Private school Bryanston School

Bryanston School - What do you see?

Bryanston School is a co-educational boarding school located near the village of Bryanston in Dorset, southwest England. Bryanston School was founded in 1928 by a young schoolmaster. The school occupies a stately country house designed and built in 1889-1894 by the architect Richard Norman Shaw.

Art is at the heart of Bryanston School's philosophy. Pupils are encouraged to explore music, art, theatre, design and technology, and are given the time, space and support to find their own style.

The school has around 800 pupils.

Headmaster (2026)

Richard Jones, University of Nottingham, BA; University of Southampton, Secondary Education and Teaching; University of Buckingham, MA in Education.

Notable Alumni

• HRH Princess Haya of Jordan, daughter of King Hussein I of Jordan
• Carolyn Fairbairn, Director General of the Confederation of British Industry
• Eliot Sumner, singer and actress (film “The Gentlemen”)
• Emilia Fox, actress (films “The Pianist”, “Sabina”, TV series “Pride and Prejudice”)
• Freddie Fox, actor (film “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword”, TV series “The Crown”)
• Prince Alastair of Connaught, member of the British royal family
• Amy Studt, singer
• Angus Stewart, writer, known for his novel Sandel
• Anne Morris, politician
• Ben Fogle, broadcaster
• Chris Beckett, science fiction writer
• David Lipsey, Baron Lipsey, politician, journalist
• Drummond Matthews, geologist and marine geophysicist
• Frederick Zenger, biochemist; fourth person to win the Nobel Prize twice
• Geoffrey Hoyle, science fiction writer (son of Fred Hoyle)
• Giselle Norman, fashion model
• Greg Hersov, theatre director
• Henry Pyrgos, rugby player, captain of the Scotland team
• Humphrey Kay, pathologist and haematologist
• Hugh Bennett, rugby player
• James Scott, film director
• Jasper Conran, fashion designer
• John Nissen, founder of Cloudworld
• Mark Scott, rower who competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics.
• Max Irons, actor (Woman in Gold, TV series "The White Queen")
• Michael Yates, theatre and television designer and executive director
• Nick Meers, photographer
• Nick Willing, film director
• Paul Thompson, Principal of the Royal College of Art
• Phil de Glanville, Bath and England rugby player, England captain

Key factors

• The school is rightly proud of the individual nature of its education.
• Boys and girls at Bryanston are helped to find their calling and their way in life.
• Academically strong school.
• A very creative and musical school: up to 20 theatre productions a year, an excellent art school, numerous choirs (more than a quarter of the pupils take part in at least one) and the opportunity to become a journalist and write for the school magazine The Brogue. More than 60% of the students play some kind of musical instrument.

Facilities

The school grounds occupy an area of ​​182 hectares in the countryside and include: stables, various sports facilities and a small chapel. The main school building is a luxurious country house built in 1987. Separate buildings are occupied by the faculties of art and technology, as well as a theater and an amphitheatre.

The new creative center houses a dance studio and workshops for ceramics and textiles. Additional cooking classes are held in a professionally equipped kitchen. The school has its own stables. Sailing lessons are available in Poole Harbour.

The school has a fully qualified medical centre.

Curriculum

GCSE

A two-year programme leading to the General Certificate of Secondary Education. Six compulsory subjects, four optional subjects.
What is the difference between IGCSE and GCSE programmes?

A-level

A two-year programme preparing students for university. Students choose four or five subjects to study in depth. Students with special educational needs (SEN) and those whose first language is not English (EAL) receive appropriate support through individual lessons. The school develops a suitable programme for studentsstudents, whom she defined as “gifted and talented”: some departments conduct additional classes and professional development work.
Find out more about A-level program

IB (International Baccalaureate)

The International Baccalaureate program, recognized by universities around the world. Six subjects are studied: three at the advanced level and three at the standard level. In addition to this, students write an extended essay, take a course in “Theory of Knowledge” (practical philosophy) and the CAS course ("Creativity, activity and mutual assistance").
Find out more about IB program

What is the difference between A-level and IB

Accommodation

There are 12 houses for accommodation on the school grounds. Boys and girls live separately. Students in their final year of study live in single rooms. The penultimate - in double rooms. The rest live in four-bed rooms. Each house has a kitchen where pupils can prepare their own meals.

Sport

A wide range of sports are offered, including archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, canoeing, cross-country, cricket, fencing, Eton Fives, hockey, lacrosse, netball, horse riding, rowing, rugby, sailing, shooting, football, squash, swimming and tennis.

Extracurricular Activities

The curriculum is supported by extracurricular activities and educational trips within the UK and abroad. Exchange trips with other schools are also organised.

A wide and flexible programme of extracurricular activities is a vital component of school life. Sport, music, drama, art, debating, car building and guitar making are just some of the activities that provide pupils with opportunities to pursue their interests.

Pupils play games three days a week. A compulsory outdoor programme is an important part of the curriculum in Years 9 and 10. The school’s own theatre, complete with an open-air amphitheatre, allows pupils to develop their acting skills on stage, backstage work and production skills. Up to 20 school productions are staged each year.

Pupils can develop their musical talent by learning to play an instrument of their choice. The school has several very strong choirs, orchestras and bands, as well as a variety of informal music ensembles. Special events, mainly organised by the pupils themselves, are held.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and Young Entrepreneurs sessions provide students with additional opportunities to gain valuable experience.

Fees, 2026-2027

£19,750 per semester.
There are 3 semesters in an academic year.

Included in the price

• Tuition
• Accommodation and meals
• Laundry
• Services and transportation for most sports and games
• Accident insurance

Additional charges

• Registration fee - £300
• Deposit - cost 1 semester
• Flight
• Transfers to/from the airport
• Visa
• Educational company services
• Selecting a guardian, which is a mandatory requirement of the British school

Our services and fees

Impressions of visiting the school

Natalia Shtrein
Founder of the company "Paradise"

At Bryanston School, like in Switzerland, they don't wear uniforms. Very unusual! As the children say, it ‘allows you to be an individual’. But this is not Geneva: no Hermès belts or Luis Vuitton pumps. Even if there are, they are hidden under dark jumpers. No flashy colours or jewellery, no brand names on the chest. STRONG in the dress code.

The school is serious, but not for nerds. If you shine in sports or music, this is the place. These are the idols that everyone worships at Brynston. The captain of the football team sings in the choir.

High school students are usually allowed to decide whether or not sports should be in their lives. But only here: sports three times a week until graduation - drop and push-ups!
A running track under the roof - never seen before! A child practises acceleration by ‘crashing’ on vertically suspended soft mats.

The medical centre offers physiotherapy and acupuncture for children! After all, muscles should be relaxed after training. I have not seen anything like this: it is clear what kind of load they have here.

There is a unique policy regarding MOBILE PHONES: they are never confiscated! But there is a set of rules, and the offence is punishable. You get it in class, confiscation for 24 hours. If you get it again, it's a week. That's how they teach the kids self-control.

Music has bonded them: all 13-year-olds learn to PLAY an instrument as a MUST. Even if a bear steps on their ear. I raise my eyebrows, but the explanation is admirable.

It turns out that a child, tortured with guitar or violin, eventually gives up, but listening to the performance of a more persistent comrade, can now appreciate the level of his efforts. ‘It's about respect for the talent and labour of another person’.

Pretty cool, isn't it?