We are enormously proud of the great achievements of our students and our staff. The Gryphon is a wonderful school and has a special atmosphere and feel. We are significantly oversubscribed every year. Our large Sixth Form, with over 430 students, attracts students from around North and West Dorset, as well as South Somerset.
In November 2010, the school was judged by both OFSTED and Church of England Inspectors to be an outstanding school. This is the highest category which schools can be given and confirms The Gryphon as one of the best in the country. We have significantly raised achievement whilst maintaining the care and support of students, which all contributes to the special Gryphon ethos. The Ofsted Report emphasises that ‘Students flourish in this caring environment and respond by showing consistently thoughtful and considerate behaviour’. In the Sixth Form ‘opportunities for enrichment are outstanding’ and ‘students receive outstanding care, guidance and support'. The Little Gryphon’s Nursery, which is on the campus, was described as one of the best ever seen.
These accolades follow a recent Daily Telegraph report which describes our school as having ‘a friendly ambience, and a lot going on, both inside and outside the classroom’. It gave an overall verdict of ‘excellent educational provision’.
In the past few years our students have had fantastic national success in the BBC Songs of Praise Choir of the Year competition as well as in the school film production of ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’ which featured on national TV and radio.
The Gryphon School was established in 1992 as a Voluntary Controlled Church of England School in 21st century purpose-built facilities in beautiful rural surroundings. In 2003 the school was granted Specialist School status for Business and Enterprise which complements an outstanding curriculum with an enormous range of courses and opportunities. The sporting facilities are excellent and School teams have great success as District and County champions as well as national achievements. The Gryphon Sixth Form has a large new Common Room and a dedicated study space. There is WiFi access across the site for our students and we have just opened Café@Gryphon, our new and improved restaurant.
We are determined to be at the heart of the community and continue to provide an outstanding education for all the young people in Sherborne and the surrounding area. We believe you will appreciate the atmosphere and positive relationships between students, parents, staff and the community. There are high expectations of behaviour, thinking about others and good manners which we hope you will support. We want students to fulfil their potential and more, to be prepared for life after school and to receive the standard of support and care expected of a high performing school.
We are an outstanding school with the desire, ability and capacity to improve further.
Steve Hillier, Headteacher