Bristol Grammar School
 |
|
| Motto |
Latin:Ex Spinis Uvas Grapes From Thorns |
|---|---|
| Established | 1532 |
| Type |
Independent day school Public school (United Kingdom) Private school |
| Religion | Inter-denominational |
| Headmaster | R I MacKinnon |
| Location |
University Road Bristol BS8 1SR England Coordinates: 51°27′29″N 2°36′17″W / 51.457965°N 2.604748°W |
| DfE URN | 109369 Tables |
| Capacity | 1,305 |
| Students | 1,304 |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Ages | 4–18 |
| Houses |
Catchpole's Diamond's Edwards's Hilliard's Scott's Short's |
| Colours | Maroon and navy |
| Former pupils | Old Bristolians |
| School Song | Carmen Bristoliense |
| Website | bristolgrammarschool |
Bristol Grammar School (also known as BGS) is an independent day school located in Tyndalls Park, Bristol. Founded in 1532 by brothers Robert and Nicholas Thorne as an all-boys school, it is now fully co-educational having first admitted girls in 1980.
The headmaster is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The school is in three sections: the Infant and Junior School (ages 4–11), Senior School and Sixth Form.
The school was founded in 1532 by brothers Robert and Nicholas Thorne, when it was housed in the St Bartholomew's Hospital, as part of the new founding of schools after Henry VIII's closure of the monasteries, where previously a large proportion of England's education had occurred. The school motto Ex Spinis Uvas, which translates as "Grapes From Thorns", is a play upon the names of the school founders Robert and Nicholas Thorne.
The school became a direct grant grammar school in 1946 as a result of the Education Act 1944 and chose to become independent when direct grants were abolished by the 1974–9 Labour Government.
The Grammar School over the Frome Gate was in the care of its first schoolmaster, Thomas Moffat, when good fortune stepped in to secure its future. The Thorne family were wealthy Bristol merchants, friends of men like John Cabot and known to royalty. They wished to endow a school where the sons of Bristol merchants and tradesmen could receive an education. On 17 March 1532, Henry VIII issued a Charter under which the Thornes could endow the Grammar School and establish it in larger premises at St Bartholomew's Hospital near the bottom of Christmas Steps. There the boys learnt Latin and Greek, Divinity and some Hebrew.
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