Category Archives: Bedales Prep, Dunhurst

Camps Week at Bedales Prep

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The week before half term (20-24 May), the corridors of Bedales Prep were quiet as students and staff set off for Camps Week.

The annual occasion is very special for the Bedales Prep community as it fills students’ lives with memories and adventures that stay with them well beyond school. For some, it may be a first foray into being away from home, others may be building on the confidence from previous years and strengthening bonds with friends and staff to carry them forward, and for Block 2 (Year 8) it’s a poignant moment – a chance to be together capturing a moment in time with the friends and teachers met through their Prep School journey.

Students have had a chance to overcome challenges appearing in many forms; they’ve taken steps of independence and perhaps had a chance to help somebody and strengthen their bonds with those around them. Real world experiences, lasting memories and skills for life – that’s why we’re so passionate about Camps Week.

For the whole Prep School to venture out on Camps Week 2024 is unique to Bedales and fosters the meaningful community that already exists. Learning outside of the classroom, living together, enjoying numerous shared experiences and stepping outside of comfort zones are just a few things the students and staff experienced during Camps Week.

As Head of Bedales Prep, I visited most of the camps during the week, spanning from East Sussex to St Davids on the Pembrokeshire coast, Wales and Okehampton, Devon, and it was remarkable to see such positivity and warmth amongst the students and staff. I watched students climb high up a pole (securely fastened with safety harnesses) and leap to tackle a rugby tackle bag in mid-air, as well as observing them walking a series of obstacles 20 feet up. This was a challenge in itself, but some children decided to do it blindfolded, which was incredible; I even gave this a go myself! Climbing walls and surfing at St Davids, Wales, along with stand up paddleboarding, rock climbing, walks, kayaking, raft building and gorge scrambling were stand-out activities.

The sounds of positive praise and support echoing from their peers alongside the staff team was heartwarming to hear; the positive spirit in the Prep School was alive and kicking. I was disappointed not to make the trip to France to see Block 2 (Year 8), but there were only five days in the week! Receiving photos and feedback of their trip, I almost felt I was with them. A beautiful time for team building and reflection as they approach their final weeks at Bedales Prep.

I’d like to say a massive thank you to the incredible staff team who threw themselves into every activity and opportunity during the week. It’s a significant step for students, particularly those who have not yet experienced boarding, to say goodbye to their families and spend the week in new surroundings with staff acting ‘in loco parentis’. This is a testament to their love and dedication to our school.

Here are some of the children’s reflections on Camps Week.

Group 1 (Year 4)

Bea, Allegra, Tabitha and Jack said: On Monday, we took part in team building, had a pool party, made colour bursting t-shirts and had fun orienteering. The following day, we visited the Andrew Simpson Centre in Portsmouth, where we enjoyed kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, archery and climbing. Allegra’s favourite part of the week was pushing the teachers off the paddle boards and making a human pyramid on the boards!

On Wednesday, it was our first night away. We spent the morning playing laser tag in the forest and the afternoon canoeing, which had a scary spider called Dave on board. On Thursday, Bea was worried about crate stacking, but she conquered her fears and stacked 12. We also did low ropes and, in the afternoon, we went on a wildlife walk. Friday was home time. Iris exclaimed her favourite part was “EVERYTHING!”

Group 2 (Year 5)

Eleazar and Farhatinez said: When we arrived, it was beautiful weather. We ate our packed lunches on the grass in the sun before our first activities. We were told which dorm we were in and who we were sharing a room with.  Before bed, the amazing Marie did a spectacular performance of an original story based in Hindleap Warren, complete with a dog named Timmy.

In the evenings after supper, we took part in a challenge called ‘the golden toothbrush’. Our rooms had to be extremely neatly presented and we also performed plays, stories and songs, and even put on a volleyball match to wow the judges. 

On Tuesday and Wednesday, it was rainy. Every group did all of the activities, but at different times. Some of our favourites were the pentagon, leap of faith, axe throwing and obstacles (which were very muddy and wet, especially in the small, dark tunnels). 

