Bootham is a very different kind of school.

To really understand this difference, you have to come and see it, touch it and feel it for yourself. So, rather than try to convey this difference on paper, it might be more beneficial to explain a little of the culture which nurtures this distinct and infectious difference. We have resolved to become recognised as a school pioneering the most adventurous and liberating education in the UK. We are explicitly giving a voice to our ambitions and articulating that challenge to all of our community.

Whilst Bootham School is nearly 200 years old, it never dwells on its glorious past, it doesn’t rest on its laurels, nor does it talk comfortably about its accolades. Like every new day, the School seems to constantly regenerate and renew, feeding off the energy and spirit of those who live and work here. It is a proud School, with its distinctive and pastoral Quaker ethos seeping into every fibre and brick.

We value a liberal individuality, a radical spirit of enquiry and a Quaker-led belief that there is ‘that of God – in everyone’. To speak such words is one thing, but to see these values emanating from the people here really does make you feel that Bootham is changing the way they live.