Bingley Grammar School

The School

Bingley Grammar School is a 11 – 18 Voluntary Aided Comprehensive School with a roll of 1500 in the lower school and 400 in the 6th Form. The oldest of the current buildings dates from 1853 and the newest from 2000,  the major part having been built in the 1930s. Under a BSF scheme due to commence in 2012 most of these buildings will be replaced.
The school occupies a semi-rural site on the north bank of the River Aire upstream of Bingley. It has played a key role in the town and the surrounding area since its foundation in 1529. Perhaps its most famous pupil is Sir Fred Hoyle, one of the 20th century's most eminent astronomers. The school's pride in his achievements was acknowledged last summer when a blue plaque was unveiled in his memory.

Bingley

Bingley is a market town with a 30,000 population set in the picturesque Aire Valley halfway between Bradford and Keighley. The town is a 20 minute drive from Skipton, the gateway to the Yorkshire Dales with its stunning Pennine scenery. It is also close to the famous Ilkley Moor and the important literary shrine, the Bronte village of Haworth with its Parsonage Museum, home to the Bronte sisters. Bingley, once a key centre of the woollen industry, specialising in the finest worsted cloth, is now a popular commuter district for Bradford, Leeds and the Aire Valley with a good local train and bus service. Among its attractions is the Five Rise Locks on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, one of the engineering marvels of the 18th century.