For the first two and a half days, we were in activity groups, but from Wednesday afternoon onwards, we all came together to make one big group. Our first activity as a big group was forest adventure where we scared off drop-bears, walked through streams and took part in a game of Hindleap & Seek, as well as the Mud Olympics, which included swimming through muddy water. We ended the day with an incredible movie night, and we were allowed seconds of popcorn!

On Thursday, we did built shelters (with a ‘storm’) and got to do some fire lighting and map reading/orienteering. In the evening, we finished off the day with a campfire, hot chocolate and treats. 

We are very happy that we came here. 

Group 3 (Year 6)

We have enjoyed a wonderful few days on the beautiful coastline of Pembrokeshire. Our accommodation had stunning sea views, the weather was very kind to us, and we were surrounded by various fauna and flora. All our activities were fun, challenging and set in picturesque locations – coasteering, kayaking, surfing, rock climbing, abseiling, coastline walks and standup paddle boarding.

Our teachers told us that they were impressed by our positive ‘can do’ attitude, as many of us faced and conquered fears, and showed each other compassion and kindness.  By the end of the week we were all tired but most certainly happy!

Block 1 (Year 7)

Our Camps Week was epic! When we arrived, we dumped our bags in dorms. Next, we dove straight into activities. Half of us did rock climbing and axe throwing, and the others did high ropes.

 We faced an amazing walk of 13km where we saw frogs, snakes and a few horses as we climbed up to the second highest point in the southwest of England. It was hard, but we felt very proud of ourselves at the end.

After slipping and sliding, we were onto day three. Gorge scrambling was a great experience. We climbed up waterfalls, jumped off rocks and slid down rapids.

Thursday was lake day, which consisted of raft building, canoeing, kayaking and shivering. Getting the teachers wet was great fun and we played loads of games on the water, one being sliding down an upside-down canoe into the water facing forward. Although some of us were cold, it was so worth it! During raft building we enjoyed pushing in barrels and collecting the planks, but when we got in, a few knots were loose. On the last day we did some high ropes, axe throwing and rock climbing, and then we happily drove home.

Block 2 (Year 8)

On Monday, we woke up bright and early to get on the road to Portsmouth Harbour. The ferry crossing gave us time talk to everyone and connect before going on the trip. When we arrived in France, it was super exciting to see how good the dorms were. We saw a lovely sunset on the beach and played a big game of tag.

On Tuesday, the sand sailing was so fun and the market was a great experience. Many of us bought something speaking in complete French!

After discovering the wonders of the streets of Le Mont St Michel, the next day we took to the bay and were guided through rivers and sinking sand. It was fun to chat to each other on the walk – we feel closer as a year group after this trip.

On Thursday, we went to an adventure park where there was a variety of things to do. It was one of the highlights of the trip! We also learned a lot about the D-Day Landings in Arromanches, where we watched a very moving 360-cinema film, which made us feel very reflective.

Bedales celebrates World Book Day

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By David Anson, Head of Faculty: English

In honour of World Book Day this year, Natasha Ruiz Barrero (Teacher of English, Dunhurst) and David Anson (Head of Faculty, English, Bedales) brought budding authors in Block 2 and Block 4 together to share their own work through readings in the Bedales Library.

We had a fantastic range of narrative forms represented by some really moving Block 2 retrospective pieces and detailed descriptive passages matched by powerful short stories read by the Block 4 who have recently completed their IGCSE imaginative writing coursework. Creative writing in response to works of literature is an incredibly valuable way of accessing not only the challenging themes of some texts but also understanding the many varied methods writers use to communicate.

I have no doubt that our young writers will continue to exercise their art and to feed their imaginations through reading not just on World Book Day but the whole year round and beyond. Let’s also hope we see some first novels published in the not distant future.

With special thanks to the Block 4 students: Iggy Cake, Dexter Mellon, Amelie Knox, Lolo Gaio, Charlie Williams, Olive Festinger and Ella Foster-Hill; and to the Block 2 pupils: Fred Robinson, Felix Cunningham, Marcello Bodrini-Diamond, Annabel Rowell, Rupert Trewby, Alice Rawlence, Tabitha Brighton, Marlowe Smith-Pink and Oscar Heining-Familoe.

