Environment
We model a system-wide approach to active environmental responsibility. All members of our community are involved in shaping how we live, how our food is produced and how we ensure the environment is protected. We foster strong connections with the natural world and actively engage students in exploring how we can generate more of our own energy and managing the school estate in a sustainable way. Wherever possible, we select suppliers and goods based on their sustainability credentials and carbon reporting, while using local suppliers to reduce transport and support local businesses.
)
At the Pre-prep, Prep and Senior, Bedales embeds sustainability through outdoor learning, lived experience, and bespoke courses and activities that harness the school’s rich natural environment and empower student-led advocacy.
Bedales Pre-prep’s year-round Forest School nurtures sustainability and environmental awareness through child-led outdoor learning across the school campus, encouraging curiosity, resilience and a lifelong love for nature.
Building on the approach in earlier years, Bedales Prep embraces sustainability as a lived experience, not an add-on. Students are encouraged to contribute ideas and lead initiatives to advocate for meaningful, lasting environmental change.
Continuing the development of a tailored GCSE-alternative curriculum at Bedales Senior, a new Science Bedales Assessed Course (BAC) will feature significant environmental content and make the most of the rich biodiversity across the school’s 120-acre campus of woodland, ponds and meadows.
In our existing courses throughout the Senior School, our students actively engage with the natural world, both on and off the campus, for example in exploring carbon sequestration through the deciduous trees on site as part of an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) or observing natural sand dune habitats on the nearby coast.
)
Our ambitious goal to reach net zero by 2045 drives comprehensive improvements across all aspects of school life. Through upgrading buildings and utilities with better insulation, greener heating, LED lighting and expanded solar panel installation, alongside transitioning to battery-powered vehicles and encouraging sustainable travel, we’re creating meaningful change. With car charging points installed, we are actively encouraging parents, staff and visitors to move to EVs.
The journey requires community ownership, with students and staff taking responsibility for smarter energy use whilst we explore innovative solutions including generating more electricity, water bore holes and fully tracked waste management systems.
)
At Bedales, sustainability is woven into daily life - from food production and procurement to environmental leadershi p and community outreach. Students and staff collaborate on growing produce, reducing food waste and tracking environmental impact. Student-led committees, with suitable support, drive innovation, education and measurable progress, supported by eco-conscious purchasing, reduced transport emissions and paperless systems. The school has set ambitious targets for locally sourced food, refurbishing goods and becoming a model for regenerative, responsible living. Sustainability is now a key part of our decision-making.
Our farm is rooted in the school’s founding ethos, ‘work of each for weal of all’. Students actively care for livestock, gaining hands-on experience in animal welfare and regenerative land practices. The farm produces seasonal food, nurtures biodiversity, teaches responsible stewardship and fosters deep connections with nature across the school community.
)
)
)
)
Come and see Bedales in action - where nature, sustainability and creativity shape every part of school life. Our beautiful campus, ethical farm and vibrant community are best experienced first-hand.