A message from the Head
“Bootham is not a typical private school! That was one of the clear and positive messages to come from recent independent, in-depth research we carried out”
“Bootham is not a typical private school! That was one of the clear and positive messages to come from recent independent, in-depth research we carried out”
“Bootham is not a typical private school! That was one of the clear and positive messages to come from recent independent, in-depth research we carried out. Not that it doesn’t present all the things that a really good private school should offer; far from it. It offers excellent, knowledgable and passionate teachers with the time and resources to teach their subjects; an emphasis on personalised, well-resourced pastoral care and personal development; a proven record of the vast majority of its students winning a place on a chosen university course; a huge range of sporting, cultural, outdoors and leadership/service opportunities available to all; great public exam results; what you’d expect. But it offers more than that…and some approaches that are different from the picture many people have in their heads of what a private school is like. Arising from our Quaker foundation, practices and heritage (you can read more about that here), Bootham has a much clearer understanding of the ultimate purpose of the education that it offers than any school I’ve ever known. It goes about helping students to achieve lifelong success and flourishing in a different way, not by emphasising conformity or the primacy of exam-related endeavour, but rather the development of intrinsic motivation and individuality –‘that of God’ (or good) in Quaker language- in the context of a hugely supportive community that is founded on clear, enduring, well practised and well-understood values. It’s an approach that produces students who leave the school comfortable in their own skin, confident in the unique combination of strengths and talents that they have been helped to discover, and aware of their responsibility to make the world they are going into a better, fairer and more peaceful place. I firmly believe that all parents ultimately want their children to be good people even more than they want them to be successful people; doing both is what we specialise in! Bootham has been called “York’s thinking parents’ school” [Good School’s Guide] I hope that what you read and see on this website will intrigue you to think about the lifelong purpose of your child’s education and academic success. Furthermore, I hope that it will encourage you to think about coming to visit us to experience the school’s very special -and rather different- atmosphere for yourselves. I look forward to meeting you!”
Deneal Smith
Head
Quakers believe every contribution is worthwhile and that truth is not confined to a single point of view. These principles are at the heart of our approach to teaching. We appreciate the talents of each student and our small classes allow us to nurture potential from an early age. Our teachers have the freedom to teach. They are encouraged to be as creative as possible. Similarly, our students are confident enough to ask questions and to contribute ideas of their own. This produces a mature and mutually respectful learning relationship between teachers and students.
Students at Bootham are nurtured outside the classroom as much as they are inside the classroom. An exciting programme of activities and excursions equips our young people to flourish as adults and encourages them to live adventurous lives that will serve to create a better world.
The health and wellbeing of our students and staff is paramount. We have an excellent support network of highly-trained staff who work tirelessly to ensure your child is both happy and healthy. Our on-site medical facilities are first-class and our catering staff work with nutritionists to optimise the health of your child at every stage of their development.
Bootham School celebrated a strong set of GCSE results in 2023, despite national grades falling back to 2019 levels.
With 52% of grades at 7-9, there were a number of outstanding results for individuals – with 15 pupils achieving a sweep of these top end grades, straight As in the old system.
Seven pupils – Issy Ashforth, Lizzie Hughes, Charlotte Jacobi, Theo Lindridge, Tserena Tang, Freddie Thornton (pictured with Head Deneal Smith) and Olivia Whitby – all achieved seven or more top grade 9s.
Lizzie and Freddie were the top performers, each with eleven grade 9s.
And it will be a cause for double celebration in the Thornton household, where Freddie’s brother Charlie last week left Bootham four straight A* grades in his A-levels.
New headmaster Deneal Smith said, “despite the disruption to their education caused by the Covid lockdowns, and with no additional support offered in this exam season to compensate for that, these young people fully deserve the strong results they have earned this year.”
“Alongside the headline performers, there are plenty of other stories of pupils overcoming difficulties to secure very creditable grades. GCSEs are the stepping stones towards A-levels and other qualifications, and these results will allow so many of our students to move on to the next stage of their education with great confidence.”
Our 2023 College leavers also celebrated some excellent A level results in 2023. An impressive 71% of grades at B and above, with some outstanding individual results .
Charlie Thornton, who will study Natural Sciences at Cambridge from September was awarded four A* grades. Lara Webster, who is off to Newcastle to study Medicine achieved 3* grades out of 3, while Milly Baker, Gordon Cam, Rachel King, Ren Tse and Vincent Yang each gained 2 A* grades, as well as A grades in their other subjects. In all, 13 students achieved nothing less than an A grade.
Results in the Extended Project Qualification were also notable, with 11 A* and 6 A grades awarded out of 23 entries.
View the Destinations of College Two Leavers 2023 here.