By Clemmie Bevan, Margot Paisnor and Tasch Hertwick, 6.2

Thursday marked the 28th year celebrating World Book Day, and to mark the occasion, the English department and a handful of students dressed up to show their appreciation for literature.

Some of the outfits included characters from plays such as A Streetcar Named Desire and The Crucible, and novels such as The Picture of Dorian Grey, Less than Zero and 1984. We, as students, thoroughly enjoyed taking part in this tradition, and were in admiration of the teachers’ fantastic ensembles.

Dressing up for events like World Book Day has brought joy to Bedales students for many years, and we believe taking part in this tradition has provided a small, yet exciting, glimpse of the traditional Bedalian atmosphere that so many remember. We hope that many others will partake in events like these in future.

See more photos from World Book Day below:

Boarding at Bedales Prep

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Boarding at Bedales Prep is something that is thoroughly enjoyed by the pupils. From Tuesday treat nights to weekend trips, there are always activities for boarders to enjoy.

To live together and learn from each other has always been a cherished part of our communal boarding life, and it enables pupils to feel fully immersed in the Dunhurst community.

This term, the nights have drawn in and there is a cosy and seasonal feel to the boarding house. As well as relaxing with their friends after a busy school day, boarders have enjoyed a range of activities, from dodgeball and table tennis tournaments, to trips to crazy golf and Flip out.

December also brought the start of advent and resident matron Alex has created plenty of festive fun for the boarders, including tree decorating and a Christmas activities advent which started with a game of ‘Pin the Antlers on the Reindeer’.

We offer flexible boarding options to accommodate the varying needs of our families, with full, half and flexi-boarding available. At weekends, boarders can choose to stay at Dunhurst or return home, with staff accompanying children on the train to London Waterloo or Clapham.

View the Spring term boarding programme here.

Wellbeing workshops for parents at Bedales Prep and Pre-prep

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At Bedales Prep and Pre-prep, wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do to ensure we nurture and nourish our pupils so they thrive to be able to be the best version of themselves. We passionately believe that a child will successfully achieve self-actualisation when teachers, pupils and parents work in unison and are on the same team, the team of the child. Our children are not born with a manual, and even if they were, I’m sure it would have been ripped up and thrown out of the window at the first parenting hurdle!

This term, Dunhurst’s Head of Wellbeing Debs Baty has introduced parent workshops. They are a safe space for parents to come together, have a coffee and share thoughts and feelings in a non-judgmental way. They are a supportive space where parents can ask for advice or simply hear other parents who are in the same boat as them. Somehow, it’s quite reassuring to hear that you are not the only one having trouble with a particular area of parenting.

Debs has three teenagers of her own and has worked in boarding schools for the whole of her career, starting as a nursery teacher to three-year-olds and working in a sixth form boarding house. Debs doesn’t have all the answers, but she is passionate about supporting parents on the road to creating happy, healthy children ready for life in the 21st century.

‘Let’s talk about…’ is a series of workshops that covers important stages and common issues in parenting life, whether a first time parent or not. The course aims to give parents information and step-by-step tools to create a happy home life, to manage those every day hotspots, like morning routines and sibling squabbles, and to help their children thrive.

Some of the workshops from the Autumn term include:

Child Development – building an understanding of the developmental drives of childhood and how to use this knowledge to meet the social and emotional needs of your child.

Motivation – learn how to motivate your child in ways which encourage cooperation and, allows them to fulfil their potential and build resilience.

Communication with children – learn how communication can be used to build strong relationships, help children manage difficult feelings, increase cooperation and build a culture of mutual respect.

Boundaries – strategies to help you set effective boundaries, which help children feel safe, and solve recurring problematic behaviour.

Autumn term in Sport at Bedales Prep, Dunhurst

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By Will Bray, Head of Sport

The Autumn term has been a busy one for pupils at Dunhurst. For some this kicked off in the summer, as following a tough selection process last year, they represented the Prep School Lions at the Gothia Youth World Cup in Gothenburg, Sweden. Once term started, we were straight into action as our Wednesday afternoon fixture schedule got underway. With so many pupils eager to represent the school this term, just under 150 fixtures have been played, averaging at 13 teams playing each week. In addition to football, hockey and netball fixtures, pupils have impressed in a number of swimming galas and cross-country events.

