The BGS Experience

Idyllically located in the Yorkshire Dales, Belmont Grosvenor School gives space for children to learn and grow both inside and outside the classroom.

Providing outstanding pastoral care we have the enviable reputation for being a family school, with the wellbeing and happiness of the children at the heart of everything we do and achieve.

BGS pupils flourish in this special place where every experience promotes their self esteem and enables them to move forward with confidence. Their high level of achievement at senior school shows the philosophy of 'Learn for today and prepare for tomorrow' is well proven at BGS.

If you have not yet taken the opportunity to visit BGS, do come and see us in action. I believe there is no better place to educate your child.

Emma Shea MSc B A (Hons) PGCE
Acting Headteacher

Children come home muddy, fulfilled and buzzing with ideas. The opportunity to spend time in nature boosts their educational attainment as well as their long-term well-being.

Our dedicated staff work with families to understand children as individuals. We draw out and stretch their unique talents. Strong educational foundations are combined with a forward-thinking focus on the skills they need to succeed in a fast-changing world: resilience; self-esteem; environmental awareness; technological competence and entrepreneurialism.

Our school has a real family feel: everbody's contribution to school life is valued and children and adults alike forge firm friendships. We work with families throughout their school journey to ensure that when the time comes, each child is ready for the secondary school that best suits their individual character, talents and ambitions.

Ambitious: We have big dreams and the dedication and determination it takes to achieve them. If a child has a talent we will spot it, develop and celebrate it. We are obsessed with individual progress. No matter the starting point, every child will be stretched to reach their all round academic, sporting creative and emotional potential.

Nurturing: We are caring and supportive. We recognise that every child, from a baby to a seemingly confident eleven-year-old, has their own unique challenges. Our regular pastoral and educational assessments allow us to quickly offer support wherever needed. The care we offer extends beyond the child to include the whole family.

Resilient: We encourage our children to embrace challenges, seize opportunities and take risks. We teach the skills of self regulation; flexibility and compassion that underpin lifelong wellbeing. This empowering approach to learning forges the self-belief that enables children to overcome barriers, make bold choices and exceed their own expectations.

Forward Thinking: Hand in hand with the traditional prep school offering, our children learn computer programming, engineering, philosophy, modern foreign languages, environmental awareness and the critical thinking skills that are the foundations of innovation and entrepreneurialism. Project based learning instils an understanding of our diverse world, and a sense of responsibility for our environment.

Joyful: We cherish childhood and make every day fun. Our goal is to inspire a lasting love of learning. We work with children to help them feel happy at school and in their friendships. We share our sense of awe and wonder at the natural world, the frontiers of scientific discovery, sporting endeavour and creative achievement.

In the classroom, we link these fundamental learning habits to familiar, childhood characters who we believe embody these ideas. For example, Wallace and Gromit represent creativity and curiosity, Jessie from Toy Story is a great example of independence, while Batman’s adventures reflect risk-taking!

Whether it is assuming the role of a detective, developing forensic scientist skills, or re-enacting the events surrounding the Great Fire of London, this is a highly-effective way of engaging, encouraging and ensuring these learning habits become part of our children's every-day life.

Children move on from Belmont Grosvenor as independent learners, with a strong sense of social responsibility, equipped with all the skills required for life-long learning but, best of all, they leave with lots of very happy memories.

All children from three months upwards are known by name to the Headmistress, and many of our staff teach throughout the school. 

As we are one school, on one site, there is a continuity of education that allows children to feel comfortable in their surroundings, and for movement up the school to be a simple, seamless, and worry-free experience. 

We place great emphasis on their happiness, and provide constant support and reassurance to our children as they take their first steps towards independence. Our 'word of the week' - a virtue or character strength - re-inforces our kind and caring ethos.

Respect for ourselves, for others and for our school environment is key.  A tidy appearance, well maintained environment, and taking pride in all aspects of school-work are constantly reinforced. We feel that emphasis in such areas is vital at this formative time. 

Our Prep children can serve on School Council, the Eco Team or act as Fair Trade Ambassadors, ensuring they play an important role in decision-making at school. 

Class lunches with the Senior Management Team, regular surveys and consultations ensure our childrens’ opinions and perspectives are understood and taken into account and our vibrant house system fosters a sense of community and plays a key role in the pastoral, academic, and sporting life of the school. 

The manicured Head’s Lawn, magnificent Magic Tree, rolling fields and picturesque meadow provide a beautiful yet safe place for all our children. 

We are certain that our surroundings, with acres of space to roam and run free, help create memories and enrich the educational experience for all our children. 

All our teachers are encouraged to take their learning outside of the classroom as often as possible – our children are regularly away from their desks, having fun and making the most of our outdoor classroom and open-air amphitheatre.

Their art lessons could be sketching the beautiful Nidd Valley, Maths could take on a whole new dimension through hunting for real-world 3D shapes around on the grounds and Science lessons become far more interesting by building habitats for the local wildlife in our woodland area.

Forest School at Belmont Grosvenor enables children from nursery to Year 2 to spend time outdoors where they can build dens, weave willow, hang dream catchers as well as collect leaves and sticks to make woodland art. They have time to be quiet and reflect on the nature around them and appreciate their environment. 

It is here that our children learn to be independent and start to evaluate risks for themselves, a skill they often have little experience of today.

Choosing to work alone or with others, there is always time to celebrate achievements in a campfire session. The woodland, and extensive school grounds, provide the materials for their projects, which are often created for the moment so the building aspect is more important than the end product, allowing children to be creative and imaginative. 

Children start to move away from their traditional class-based friendship grounds and appreciate others' strengths and support those who may not find practical skills easy. 

We are a member of the National Eco Schools programme and are one of a select number of schools to be awarded the prestigious Green Flag for our environmental work. 

Through our popular Eco Club, children have opportunities to explore our own rich environment, maintain and improve it, and consider our responsibilities and actions to world environmental issues. Children take responsibility for reducing litter, energy waste and water waste with patrols by litter cops, energy busters, and water patrol!

The childrens' enthusiasm generates different ways of looking at things, of 'thinking outside the box', of exploring exciting and alternative concepts as well as prompting every day questions about life.  This creates a lively debate and discussion that is further enhanced by our ‘Thunk of the Week’ - a question with no right or wrong answer for the children to consider over a weekend with their family.

The content of the lesson is largely governed by the children’s responses to the teacher’s prompt, but the session can also be more teacher-led to encourage children to discuss particular philosophical issues..

We have found that what children gain from these sessions spills over into all curricular areas and their approach to learning.