Bradford Girls' Grammar School Review 2026: State-funded girls’ academy with fair banding admissions

At the end of Year 11, most families want two things: credible GCSE outcomes and a calm, organised route into post-16. Bradford Girls' Grammar School sits in that space, with a state-funded model, a girls-only roll, and an admissions approach designed to balance ability bands rather than select purely by prior attainment.

Leadership has recently reset the direction of travel. Caroline Foster was appointed headteacher in September 2024, alongside a new deputy headteacher, at a point when the school had also been through structural change and trust joining.

The latest inspection gives a clear headline: in November 2024 the school was graded Good across all four judgement areas, with safeguarding effective.

This is a girls-only secondary for ages 11 to 16, with a stated emphasis on ambition, respectful relationships, and purposeful learning. Official evidence points to a school that has raised expectations in a short period, with improved behaviour and calmer classrooms than in the recent past.

The context matters. The school joined Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust in January 2023, and the primary and secondary phases separated from each other, following a period of turbulence and staff turnover. The current picture is of a secondary school rebuilding routines and consistency, with leaders explicitly focused on embedding improvements rather than launching constant initiatives.

For families, the practical implication is straightforward. Students who like clear boundaries and predictable classroom culture are more likely to thrive here. Those who rely on a very broad enrichment offer to feel connected to school life should look closely at how co-curricular options are currently promoted and taken up, because widening participation in activities has been flagged as a development priority.

FindMySchool’s GCSE ranking places Bradford Girls' Grammar School in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). Ranked 1322nd in England and 11th in Bradford for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), it sits in a broadly solid position locally, rather than at the very top of the Bradford table.

On headline measures, the Attainment 8 score is 46.9. The Progress 8 score is 0.11, which indicates students make slightly above-average progress from their starting points across their GCSE subjects.

EBacc indicators are more mixed. 29.8% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above across EBacc subjects, while the average EBacc APS is 4.38. These figures suggest that EBacc success exists but is not the defining feature of the results profile, so families prioritising a heavily academic EBacc pathway should review subject choices, setting, and support carefully at open events and through published curriculum information.

A useful way to interpret the data is in terms of fit. For a student with steady work habits and good attendance, the school’s outcomes indicate a credible route to strong grades. For students who need extensive stretch opportunities, or who aim for very high proportions of top grades across a full EBacc suite, the best next step is to explore how the school structures challenge, particularly in Key Stage 3 where consistency of curriculum delivery has been identified as the area to tighten.

Parents comparing local options should use the FindMySchool Local Hub page and Comparison Tool to view Bradford outcomes side-by-side, then align those numbers to your child’s learning style and subject strengths.

The curriculum is framed as ambitious, with a planned sequence of knowledge that increases in complexity over time. A key operational feature is regular revisiting of prior learning, intended to strengthen long-term retention. Teachers are described as having strong subject knowledge and using questioning to extend learning, which is important in a mixed-attainment intake where challenge needs to be precise rather than generic.

Reading is treated as a whole-school priority, with a structured approach that includes explicit vocabulary work across subjects and targeted support for weaker readers. Year 7 also links to a reading-for-pleasure initiative, Bookbuzz, which is designed to build positive reading habits early in secondary school.

Where the teaching picture becomes more nuanced is the transition between Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. Curriculum delivery is reported as stronger at Key Stage 4 than at Key Stage 3, with some students showing gaps in recall from earlier learning. That matters for parents of Year 7 and Year 8 students, because consistency and sequencing in the early years will shape GCSE readiness later. The most productive question to ask at admissions events is what practical steps have been taken to standardise Key Stage 3 delivery, subject by subject, since the 2024 inspection.

Where Students Go Next

There is no sixth form, so post-16 progression is a key part of the school choice. Students will move on to sixth forms and colleges across Bradford and the surrounding area, with pathways that typically include A-level routes, applied qualifications, and apprenticeships.

Careers education is part of the school’s personal development programme, and students have access to advice and guidance. At the same time, formal evidence indicates that many students want more thorough and wider-ranging information to help them make well-informed choices about their next steps.

For families, the implication is to treat Year 9 to Year 11 planning as a priority. Ask how subject choices are linked to post-16 routes, what encounters with colleges and training providers look like, and how the school supports students who are uncertain about their direction. If apprenticeships or technical routes are a serious consideration, also ask how the school meets provider access expectations in practice and what that looks like across the year.

Year 7 entry is coordinated by Bradford Council, rather than direct offers from the school. For September 2026 entry, the council’s published timetable sets the main application closing date at 31 October 2025, with offers issued on 02 March 2026, and an acceptance deadline of 16 March 2026.

