City Life: Balancing Academics & Bristol’s Vibrant Culture at QEH

In today’s results-driven world, academic achievement can feel like the be-all and end-all of a school’s success.  Given the pressures involved, providers of education understandably place a heavy emphasis on exams and grades – but, while it is certainly a vital aspect of their performance, we at QEH believe there is more to it than that.

A child is more likely to grow when they have had a broader pool of experience to soak up and draw from.  For this reason, QEH’s approach to education is holistic in nature, ensuring every student gets a balanced and broad exposure to the world around them.

As luck would have it, our campus just so happens to be in the perfect location for just such an approach.

Bristol is a special place, a city built on diversity and rich cultural identities.  If the aim is to provide our youngsters with a wide range of experiences and opportunities, you couldn’t ask for a better setting.  

Art in Bristol

With his recent London Zoo series, Banksy is back in the public consciousness – so, what better time for Bristolians to remind themselves of their city’s enormous contributions to the art world.

• Where the Wall

Located in Stokes Croft – the epicentre of the street-art scene in Bristol – Where the Wall promotes the city’s contemporary cultural identity through events and experiences for all ages and backgrounds.

On Saturdays, they run their ever-popular ‘Introducing Stencil Art’ spray sessions, where they teach the techniques of spray painting and stencils.  Street-art tours are held several times a week for those who wish to get a first-hand look of the work in its natural setting.

• Wake the Tiger

Dubbed the world’s first amazement park and the UK’s largest interactive art experience, Wake the Tiger is an immersive, self-guided labyrinth of exploration.  Featuring over 40 interactive spaces, it’s an experience guaranteed to feed the imagination.

Open from Wednesdays to Saturdays, 10am to 6pm, with evening experiences available on selected Fridays from 7-11pm.

Sports for Kids in Bristol

From golf to synchronised swimming, Bristol has a rich history of producing sport stars.  The city is teeming with facilities to keep us fit and active.  Here’s a few that have caught our attention:

• Tree Tops High Ropes

Located in the woodland at the stunning Ashton Court Estate, Adventure Bristol’s Tree Tops High Ropes is a fun and exciting day out for thrill-seekers of all ages and abilities.  Walk, leap and zip wire your way through beautiful forestry and test yourself with their 15 exhilarating treetop challenges. 

• Ignite Bristol

Ignite’s mission is simple: to make Bristol a hub for disability inclusive sport.  Events and activities are shared regularly via their Facebook page, the most recent being an Inclusive Activity Day at the Bristol Cycling Centre and a junior Wheelchair Basketball session at the UWE Centre for Sport.

• St Andrew’s Park Public Pool

After the inspirational achievements of Bristol heroes Kate Shortman and Isabelle Thorpe at this year’s Olympics, picking up Silver for Team GB for their incredible synchronised swimming, there’s no better time to get active in the water.

St Andrew’s Park is a true asset to the people of the city and is the site of Bristol’s last public pool – the perfect place to begin following in the footsteps of these two great athletes.

Performance/ Theatre in Bristol for Children

Getting involved in the performing arts can have a host of benefits.  Not only is it good for inspiring and encouraging creativity, it’s a brilliant way to meet new people from different walks of life.  With so much of our time being spent on our phones and social media, the positives of real-world interactions become more marked with each passing day.

• Travelling Light Theatre Company

Celebrating 40 years of inspiring young minds through theatrical activities and performance, the Travelling Light Theatre Company exists so that every child has equal access to the joys of creative expression.  They run four youth theatre groups every week from their studio at Wellspring Settlement, Barton Hill – but, interested parties are advised that due to its popularity, spaces tend to fill up quickly.  

The weekly timetable for these groups is:

7-10s – Wednesdays, 4.30-5.30pm

11-13s – Wednesdays, 6-7.30pm

14-19s – Mondays, 7-8.30pm

Louder Than Words (a group for young people with disabilities) – Mondays, 5.30-6.30pm

• Old Vic Theatre

Built in 1766, the Old Vic in Bristol is the oldest continuously working theatre in the English-speaking world.  The charm and elegance of this iconic building is reason enough to pay it a visit, but for those who are able to attend a performance, you’ll be treated to a show from one of the world’s best theatre companies.

Engineering experiences in Bristol for Kids

Bristol doesn’t look like your average city.  Behind every interesting landmark and building is a story – and Bristol has contributed more than its fair share of the pioneering engineers who made these stories possible.

• Being Brunel

Brunel was, without question, one of the most innovative and forward-thinking engineers of the 19th century.  The Being Brunel museum explores the complicated human story behind some of the time’s greatest bridges, railways, ships and tunnels – and changes the way we see our city in the process.

Parks and Open Spaces in Bristol

While the majority of the world’s urban environments are losing their pockets of nature, Bristol has managed to find a good balance between modernisation and conservation of wildlife.  Having access to trees and grass is vital for our health and well-being – and, thankfully, Bristolians needn’t go far for their fix of the natural world.

• Brandon Hill Park

Brandon Hill is Bristol’s oldest park and of its best, featuring stunning views of the city.  It is ever popular with locals and tourists alike, and for good reason.

• Dame Emily Park

A fairly small community park in Bedminster, Dame Emily is most well-known for its Dean Lane Skatepark, an iconic and vibrant facility dating back to the 1970s.  The community-kept gardens are also well worth a look.

Arnos Vale Cemetery

It may seem strange to suggest a visit to a cemetery, but this Victorian garden is a proper hidden gem – 45 acres of nature tucked in to the heart of the city.

Eclectic City; Holistic Education – The Perfect Match

When you live in a place, it’s easy to take it for granted.  At QEH, we celebrate our connection to a city as diverse and multi-layered as Bristol – and firmly believe that in order to give children the best chance of thriving in the modern world, education ought to be every bit as nuanced.