At the end of September, our long-serving Head of Admissions, Janie Jarman, leaves Bedales after 21 years of unstinting service to the School. Annette McCormack has taken up the reins as the new Director of Admissions and she is already enjoying getting out and about meeting members of our community. 

We are so grateful for everything Janie has done and given to the School. As one former colleague said: “Her knowledge of the place extends to its very roots – she believes in it and that shows when she is talking to any and everyone.” Janie will always be a special member of the Bedales community and a friend to so many colleagues, parents and students.  

Staff and BPA reps recently thanked Janie and presented her with gifts at a gathering in the Sixth Form Social Space. Read the leaving speech for Janie given by Rob Reynolds, Director of External Relations, below.

I feel humbled that I am the one to talk about someone who has had such a profound impact on the lives of so many people. I will try and do justice to the huge impact Janie has had on this place.  

Some of you will know I like numbers and when you look at admissions numbers, they are staggering.  

During her time, Janie has overseen the recruitment of over 3,000 students to our three schools. To recruit that many new students means managing more than 15,000 enquiring families and organising at least 100 open mornings.  

During this period, Janie has been wise counsel to all the heads she has seen come and go across the three schools – Keith Budge, Magnus Bashaarat, Chris Sanderson, Jonny Cully, Penny Watkins, Jane Grubb, Sarah Webster, Katie Potter, Jo Webbern, Victoria Homewood and the current trio of Will, Colin and Fiona.  

Janie has been the face of this School for over 20 years. In Olympic cycles, that would have seen Janie compete in 6 games in Athens, Beijing, London, Rio, Tokyo and most recently at Paris.   

When we decided to broaden admissions internationally, it was Janie who travelled the world to find the right students – leaping on planes to attend recruitment fairs. I’ve counted up 13 countries: China, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, France, Monaco, Jersey, Switzerland, Spain, Turkey, Dubai, Norway and the US. 

In recent years, Janie oversaw admissions through the COVID pandemic, ensuring no reduction in the numbers and the right calibre of student continued to join us. 

Since we launched the John Badley Foundation, Janie has helped to transform the lives of 37 young people on full bursaries helping them navigate their way through the school. When Russia invaded Ukraine, it was Janie who quickly helped 10 displaced young Ukrainians to join our school on fully funded places. 

Of course, behind every number there is a human story. 

This is what how one of the parents responded to the offer of a place:  

“This opportunity has brought immense relief to our lives. Finally I can breathe out and begin planning for our future with renewed optimism. The magnitude of this gesture is truly awe-inspiring, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude…The joy and excitement that my children are feeling cannot be put into words…For the first time in a long time, I feel absolutely lucky and happy.”   

Now I don’t normally turn to the Daily Telegraph for inspiration but I would like to quote from an article it published about the rudeness and arrogance of school admissions offices.  

“Admissions never answer the phone.” 

“The admissions office was so unfriendly I immediately struck it off my list of possibles.” 

“When I called admissions to ask a few questions, I was told: ‘I have absolutely no idea, nobody tells me anything.” 

The article likens independent school admissions staff to bouncers at a premium night club or a GP’s receptionist on the Monday morning after Christmas. 

The piece then changes tack, saying, and I quote:

“There is beauty to celebrate in the world of admissions.”  

It goes on to hand out a few gold stars or to continue the Olympics analogy, gold medals – including this one: 

“The registrar at Bedales really understands the word ‘empathy’ and cares hugely about each visitor: she should be mentioned as exceptional.” 

‘Empathy’ and ‘exceptional’ – to add to those descriptions of Janie, I turned to some former Heads and governors. 

One governor said she is “emollient and adaptable”. 

I had to look the first one up. Emollient means “attempting to avoid confrontation or anger; calming or conciliatory”. 

Maybe that’s one side of Janie?! 

He went on to explain that Janie provides that reassurance to so many parents who might be apprehensive, or sceptical or even too straightlaced to accept that Bedales can and does actually work. And that sometimes Janie has had to put right the damage done by others, be that an unusually-dressed tour guide, a disgruntled parent or a gruff colleague. 

This showed through in research we conducted with parents who chose to go elsewhere, but still chose to tell us and I quote: 

“I thought Janie was brilliant, really warm and helpful”  

“Janie is incredibly communicative – nothing was lacking” 

A former deputy who left us to take up a headship said of Janie: 

“When I started at Bedales, Janie was already known as the doyenne of schools’ admissions and offered a model of warmth and engagement that other schools sought to emulate. That persists to this day. Her knowledge of the place extends to its very roots – she believes in it and that shows when she is talking to any and everyone. She has the uncanny knack of making all sorts of people (and at Bedales you really do meet all sorts) feel that they are welcome and part of things even before they cross the threshold. If admissions teams have people who capture even a small fraction of her subtlety and warmth, they are lucky indeed.” 

Another former Head said: 

“Janie always puts everyone before herself. She is totally devoted to Bedales and its ethos. She personifies John Badley’s founding motto ‘Work of Each for Weal of All’. She is a walking, or in Janie’s case, running Debretts and if Janie doesn’t know someone they aren’t worth knowing!” 

Only Janie comes to work on a Monday morning having been chatting to the Queen of the Netherlands or a former US president over the weekend. 

Another previous Head talked of Janie’s intricate knowledge of each individual student’s background and her intuitive understanding of their needs; the occasional look she’d give said Head when she thought he was going down the wrong path (head slightly tilted, pause in speaking); and her characteristic jog across the Orchard to try and cram so much in her overpacked day. 

Many staff at Bedales change responsibilities, moving around to find the right role for themselves and to become a part of the school. Janie started as part-time Music Administrator, then Registrar at Dunhurst and progressed to lead admissions for the Whole School….. and has also become Hampshire’s go-to pre-eminent estate agent. 

Janie – you are a true Olympian in the world of admissions, a multiple gold medal winner. We will miss you and we are so grateful for everything you have done for us. THANK YOU. You will always be a special member of the Bedales community and a friend to so many colleagues, parents and students; and we insist that you come back regularly.  

Please raise a glass for the emollient, empathetic, warm, intuitive, adaptable, amazing, encyclopedic, running who’s who, the exceptional Janie.