Living | Bedales School

Living

We will improve the quality of boarding provision, transitioning from single-sex to mixed boarding houses. All members of the community will learn to coexist with empathy, understanding their place as individuals and in groups.

A focus on values will help students develop authenticity, self-confidence and self-awareness, whilst maintaining meaningful contributions to our school and wider communities. ‘Bedales Service’ will become a weekly feature of Bedalian life for all students.

We will encourage healthy choices, grounded in physical and outdoor activities, within an environment where students live confidently and happily in the digital age.

“It’s very welcoming. We all try and support each other… It just feels so much more like a home than a school.”

Bedales student

GOAL

Integrating living spaces and pastoral structures

We will further improve the quality of boarding provision and integration of students by moving to fully coeducational boarding at Bedales Senior following the adoption of this approach by Bedales Prep in 2023 and the current 6.2 (Year 13) boarding house since 1994. We will further integrate day students and boarders at the Senior School, and 6.2 (Year 13) will eventually be re-integrated into houses with other years.

The introduction of new tutoring and pastoral structures at the Senior School will evolve the Head of Year and Houseparent roles, and provide clarity to the roles of the support team surrounding the student, with the tutor managing both academic and pastoral matters.

GOAL

Improving student wellbeing

A new Wellbeing curriculum will be supported by Wellbeing hubs in each school. Students will develop the skills to help manage their own mental health, supported by the introduction of a wellbeing tracking tool.

Developing provision for sport and outdoor activities will encourage student engagement. This will be supported by further investment and upgrades in sports facilities including the sports hall, gym and swimming pool.

GOAL

Refining and living the Bedales values

Building on the ‘work of each for weal of all’ founding ethos and the ongoing contributions from many of the younger members of our community, all students will participate weekly in ‘Bedales Service’ to help support the running of the school. To nurture and recognise this positive behaviour from the very youngest, we will develop our own junior version of the Duke of Edinburgh Award for our Pre-prep and Prep.

‘Character Education’ focuses on developing virtues that are positive and beneficial for the individual and society. In the context of Bedales and in keeping with our core principles, there are a number of approaches already in place across the Pre-prep, Prep and Senior for developing Bedalians’ character. We will adopt a more consistent approach that directly supports our ethos and helps all members of our community to understand the qualities and traits we are keen to encourage. Developing strength of character will be taught and nurtured across the whole school and become part of the language and expectation, supported by a ‘growth mindset’ approach.

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