Independent schools helped fuel Olympic success

Like many, I have been captivated by the Olympics and in particular the performance of Team GB.

By Richard Marshall, headmaster, Bury Grammar School.

Independent Schools continue to make a significant contribution to British sport, with 28 per cent of Team GB for Rio 2016 coming from independent schools - this is something that we should celebrate.

It would be easy to dismiss such claims as elitist, but I believe the success that our students achieve and that our highly successful Old Boys and Old Girls go on to achieve, is down to the well-rounded education they receive at Bury Grammar School.

Our ethos is one of sustained achievement and personal development; it is at the heart of all we do. We strive to create an environment of respect, equality and inclusion where students are inspired to become the best they can be.

I was the first person from my family to go to university and have a love of learning inspired by the school I attended and the staff who unlocked my potential. Education transformed my life, and as headmaster my aim is to inspire that same love of learning in others, creating confident entrepreneurial learners, capable of turning challenges into opportunities, calculated risk takers, who are unafraid of failure, but see it as a natural path to success and personal development.

For me, that vehicle was sport, but the team aspect of development can be applied to music, drama, young enterprise - the skills are of course universal, they are sought after and they are transferable.

As an independent school, we are also a business, and like any business, we invest in our staff, encouraging creativity and developing leadership potential and in turn, this inspires our students to develop similar attributes. We also invest in our infrastructure, with a focus on increased opportunities for our students, but also with a commitment to serving our local community; our latest sporting facilities will impact positively on both.

What sets Bury Grammar School apart is not just our development, it is our unique special personality as a school, it is our warm, friendly, caring, student centred staff, who know all students by name and by nature. For me, it illustrates why it makes good business sense to send your son or daughter to Bury Grammar School. Why not visit us, and see for yourself why Bury Grammar School should be your first choice of school.