We are fortunate to have fantastic sports facilities at Bedales and it wasn’t long before we made the most of these with our annual schedule of host tournaments. These began with our U9 and U11 football festivals for local state schools, before the annual ISFA U11 regional qualifier, which sees the top two teams progress to the national finals at St George’s Park. In early October a whopping 24 teams took part in the U13 football tournaments played across the site. The final event hosted by the school was our annual U13 hockey tournament in which we were delighted to see our girls team come home with silver medals.

House sport has taken off over the last two years and we often find pupils eagerly checking the leader board in the PE department to see how their House is faring against the others. This year’s competition began with a number of hotly contested dodgeball tournaments in year groups, before we moved onto football, hockey and netball. The final House event of the term was the Badley Run. Pupils took on the course with energy and determination, knowing that as a whole school event, double points were on offer, which always significantly impacts the running total.

On a personal level, it has been great to see some of our pupils excelling in sport outside of school as well. A huge congratulations to Miles, Leo and Albie in Group 2 (Year 5) for being selected to represent Hampshire at district level in cricket. Congratulations also to Martha for being selected to play for Southampton Football Academy. Finally, a big well done to Evie, Annie, Marlowe and Annabel for their efforts on the hockey pitch this term which has lead to them being put forward for Hampshire’s Junior Development Centre.

Whilst many core sports have seen some real successes this term, it has also been wonderful to see so many pupils taking up the opportunity to progress their skills in some more specialist sports such as fencing and karate, offered as part of our activities programme. We eagerly await the start of roller hockey and cheerleading in the Spring term!

Recycling and repurposing

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By Andy Cheese, Teacher of Art

Discarded silk has been given a new lease of life by pupils at Bedales and Bedales Prep, Dunhurst this year. Off-cuts of silk from premium homeware designer Porta Romana have been recycled and used in pupils’ fashion creations, including garments created by A Level Fashion & Textiles students at Bedales Senior (like this bomber jacket by Gala Pearson) and Block 2 (Year 8) pupils at Dunhurst. The silk, which would otherwise be thrown away, is rescued from Porta Romana by my wife Sian, who has worked for the Farnham-based company for four years. 

See photos of the garments created with the silk below.

Bedales Senior

Bedales Prep, Dunhurst

Supporting mental health and wellbeing at Bedales Prep, Dunhurst

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At Bedales Prep, Dunhurst, pupils will mark Mental Health Awareness Week with a Pupil Voice Conference on the topic of this year’s theme – loneliness. Like Bedales Senior, where the School Council was one of the first in the country when it was established in 1916, Dunhurst has a long tradition of listening to pupils’ views. Today, empowering children to find their voice and put forward their views is just one of the school’s initiatives designed to support pupils’ wellbeing and mental health – but it is far from a tick-box exercise. At Dunhurst, the wellbeing of its pupils is at the heart of everything the school does.

It is especially noticeable at this time of year, when most prep school pupils around the country are preparing themselves to sit the Common Entrance exam. Head of Dunhurst Colin Baty considers Common Entrance “an antiquated way to select” and cites evidence around adolescent mental health as a reason to exercise caution when forcing prep school children to jump through such hoops in preparation for senior school. As such, Dunhurst pupils do not sit the Common Entrance exam – and instead use the time to head off on ‘Camps Week’, a whole school residential trip to different areas of the UK, where they take part in a plethora of outdoor activities, including mountain biking, moor walking, cycling, kayaking and horse riding. As Dunhurst’s Deputy Head (Pastoral) Graeme Thompson explains: “We give our pupils the space and time to grow. Each child experiences childhood at their own pace.”

