Bradfield College

Bradfield College was founded in 1850 by Thomas Stevens and remains rooted in the Berkshire village that gives it its name. The co-educational senior school takes pupils from 13 to 18, with entry at 13+ and a substantial sixth-form intake. Its historic setting is not simply decorative: the open-air Greek theatre, where the first Greek play was performed in 1881, remains part of the performing-arts tradition alongside the modern academic and boarding campus.

The academic route begins in Faulkner’s, the dedicated Year 9 house designed to help pupils move from prep school into senior school. In Years 10 and 11, the core includes mathematics, science, English language and literature, and a modern language, with pupils usually studying nine or ten subjects. Bradfield has also introduced School-Directed Courses, including Music and Classical Greek, while the sixth form offers both A levels and the International Baccalaureate.

Co-curricular activity is treated as a central part of the College experience. Bradfield names music, drama, sport, the Combined Cadet Force, Duke of Edinburgh, service, activities and societies as its main strands. Boarding houses provide the day-to-day pastoral structure, with Housemasters or Housemistresses supported by matrons, tutors and academic tutors. The campus and boarding model make room for chapel, sport, performances, societies, expeditions and leadership as part of ordinary school life.

Admissions routinely offer places at Years 9, 10, 11 and 12, and the policy distinguishes the academic, co-curricular and pastoral requirements of entry. Candidates have admissions interviews, and the school requests a Head’s reference; sixth-form applicants may choose A levels or IB. Bradfield is also introducing a new day option in September 2026, alongside its existing day-boarding and boarding arrangements, with the day option expanding to all year groups from September 2027.