Earlier this year, I read through The Times’ Parent Power rankings, and was reminded, yet again, why Bryanston chooses not to appear in league tables. When parents ask why we’re absent from these rankings, my response is simple: “If it’s all about the results, then perhaps we’re not the right school for you.”
That’s not to say we don’t value academic achievement – far from it. But league tables, at their core, only tell part of the story. They offer a narrow snapshot of what’s been memorised, what’s been retained and how well a pupil performs in a particular moment in time under pressure. Yes, that snapshot may act as a springboard to the next stage of their educational journey, and yes, it plays a role in development. But it’s just that – a snapshot. It doesn’t and can’t capture the true essence of education. League tables miss everything that really matters.
At Bryanston, we believe education is about how pupils learn, not simply what they learn. It’s about developing curiosity, resilience, independence of thought, and a love of learning that lasts a lifetime. Our unique teaching and learning approach through the Bryanston Method supports this. Children aren’t statistics, and they certainly aren’t defined by letter grades or numbers on a piece of paper, ready to be packaged, presented and ranked.
The grades our pupils achieve are deeply personal, representative of their own growth, their own journey, challenges they may have overcome and their own success. They belong to the individual, not to be paraded across social media for the sake of prestige or publicity. As teachers, our greatest achievement isn’t found in grade averages; it’s in knowing our youngsters leave us as rounded, grounded, confident young adults, ready to navigate the world on their own terms.
Success comes in many forms. For some, it’s earning top academic results. For others, it’s discovering a creative passion, building confidence, or simply learning to be comfortable in their own skin. For us as educators, true success is knowing that our pupils leave Bryanston as grounded, curious, compassionate individuals, ready to take their next steps with confidence. That’s our job. That’s our pride. And we’ll continue to walk beside them long after their final exam, supporting them as they carve their path forward.
At the heart of Bryanston is breadth. And we talk about it a lot because we’re proud of it. We celebrate the breadth of subjects we offer, the breadth of ideas our pupils explore, the breadth of post-school pathways, from top universities and art colleges to entrepreneurial ventures and global travel. And most importantly, the breadth of mindset our pupils develop. That breadth is our true metric of success. It’s one of the defining characteristics of a Bryanston education and one of the main reasons families choose us.
We are as proud of a pupil launching a business, choosing an unconventional university course, or following a passion to another country as we are of a line of top grades on a spreadsheet and one of the leading universities in the world. That, to us, is success and success worth celebrating.
This summer, once more you won’t see Bryanston publishing academic results, however flattering they might be. Instead, we’ll be celebrating our pupils for who they are and what they aspire to become: interesting, diverse – we’ll highlight their university destinations, breadth of degrees, apprenticeship schemes or those that head directly to the world of work. Our youngsters aren’t defined by exam outcomes, but by the lives they’re building and the ideas they’re ready to pursue.
We’ll congratulate our pupils not just on their grades, but on the boldness of their choices. On the originality of their ideas. On the start-ups they’ve launched, the countries they’ll visit, the causes they’ll champion. We’ll celebrate their diversity, their creativity, and their individuality.
In a recent parent survey, we asked families to share their priorities for their children’s education and why they chose Bryanston. The overwhelming answers? Happiness. Confidence. Entrepreneurial spirit. Academic results barely featured. That, to us, was as heartening as it was telling. It reflected what we already know about our community – that our families are forward-thinking, open-minded, and committed to the broader purpose of education. They come here not just to chase grades, but to help their children grow into the best versions of themselves.
Education is not a race, but a journey. And every journey is different. In a world increasingly obsessed with metrics and rankings, we choose instead to focus on people. And we believe that’s something worth standing by.
