Schools & Colleges
After thirty years service to Bromsgrove School, Head Groundsman, Eric Burford, aims to retire later this year.
Here, he talks about his time at the school and the improvements he has made during his tenure.
Report by Laurence Gale MSc
ERIC’s not been idle! T
here’s a revolution going on at Bromsgrove School. No, the pupils aren’t revolting - well, not in the
warmongering sense - rather,
a new, some might say, trendy Headmaster with a vision to make the school one of the best independents in the country. The Headmaster in question is Chris Edwards MA (note, Chris, not Christopher), who has been overseeing a build programme of titanic proportions. Hard on the heels of eighteen new science laboratories (opened in 2011), come two new residential buildings for senior girls (all en- suite), a new Prep School boarding house for pupils aged 7-13, an immense sports arena, a fitness suite, dance studios, a spectacular hospitality suite with dining facilities, a cafe for parents and pupils, a refurbished swimming pool and a brand new, landscaped entrance to the Senior School. All are due to be completed this summer. After more than 450 years of being a successful, but relatively small school, Bromsgrove has, in the last few years, become one of Britain’s largest independents, with 1,600 day and boarding pupils aged two to eighteen. That growth in pupil numbers has now been wedded to the build programme. There will be no further increase in pupil numbers; these spectacular new developments are for the current role. The state of the art sports venues will also be used by the local and wider community (indeed, national teams have already booked in to train), whilst the new residential accommodation gives weekly boarding options for local pupils aged 7 to 18. The ongoing work, and the school’s successes, are the subject of a regular ‘Headmaster’s Blog’ on the website. Humorously written (a read is recommended), Mr Edwards’ character and passion shine through the words in, what appears to be, a considered attempt to take the ‘stuffiness’ out of reporting independent school life. OFSTED continues to rate the
Eric Burford 86 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
Prep and Senior School “Outstanding”, and The Good Schools Guide says Bromsgrove
“inhabits the academic stratosphere”. But it also says Bromsgrove pupils are “refreshingly free from false sophistication”.
Notable alumni include actors Ian Carmichael and Trevor Eve, rugby players Andy Goode, Ben Foden and Matt Mullan, Dire Straits John Illsley, and the author of the Horse Whisperer, Nicholas Evans. Bromsgrove School is set in 100
acres of tree-lined grounds, and has extensive sports facilities, including two floodlit artificial pitches, floodlit netball/tennis courts, swimming pool, two sports halls, one with seating for 500 spectators, all-weather athletics track and numerous grass pitches. The grass pitches are dedicated to rugby, hockey and football, with a number of the pitches becoming outfields for cricket in the summer term.
There are six rugby pitches at the main school and four at the Prep school site, three of these are converted to football during the spring term. The school has a number of cricket squares dotted around the campus. The main square, served by the picturesque Victorian pavilion, provides twenty- one Boughton Loam strips. The remainder provide between three to seven strips catering for all age groups.
The school offers a wide range of sports and activities, giving opportunities to participate at a competitive level in rugby, hockey, netball, athletics, badminton, basketball, clay pigeon shooting, cricket, cross-country, fencing, golf, rounders, football, squash, swimming and tennis. The grounds are regularly used by visiting teams for training, including Worcester Warriors RFC, England Netball and local hockey teams.
Eric Burford is Head
Groundsman who, this year, after completing thirty years service, will take retirement. Interestingly, his predecessor, George Harris, also completed thirty years service, as did the head groundsman before him, ‘Gibby’ Gibson. So, the new boy better be prepared for the long haul!
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