Burnham
Grammar School
Embracing Challenge
Embracing Challenge
The behaviour of pupils is exemplary. Leaders and staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils consistently meet these expectations. As a result, pupils learn in calm and purposeful lessons.
OFSTED, DECEMBER 2022
Welcome
Burnham Grammar School has vigorously pursued personal excellence in both academic and extra-curricular achievement, and student development and wellbeing since its establishment in 1960.
Exceptional relationships and teamwork between staff and students provide the support and reassurance for our students to be happy, feel valued, strive to develop as individuals and challenge themselves to give their very best each and every day. We are a diverse and supportive community where the focus is on the progress of every individual student regardless of their starting point. This is evidenced by our status as a National Centre of Excellence for Inclusion.
The exceptional quality of our staff and our record of developing their practice is evidenced by our Investors in People Gold and Champion status. They provide inspirational learning experiences to support every student to embrace and overcome challenges in every lesson, every day, ensuring that they are equipped to transform their own lives and those of others.
Dr Andy Gillespie Headteacher
Space camp was fantastic! It made a huge difference to the start of year 7; made it much less daunting.
Happy, Healthy & Safe
We know our students as individuals and want them to be happy, excited and inspired about coming to school each day.
Our nationally recognised induction programme includes Space Camp, where new Year 7 students are invited to spend the first week of the summer holidays at BGS. Our Vertical Tutoring system then ensures that they are welcomed into the heart of our community and form friendships with, learn from and are inspired by our older students.
Our broad curriculum and an exceptional range of extracurricular activities including academic clubs, dance, music, drama and sport enhances students’ broader education outside of the classroom. Our sport for all ethos has been recognised with the Gold School Games Award for extracurricular sport for a number of years and, along with excellent Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education programmes, ensures that students are equipped to make positive personal lifestyle choices.
Pupils enthusiastically embrace challenge and enjoy learning here. Pupils, including those in the sixth form, benefit from high aspirations set for them by leaders and staff. This includes disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers are passionate about their subjects and this helps them to inspire pupils to do their best. Relationships between staff and pupils are extremely positive.
OFSTED, DECEMBER 2022
Through the curriculum, pupils learn to become Responsible Learners and to embrace mistakes. The curriculum is well sequenced at Key stage 3 and prepares pupils for future learning.
OFSTED, DECEMBER 2022
Continuous, Responsible Learning and Development is part of the DNA within the school.
INVESTORS IN PEOPLE GOLD REPORT 2024
Responsible Learners and Welcoming Mistakes
In all lessons, teachers ensure that students are challenged, inquisitive and questioning.
Students understand how to judge their progress and develop the skills, strategies and attitudes that enable them to persist when they get stuck, taking responsibility for their learning.
Through the Year 7 & 8 Psychology for Learning course our students know that intelligence is not fixed but, like athletic prowess, it is something that only develops with focused effort.
Our curriculum is personalised to provide students with a range of opportunities to develop their study skills and understand that effort and embracing challenges to the point where you make mistakes are key parts of the learning process.
Tracking progress
Our individually tailored tracking and target systems ensure that students and parents know exactly how they are doing and allow us to fast track support when needed. Attitude to Learning and Responsible Learning judgements make it easy to identify areas for progress.
All of our recognition and reward systems are designed to celebrate individual progress regardless of a student’s starting point as well as acknowledging academic, sporting and artistic excellence.
Student Review Days ensure that every student understands what they need to change and develop to fulfil their potential at that moment in their BGS career.
The old school building, the friends I made and the fantastic teaching staff. It was some of the best few years of my life! BEST MEMORY OF BGS
Asad Parkar
Alumni
Date you left BGS
July 2014
Your Current Position & Organisation
Engineering Resilience Manager
– Heathrow Airport Ltd
A Level Subjects Taken (if applicable) and grades achieved Maths (B), Chemistry (B) & Chemistry (C)
Where did you go from here/achievements?
Went to study a Masters in Engineering at Brunel University London and graduated with a 1st in Mechanical Engineering with Aeronautics and Professional Development. Won Volunteer of the Year, Outstanding Contribution to Volunteering and Student Ambassador of the Year while at university. Successfully started on the Engineering Graduate programme at Heathrow, completing and rolling off the programme into a permanent role. Won the Engineering Diversity & Inclusion Award at Heathrow.
Advice for Current Students
Get involved, try everything and always ask questions! Honestly, asking questions works wonders and you learn so much from everyone else. And finally, do not worry and stress – things always work out in the end!
Kiera Adams
Alumni
Date you left BGS Summer 2015
Your Current Position & Organisation DPhil (PhD student) at the University of Oxford in the Department of Experimental Psychology
A Level Subjects Taken (if applicable) and grades achieved Psychology (A), Biology (A) & English Literature (A)
Where did you go from here/achievements?
I completed my undergraduate degree in Psychological and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Cambridge straight after sixth form, graduating with a first in 2018. After some travelling and a short internship in Management Consultancy, I started my Master’s at Oxford, where I researched the mental health of Canadian and British university students. I then took a year out where I worked in Dubai as live in psychological support for an autistic girl with OCD, whilst volunteering for an organisation that working on developing sustainable, temporary housing solutions for refugees. Upon returning to the UK I started my PhD, which was fully funded by the Clarendon Fund Scholarship, awarded to the best applicant in the department. My PhD looks at the overlap between anxiety and eating disorders and autism.
