CURRICULUM
In the First and Second Years all pupils study English, Mathematics, French, German, Latin, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Geography, History, Art, Music, Design & Technology, Information Technology, Religious Studies, Physical Education and Games.
In the Third Year pupils follow a common core of subjects, choose French or German as their core language and choose two subjects from Art, Design & Technology, German, Greek, Latin, Music, Russian and Spanish.
GCSE
Pupils follow ten GCSE courses. All pupils take English Language, English Literature, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Physical Education and Games, a core modern foreign language, choosing one of French, German or Spanish, and three subjects from: Geography, History, German, ICT, Russian, Spanish, Latin, Greek, Art, Music, Design & Technology and Religious Studies. Unless they have chosen ICT as one of their options, pupils have one period per fortnight of ICT.
Click for GCSE Guide
Sixth Form (Click for A level Guide)
In the Sixth Form pupils choose four AS Level subjects from Art, Biology, Business Studies, Chemistry, Classical Civilisation, Design & Technology, Economics, Electronics, English Literature, English Language and Literature, English Language, French, Further Mathematics, Geography, Geology, German, Greek, History, Information Technology, Latin, Mathematics, Music, Music Technology, Physical Education, Physics, Politics, Psychology, Religious Studies, Russian, Spanish and Theatre Studies. In addition, they also take two eleven-week General Studies courses from a wide range of non-examined options, or Japanese. There is the opportunity to sample Mandarin.
Pupils then take three or four of their AS courses through to A level. It is possible to replace the fourth subject with another AS course.
SPORT
At BGS we hold the firm belief that sport has an important part to play in the physical and social development of all young people. Sport is not just for those with exceptional ability. All pupils have PE/Games as part of the curriculum. However, outside of that time there is plenty of opportunity for pupils to try out new sports and get involved as much as they wish.
Rugby and netball are the main sports for the boys and girls respectively. These are played both during and outside of lesson time. Each year we have a number of pupils who are selected to play for the county and northern region, and some go on to represent England at both School and adult level.
However, there are many other thriving sports which are equally enjoyed. Rowing, table tennis, badminton, swimming, tennis, cricket, cross country, hockey and athletics provide the main interest, with squash, sailing, water polo and rounders also played.
School teams frequently undertake tours, often to exotic locations. Such tours provide an unforgettable experience. In the recent past, tour destinations have included Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii, South Africa, West Indies, St Lucia, USA, Canada and Kenya.
At the heart of our sporting prowess are outstanding facilities. The school has its own 25m swimming pool and playing fields on site. There is an all-weather pitch, along with 10 tennis courts, netball courts, sports hall and gymnasia for junior and senior pupils. Rowing takes place on the Aire at Saltaire, where the school has its own boat house, and for sailing we use the facilities at Doe Park.
