In January 2010, two days later than planned owing to heavy snow, Bristol Grammar School opened the doors to its Infant School. To mark the School’s tenth birthday this year, BGS Infants held a day of celebration on Friday 10 January, starting with a special assembly. The Infants were joined by former teachers and headteachers and some of the original pupils – now in Year 11 and Sixth Form – who came along to enjoy a trip down memory lane. The assembly was followed by a day of activities, all themed around the number ten.
BGS Infants began with just one Year 1 and one Year 2 class and only thirteen pupils. Over the past ten years it has grown considerably; the school has moved from its original home in the Lodge to occupy two buildings on Elton Road, and now has six classes – two in each of Reception, Year 1 and Year 2.
It may have got bigger over the years, but lots of things remain the same: the children all still enjoy Forest School lessons at Failand; every child has the chance to learn the violin; there are lots of clubs and activities to get involved in – in the ten years of BGS Infants, there have been more than 100 clubs offered to pupils; and the children still enjoy trips to lots of exciting destinations to build on their classroom learning.
Ten years is not long in terms of Bristol Grammar School’s almost 490-year history, but it has certainly been enough time for BGS Infants to truly become part of the BGS family. Older pupils, especially from the Sixth Form, regularly spend time in the Infant School, listening to children read and helping to run clubs. In return, the Infant children have given assemblies to the Senior School, performing songs from their plays and sharing what they are learning about. Each morning, some of the youngest BGS pupils mingle with the oldest at the Breakfast Club which runs in the Sixth Form Centre. They may only be small, but BGS Infants certainly play a big part in the life of Bristol Grammar School.
