Clifton is a school that encourages a lust for life and all that it offers. We are housed in some splendid grand buildings but everything about the education we offer is modern.

Described as ‘the handsomest suburb in Europe’ Clifton benefits from the fizz and buzz of being in the vibrant city of Bristol and is surrounded by some spectacular countryside too. It is an ideal place for young people to study.

We are co-educational throughout and welcome pupils from all over the world. We offer day, flexi and full boarding places. We offer the finest all-round education based on the highest academic standards. Nearly all of our leavers go on to the best universities in the UK.

Please enjoy these pages. They are designed to help you to understand what we offer.

Dr Tim Greene MA DPhil

Head of College

Clifton College is a leading co-educational public boarding school welcoming pupils aged 2-18 from all over the world. We offer day, flexi and full boarding places. We offer the finest all-round education based on the highest academic standards. Our leavers go on to the best universities in the UK.

We are a school with exceptional pastoral care, inspirational teaching, first-class inclusive sport, diverse co-curricular activities and an outstanding environment.

Exceptional pastoral care

From 8-18 pastoral care is House-based, where Housemasters and Housemistresses and their teams offer a ‘home from home’. Our Pre-Prep pupils’ pastoral care is provided by their dedicated classroom teachers. We meet the needs of each child through their own personal development programme. We have a culture that encourages participation and tolerance.

Inspirational teaching

We provide a rigorous and stimulating academic curriculum and we select teachers that lead in their field and share best practice. They encourage intellectual curiosity and independent learning, engendering academic self-belief and confidence in our pupils.

Diverse co-curricular activities

Our ethos encourages participation and all of our pupils engage with a diverse range of co-curricular activities and experiences. Through these activities we provide opportunities and challenges for pupils to find new strengths and talents and encourage collaboration. In all our activities we seek to perform at the highest level.

Outstanding environment

The College successfully combines heritage with modernity, enjoying the best of both. Landscaped greenery surrounds our magnificent Grade II listed buildings, which are on the outskirts of a vibrant international city. The Chapel is one of our most cherished buildings, the Redgrave is the second largest theatre in Bristol and the Joseph Cooper Music School offers pupils cutting-edge facilities. Our superb sporting facilities include The Close and the 90-acre site known as ‘Beggar’s Bush’, which is Bristol’s biggest outdoor sports complex, providing all the latest sporting facilities.

Why Join Us?

Clifton College is housed in splendid, grand buildings in the beautiful suburb of Clifton in Bristol, which in 2017, topped the Sunday Times rankings of best places to live in Britain. It was also recently listed fourth in the Rough Guides’ top ten cities to visit worldwide. We think it is easy to see why. The city has charm and beauty, and is innovative in its culture and economy, drawing more and more families to move here from London. We believe Bristol is the perfect place to be educated, and to work.

We have a strong academic and support staff team who work across a wide range of departments such as IT, Finance, People and Organisation, Teaching Support, Estates and who all contribute to the smooth running of the College.