Camps Week is an example of pupils’ access to green and blue spaces – such as parks, meadows, woods, rivers, lakes and sea – which, as studies show, have a positive, immediate and long-lasting effect on people’s health and wellbeing. At Dunhurst, however, pupils don’t need to leave the school grounds to access green spaces; the school, along with Bedales’ senior and pre-prep schools, is set in 120 acres of South Downs National Park, and pupils are encouraged to spend as much time as possible outdoors. Uniquely, the school’s Outdoor Work curriculum – a core subject which incorporates nature and conservation, horticulture, animal husbandry, bushcraft and country crafts – enables pupils to develop an awareness, appreciation and knowledge of the natural environment in line with Bedales’ founder John Badley’s original aims, whilst developing self-confidence, passion, empathy and teamwork.

As part of the curriculum, Dunhurst pupils are actively involved in the care of the Outdoor Work department’s chickens, ducks, guinea pigs and bees, and there are opportunities to feed and care for other livestock on the Bedales estate, including pigs, sheep, goats and ponies. But interaction with animals – which is proven to have a calming and de-stressing effect – isn’t limited to the school farm. As a dog friendly school, staff dogs – or the ‘pastoral pups’ as they are affectionately known – are a familiar fixture. From Colin’s Goldendoodle to the boarding house’s resident Black Labrador, the dogs are an integral part of school life and provide pupils with an array of cognitive, social, emotional, physical and environmental benefits.

Fundamental to Dunhurst’s approach to wellbeing is relationships, which is ingrained in Bedales’ distinctive ethos. The school’s founding motto, ‘Work of Each for Weal of All’, may be over 100 years old, but it hasn’t faded in relevance. “The school motto underpins everything we do,” says Head of Wellbeing Debbie Baty. “Every pupil has the right to enjoy a childhood at school, but this right comes with a responsibility to be a positive influence within the Dunhurst jigsaw.” The ethos offers opportunities for pupils to support fellow pupils – for instance, peer to peer listeners, known at Dunhurst as ‘RAKtivators’, promote ‘Random Acts of Kindness’.

In contrast with other schools, staff and pupils address each other by first names, and pupils shake the hands of all staff after assemblies and talks – features of a culture that values the individual and celebrates relationships with one another and the school. Such an approach allows for a closer collaborative relationship between teachers and pupils, and this collegiate approach is extended to parents through three-way communication between teachers, parents and pupils known as the ‘Dunhurst triangle’. Debbie has recently launched a ‘Let’s talk about…’ series for parents, which will focus on teenagers’ development as well as sharing the content of pupils’ Wellbeing lessons, which supports and teaches skills to enable children to increase their awareness of emotional health and wellbeing.

Whilst wellbeing is at the heart of everything Dunhurst does, it isn’t at the expense of academic success. In fact, Deputy Head (Academic) Andy Wiggins says: “It’s always been borne out, year after year, when we look at how Dunhurstians perform when they take their GCSEs and A Levels, and compare them with students who have been academically ‘hot housed’. Time and time again, Dunhurstians prove that they get comparative or better results – and they’ve had a much richer, holistic experience.”

Return of the Three Schools’ Concert

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By Doug McIlwraith, Director of Music

One of the most difficult music events to organise during the pandemic was the Three Schools’ Concert. However, we managed to find time for musicians and singers from all three schools to meet and work together this week and the result was a very enjoyable concert with some wonderful music and a great feeling of community spirit.

Ben Harlan was inspirational in leading the orchestra in music by Purcell and Dvorak and this included many players form Dunhurst and Bedales. Dunhurst music scholars Tommy Hornsby and Eliot Santos (both Block 2) gave stunning solo performances on the cello and violin, demonstrating the musical ambition inherent in the artistic ethos at Bedales, and Bedales music scholar Leela Walton (6.1) gave a very mature and emotional rendition of Tchaikovsky’s Canzonettafrom his Violin Concerto. It was particularly wonderful to hear from Leela as she is one of our many musicians who joined in Dunannie and now lead the music in the senior school.

Music from our contemporary musicians demonstrated the variety of musical interests that we nurture at Bedales and Dunannie brought the house down with their song Baby Beluga which told the story of a little white whale. Singers form all schools then joined to sing Stand By Me by Ben E King with a solo from Joel Edgeworth and the concert ended with some rousing singing by everyone of the four gospel favourites.  

