A Message from the Head

Welcome to the Bootham website. What makes the place special? Perhaps it’s our students. They are remarkable: generally well-behaved, kind, self-assured and with a huge array of talents and interests. They make very good company.

Leading Bootham students into responsive and responsible adult lives is a team of teachers and support staff who mix professionalism with real affection for the school and the students in their care.

Together with parents, governors and Old Scholars, these people continually shape a vision for the school, not just as a statement in the prospectus but as a lived reality.

And what is the vision? It is Bootham as a values-led school, which can present to students a way of living which unashamedly emphasises responsibility for self and for others. Quakers believe there is ‘that of God’ in everyone, so we have to look after ourselves and everyone for whom we are responsible. We place a premium on integrity, honesty and trustworthiness.

We also believe in making the best use of our talents, scrutinising our own motivation and endeavouring to work out what our purpose in life is. These are bigger matters than achieving a number of grades at GCSE or A level, but are not in contradiction to that goal: academic success is important because it allows access to higher education and a range of careers. We have a huge responsibility to give our students the best chances we can. Bootham is a happy place, where discipline has a light touch, relationships matter more than regulations, and our students, as someone once said, ‘are allowed to be themselves, but better’.

Each year I write a personal review of the school for Old Scholars – to see the latest, click here.