About Us

At the forefront of learning for almost 120 years, St. Bonaventure’s provides a first-rate education for boys aged 11 to 18. Originally a grammar school founded by the Franciscans, we are a voluntary aided comprehensive school serving the Catholic boys of East London.

St Bonaventure's has achieved an excellent public examination record for many years. Its results are consistently amongst the highest in the borough and are well above the national average. This has been recognised with St Bonaventure's being awarded both Technology College and Language College status.

Our teachers are committed to providing the boys with the very best. St. Bonaventure’s endeavours to promote an educational climate which is scientific, technological and vocational. We have established strong links with industry and the community, and have developed an innovative curriculum of academic and vocational programmes. With industry’s sponsorship in promoting work placements and team-teaching strategies, our pupils benefit from being well-educated and technologically skilled. Our pupils can approach employment and further or higher education with confidence.

The school boasts impressive buildings and facilities, which include a state-of-the-art music technology suite and a fully networked technology block. Every department utilises interactive whiteboards to ensure that all our pupils benefit from the most up-to-date technology that education has to offer. We are in the first stages of a school-wide initiative to provide every student with a laptop to enhance their learning potential.

The Inspection Watchdog, OFSTED, when it inspected the school in 2006, described St Bonaventure’s as being "at the cutting edge of national developments in education, tailored wisely to suit the needs of the boys it serves."

Above all, as a multi-ethnic school, St. Bonaventure’s prepares pupils to take their place in a diverse society. Through all aspects of school life we create conditions where boys from wide-ranging backgrounds can work
together harmoniously and with respect for one another.

We offer our boys the challenge of maintaining and promoting a Catholic community in which all members are equally valued. All our staff are dedicated to the service of young people and empowering them to play their full role in society.

St Bonaventure's has an exemplary academic record, but we also pride ourselves on the fact that our students are happy and secure and can thrive in an environment that values their personal development and well-being. We provide our boys with every opportunity to achieve the very highest standards of academic success and to enable them to grow into responsible, independent and confident young men with a commitment to their faith.