We thought it was important for the Bedalians to inspire the younger musicians but it was clear on this occasion that that influence worked from the bottom up and the talents and enthusiasms of the Dunhurst and Dunannie pupils had a miraculous and enervating effect on our older musicians. We look forward to more three schools events in the near future as they are a wonderful way of celebrating what the Bedales community has to offer.

We need to talk

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By Colin Baty, Head of Bedales Prep, Dunhurst

As a headteacher with significant pastoral responsibilities, I read the findings from the recently published report from Edurio – Pupil Learning Experience and Wellbeing Review: Pupil Experience in Schools and Multi-Academy Trusts – with discomfort.

The result of a sizeable survey of pupils from primary, secondary and all-through schools, the report covers topics from the learning environment and learning excellence to wellbeing and safeguarding, with a view to enabling school leaders to understand pupils’ needs and priorities and design strategies to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.

The finding with perhaps the greatest sting is that, although less than one half of pupils report feeling well (stress, overwork and sleep are issues for many), under one third will speak to a teacher about it when feeling sad or worried. This is deeply concerning, although perhaps not that surprising. The issue of wellbeing amongst young people has deep roots, and a previous study by Demos suggests that pupils become increasingly disaffected with their school as they get older, with a third of final year students believing their school is focused only on preparing them to succeed in exams, rather than in life. We should also factor into this the government’s enthusiasm for the idea that a ‘good education’ is one transmitted largely from the front of the class by authoritative teachers to quiet, attentive children. The recent appointment of Katherine Birbalsingh (Britain’s so-called strictest headteacher) as the government’s social mobility commissioner appears to confirm the idea of teacher as disciplinarian above all else.

Were I at school under such conditions, I’m not sure that I would want to share my worries with a teacher either, and that thought saddens me – not least because I know how keen my colleagues are to be a force for good in the lives of their pupils. I am fortunate to lead a school that makes central to everything it does not only the wellbeing of its pupils, but also the primacy of connection between pupils and adults as key to this being achieved. 

Arguably, this has never been as important as it is right now as we continue to emerge from the pandemic. At Bedales Prep, Dunhurst, we have taken the view that above all else we must pay attention to our pupils, and get a sense of how they are – how they see the world, and themselves. They may well have spent a lot of time looking at screens indoors (itself associated with issues of wellbeing in normal times), and will need to get used to being with their peers once more. So, we have spent as much time outdoors with them as we possibly can – talking, and slowly getting used to being with each other again. Of course, there has been learning too – a carefully-planned cross-curricular programme that has hidden its light in a bushel of fun. However, our first and most important job has been to figure out where they are and help them get them back to land. Whatever the future may hold, we will bring everybody together when we can – and keep doing it. That academic excellence results from such an approach is no coincidence.

In concluding the Edurio report, former Head of Research at Ofsted Daniel Muijs writes, correctly, that we “must not make the mistake of seeing our schools as heartless places”, with pastoral support well established and wellbeing a key concern. Tellingly, he also concedes that overwork and sleeplessness are negative impacts of high stakes testing, but is wary of alternatives to exams such as teacher assessment. It is here that I must resist. Academic achievement must not come at the expense of pupils’ wellbeing, and it does not need to. Schools such as Dunhurst have shown that there are many ways in which learning can both take place and be assessed, and that the entire undertaking is enhanced rather than undermined by pedagogical relationships more ambitious in their scope than government seems willing to consider. If pupils do not trust teachers enough to talk to them it is, at least in part, a problem of government’s own making.

Ways to support the John Badley Foundation this Christmas

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JBF-logo

The John Badley Foundation (JBF) offers financial support through bursaries, giving more young people a chance to benefit from the transformational opportunity a Bedales education can provide. With Christmas fast approaching, there are several ways you can support the JBF.

Swap Christmas cards for a donation this year

Instead of sending Christmas cards, please support a bursary child by donating the money you would have spent on cards to the JBF. You can download a donation and gift aid form here.

Buy Bedales presents for friends and family

Visit our fundraising shop to see a range of Bedales merchandise, including Emma Bridgewater pottery (from £15), Bedales tea towels (£10), and bespoke Bedales jigsaws (£30), with all proceeds going to the JBF.

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