At the time the Art department was great and very well resourced.

We would go back there, and DH certainly wouldn't say that about all the boarding schools he has worked in!

We looked round a few years ago for 6th form for DD. She wanted Art and Photography A levels. Frankly the facilities were not good. Poked away in cramped out-house buildings. It did not feel like art was celebrated. If it has improved, good. It needed to. It was far and away the worst Art Dept we looked at.

I'm not sure a quick look round tells you much bojorojo.

We lived opposite the Art school. It was open all hours and an absolute hive of happy activity. The Art teachers treated their job as a lifestyle and created an incredibly happy, purposeful working environment. The pupils chose to be there and got a huge amount out of it socially as well as academically.

Nothing about Bradfield is particularly swanky or slick. It's not that kind of school.

I would expect Art departments to be open for lots of hours at a boarding school. As DD wanted Art based subjects for two A levels, we were very interested in the quality of teaching, the facilities and the results. We did like the textiles, but not particularly impressed with anything else. I cannot comment about working at the school of course, but no-one went out of their way to show us good work completed by students. In fact we only saw the textiles teacher. No-one else was around at all on a 6th form open day. It was hugely underwhelming. We didn't want swanky or slick. I rather resent that you think we did! We wanted DD to have the best chance of getting high grade A levels in her chosen subjects. We achieved that elsewhere in somewhere rather plain but able to talk to us enthusiastically about art at the school and fantastic teachers who spoke to DD about her interests and what she could achieve at the school. At this school only one DC didn't get A* at A level Photography, and it wasn't mine!

Lots of the current cast of Made in Chelsea seem to have gone to Bradfield, in case that's your thing/ not your thing :)

Made in Chelsea

Yes. I know. DD went to prep with one of them. Big change from age 11 to 22 though! It's mostly scripted apparently.

My neighbour is the granny of one of the more sparky (non Bradfield) cast members. She was horrified by MiC.

Sorry for the mini de-rail OP. One person in our village goes to Bradfield and really likes it and his Dad went there too, and liked it enough to send his son. Lovely family all of them.