Bedales sets out vision for next decade

Informed by educationalists in the UK and abroad, and following in-depth consultation across the school community, Bedales has set out its vision for the next decade. Founded in 1893 to be a humane alternative to the authoritarian model typical of late-Victorian public schools, this announcement is the latest example of the school’s pioneering approach.  

Included in the announcement is the plan to reduce the number of GCSEs taken by students from five to two, retaining Maths and English Language. Students will follow more of the school’s own curriculum, designed to develop intellectual ambition, creative thinking and independent learning. This will prepare them better for A Levels, giving them more learning time and developing the dispositions and capabilities to help succeed in life beyond Bedales.  

The school will create its own new Bedales Assessed Courses (BACs) in the sciences, languages and a new sustainability curriculum. Already offered by the school as better alternatives to GCSE in many subjects across the arts and humanities, BACs offer more choice in content, research and project work, as well as more varied assessment methods such as coursework, presentations and vivas. This approach provides greater stretch for ambitious students. The school considers the current model to be outdated; GCSEs, with their more centralised, knowledge-heavy content and over-reliance on rote-learning and narrow terminal assessments are not fit for purpose. The reduction in the number of GCSEs is also considered by the school to have positive mental health and wellbeing benefits, as well as freeing up the summer term of Block 5 (Year 11) for more meaningful teaching and learning to replace the 32 hours of examinations and study leave that most students endure.   

The broader set of initiatives in the Bedales announcement include: 

• A digital portfolio for all (an ‘education LinkedIn’) 

• Establishing a Centre for Progressive Education to inform global education thinking and practice 

• Doubling the number of fully funded bursaries 

• All students to undertake weekly ‘Bedales Service’ to support the operational running of the school (akin to the Japanese soji approach) 

• A move to mixed boarding houses for all years (rather than separate single sex houses) 

• Hands-on experience for students growing their own food and building sustainable structures 

• Initiatives to live more sustainably and move to carbon net zero