Bradford Girls' Grammar School also uses a fair banding assessment process. To be considered, families must submit the school’s supplementary information form by Friday 31 October 2025 at 4pm and students are then invited to sit an assessment, with the proposed date listed as Saturday 22 November 2025. The point of fair banding is to admit a wide spread of ability, rather than to operate as a traditional selective grammar school.

Competition is real, and the council guide provides recent context through published allocation figures. In the most recent allocation breakdown shown in the September 2026 admissions guide, the school recorded 356 applications and a published admission number of 145, with 126 total allocations reported in that table. Figures vary each year, but they underline that families should approach the process as competitive and deadline-driven.

Open events are the sensible starting point for most families. For September 2026 entry, the school advertised a Year 6 open evening on Tuesday 16 September (4pm to 6pm). When open-day dates have passed, it is usually safe to assume the pattern repeats in the same month annually, but families should rely on the school’s current open events information for the latest schedule.

Parents should use the FindMySchool Map Search to understand your likely travel pattern and to sanity-check whether day-to-day logistics are realistic, especially when you are weighing several Bradford options with different admission mechanisms.

Pastoral systems are closely tied to culture, and the most useful evidence here is about safety, behaviour, and trusted adults. The latest inspection describes students feeling safe and able to speak to adults if they need support, with improved behaviour and calmer classrooms.

Attendance is treated as a strategic focus, with a defined approach that is reported as having a positive impact, including fewer persistently absent pupils than the prior year in the inspection narrative. The implication for families is that routines and follow-up are likely to feel firmer than they did historically, which tends to benefit students who need structure, and can also reassure parents who worry about low-level disruption.

Personal development is delivered through a life skills curriculum, covering relationships, consent, and healthy lifestyles, alongside leadership opportunities. A practical example is the junior leadership team mentoring younger pupils and supporting events such as open evenings, which is a good indicator that the school is trying to formalise student voice and responsibility rather than leaving it to informal friendship groups.

Co-curricular breadth matters, but what matters more is whether students actually attend regularly and whether the offer is stable across the year. Published materials show a structured set of lunchtime and after-school options, including Book Club, Classics Club, Debating, Steel Pans, Soul Band, Bollywood Club, World Discovery Club, Pop Band, and activities such as Origami and fitness sessions.

The best way to interpret this is as a foundation that can be built on. For a student who enjoys performance, the presence of Steel Pans and multiple band options suggests music is not confined to timetabled lessons. For a student who likes ideas-based activities, Debating and World Discovery provide a clear entry point. For those who are still finding their place socially, a lunchtime club can be the simplest route to friendships outside form groups.

However, families should balance the published list with the school-improvement direction. External evidence indicates the extracurricular offer has not yet reached the point where it is both wide and consistently well attended, and widening participation has been identified as an improvement priority. The most constructive admissions question is what is being done to increase take-up, not just what is on the timetable.

The school day is clearly structured. Students arrive from 8.30am, with form time from 8.40am, and lessons running through five periods; the day ends at 3.15pm, followed by after-school activities until 4.00pm.

As a secondary school, there is no standard wraparound childcare model in the way parents would expect in primary. Instead, families should treat after-school activities as the main on-site extension to the day, and confirm supervision arrangements if your child needs a managed end-of-day plan.

Travel arrangements are typically handled through family planning and local transport options, with Bradford Council providing separate guidance on travel assistance and passes where eligible.

• Key Stage 3 consistency. Curriculum delivery has been reported as stronger in Key Stage 4 than in Key Stage 3, which can affect how securely students build foundations for GCSE study. Families should ask what has changed in Key Stage 3 implementation since the 2024 inspection.

• Extracurricular take-up. Published club options exist, but widening the co-curricular offer and participation has been identified as a priority. If clubs and enrichment are central to your child’s motivation, explore how the school is building momentum here.

• Fair banding deadlines are unforgiving. For September 2026 entry, the supplementary form deadline and the main application deadline are both tied to 31 October 2025, with an assessment date later in November. Missing these steps can materially weaken your application.

Bradford Girls' Grammar School is a state-funded girls’ academy that appears to be stabilising and improving, with Good grades across all inspection judgement areas in late 2024 and a leadership team appointed in September 2024. It suits families who want a structured school day, clear behavioural expectations, and a realistic GCSE route that is broadly solid rather than extreme at either end. The main hurdle is navigating the admissions process properly, particularly the fair banding steps and deadlines.