View over South Bristol from the Clifton Suspension Bridge

Bristol Grammar School to open state school

Bristol independent school BGS to bid for new secondary school in south of the city

Posted by Stephanie Broad | September 19, 2016 | People, policy, politics

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• #state-school
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Bristol Grammar School (BGS) is to apply to the Department for Education (DfE) to open a new comprehensive, non-selective school in Knowle West, an area in the south of Bristol.

The new school is expected to be government-funded and take over 1,000 students from its catchment area. If successful, BGS will become the first independent school to open a state school in the South West.

Headteacher, Rod MacKinnon, told the Bristol Post that plans had been in the works for a year and that the new school could open in 2019. The co-ed school will help with the huge demand for primary and secondary places in the area, taking children from some of the most disadvantaged backgrounds in the city. 

The proposals come as the government launch a new drive to encourage independent schools to open maintained schools. Schools can take part in a consultation on the government’s new measures until 12 December.