- The school was founded in 1570 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I by Reverend Henry Bury, a wealthy philanthropic clergyman.
- In 2017, BGS merged its girls’ and boys’ schools, but students are still taught separately from Year 7 to Year 11. Outside the classroom, students enjoy a co-educational extracurricular programme.
- Notable alumni include England cricketer Kate Cross, the first female player to be accepted into the Lancashire Academy while still at school, and former MP for Bury North, Alistair Burt, who served as BGS Head Boy in 1973.
- BGS has long-standing ties with Harvard University, dating to 1640 when Henry Dunster, a former Master of Bury Grammar School, was appointed the first president of Harvard College. The ceiling of Roger Kay Hall at BGS is inspired by the design of the ceiling in the main hall of Harvard Hall, one of the oldest buildings at the Ivy League institution.
- The eco-committee was awarded the Eco-Schools Green Flag with Distinction for the 2023-2024 school year.
- For over a decade, the school has participated in the World Challenge Programme, with past expeditions to Madagascar, Mongolia, Costa Rica, Tanzania, Vietnam and Borneo. BGS says the “expeditions are meticulously designed to foster global citizenship through authentic cultural immersion”. In 2025, the challenge will take students to Montenegro for a ten-night expedition.
Results
A-level 2024 rank: 190=
Grade
%
A*
15.4
A
26.2
B
32.6
A*/A
41.6
A*-B
74.2
GCSE 2024 rank: 247
Grade
%
A*/9/8
30.2
A/7
19
A*/A/9/8/7
49.2