Advice for Current Students
Don’t worry if you’re not fully sure what you want to do yet! Just pursue things you enjoy and you’ll work it out. Also prioritise your mental health above anything else. You’ll find that things like your grades and results will naturally follow.
Performing in a production of The Crucible. I’m still friends with so many of the cast, and it really helped my confidence!
BEST MEMORY OF BGS
Prepared for the Future
Inspirational learning experiences supplemented by a broad extracurricular and trips programme help students to identify their passions.
Developing broader skills
Project days, Young Enterprise, Duke of Edinburgh, Interact and Sports Leader programmes also develop the organisational, interpersonal, teamwork and leadership skills that are not tested in exams, but are vital for future success.
Aspiring for dream careers
All students participate in our Work Experience programmes in Year 10 and the Sixth Form.
We have a successful Careers & Aspirations Programme, whereby Alumni & Professional Organisations regularly visit the school, to deliver talks and workshops to our students.
Close ties with multinational companies, such as Bio-pharma Lonza who sponsor Scientist of the Year, Henkel and city firms through our alumni network, provide work experience, employment opportunities and guidance to our students beyond the classroom.
I really enjoyed coming back to Burnham Grammar School to deliver a careers & aspirations talk, students were engaged and I loved giving back to the school that meant so much to me.
ALUMNI
It is clear, through talking to staff, that Wellbeing is not just a list of events within the school, but a culture. Staff talked about the amazing care and support shown to both themselves and the students. They described this as second to none and one of the school’s strengths.
INVESTORS IN PEOPLE GOLD REPORT – 2024
Caring Individuals
At the heart of our success all members of our diverse community work hard to be considerate, support and respect each other and most importantly themselves.
They know that being a Caring individual means to be proactive in supporting others.
Peer support
Our Vertical Tutoring system means that students in all year groups start their day together. The exceptional relationships between students forges supportive links, mentoring and raises aspirations across all year groups.
Respect for diversity and individuality
Freedom from bullying strategies are developed with our students and reviewed annually and have been recognised for the last 10 years at a national level with the school gaining the BiG award (Bullying Intervention Group) and the Wellbeing Award.
My best memories at BGS were connected with the stage crew –a fun team and great atmosphere helping to run events (i.e. music concerts, the dance show).
Dr Takashi Lawson
Alumni
Date you left BGS
July 2013
Your Current Position & Organisation
Postdoctoral Research Associate and Director of Studies, University of Cambridge
A Level Subjects Taken (if applicable) and grades achieved Physics, Chemistry, Maths, Further Maths, Geography (5 A*s)
Where did you go from here/achievements?
• Graduated from the University of Oxford (MEng Materials Science, 2017)
• Graduated from the University of Cambridge (PhD Physics, 2022)
• Admitted as a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA, 2023)
Advice for Current Students
Don’t give up trying what you really want to do. Get out there and make opportunities. There will definitely be hard days; celebrate even the small wins, take feedback on board and you’ll get there!
Megan Samrai
Alumni
Date you left BGS
Summer 2017
Your Current Position & Organisation
Production Journalist, ITV News Meridian
A Level Subjects Taken (if applicable) and grades achieved English Literature (A), Religious Studies (A), Spanish (B) and AS level maths (A)
Where did you go from here/achievements?
I studied a BA in Comparative Literature at Queen Mary University of London (2017 - 2020), followed by an MA in Broadcast Journalism at City University of London (2020-21). From there, I worked for local papers for a few months until I got onto the ITV News Traineeship in 2022 - working as a trainee journalist for 9 months. Since then, I’ve worked as a Production Journalist for ITV Meridian based in the Thames Valley and South East. Here I produce news bulletins and plan stories in the office along with going out to film and edit reports for our 6pm evening programme. It’s a very busy but exciting role, which I still find a bit nerve wracking! But it feels amazing to constantly push yourself outside your comfort zone, and you never know who you’ll get to interview next!
Advice for Current Students
School can be a lot of pressure especially with GCSES, A-levels and having to think about your future (whether it’s applying for uni, jobs or apprenticeships).
But remember to have fun along the way! And don’t be afraid to be yourself. You might worry about the fact you feel different, or don’t necessarily fit in, but these things will become your strengths later down the line.
When it comes to things like going for a job, you’ll be remembered for standing out and bringing something fresh to the table.
The English Lit trip to New York in Year 13 was my first time visiting America and has to be one of the best trips I’ve ever been on! And later that year I was voted Prom Queen… which I refuse to let the world forget!
BEST MEMORY OF BGS
Students aspire to be young leaders. They desire to be promoted to positions of responsibility. There are many opportunities to take on positions of leadership, formal and informal.
OFSTED, DECEMBER 2022
Active Citizens
Students are involved in the decision-making processes of the school and are given opportunities for leadership and responsibility in all year groups.
Students leading
All prospective staff are interviewed by a student panel and the School Council and Senior Prefects contribute to self-evaluation and decision-making processes.
Supporting the community
Students understand how to contribute to and get their voices heard in their local, national and global communities.
Acting for others
The empathy our students show for others is exemplified by the work of our Rotary Interact student group who co-ordinate fundraising for nominated charities and impromptu disaster appeals. Our IMPACT group monitors and assesses the school’s impact on the environment.
The teachers are the most supportive network of people you will find. They want what is best for you and nothing less.
ALUMNI
Burnham Grammar School Hogfair Lane, Burnham, Bucks SL1 7HG