Bedales Prep blends academic excellence with creative exploration, offering a broad curriculum enriched by the performing arts, outdoor learning and critical thinking to inspire confident and curious minds.
Each child’s unique strengths are celebrated, and we cultivate a sense of community where mutual respect and compassion are central. Our founding motto, ‘work of each for weal of all’, is at the heart of all we do, ensuring that children grow not only as individuals but as compassionate, considerate members of society.
Strong relationships, mutual respect, a feeling of true safety and a shared commitment to kindness are fundamental in ensuring that everyone feels valued and empowered within the school environment.
At Bedales Prep, we treat every child as the unique person they are. We give them the space to develop in their own time, support them to be themselves, and celebrate who they are. When children feel truly happy, they thrive, and that’s when learning takes off.
Education is a holistic journey here that nurtures the ‘head, hand and heart’, with intellectual curiosity, creative expression and emotional wellbeing valued in equal measure. Children explore nature, engage in performing arts, and build strong relationships rooted in kindness and mutual respect. The curriculum is designed to enable academic excellence alongside supporting personal development, encouraging resilience, developing compassion and nurturing individuality. With a strong emphasis on community and connection, Bedales Prep empowers children to understand themselves and their place in the world.
Bedales Prep’s innovative approach prioritises creativity, critical thinking and independence as a way of achieving high academic standards, rather than rote memorisation and rigid comparative testing. Students are encouraged to embrace challenges, celebrate progress and discover their passions through a diverse curriculum that extends far beyond the classroom. With no Common Entrance exams to constrain them, students focus on meaningful learning experiences that prepare them for Bedales Senior and beyond. By cultivating personal ambition within a nurturing environment, Bedales equips students with the confidence, adaptability and self-awareness needed to thrive in an ever-changing world.
Parents are full of praise for the school’s approach and ethos… ‘It’s very nurturing, a real community,’ one told us. ‘They treat the children with real respect, not as adults, but as equal human beings.
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Academic life at Bedales Prep is shaped by the school’s innovative ethos of educating the whole child, blending intellectual rigour with creativity and emotional growth. With the freedom to develop our own curriculum, students explore subjects in depth, whether using the extensive Bedales campus to investigate ecosystems in Outdoor Work, staging Shakespeare in English, undertaking forensic investigations in Science, or designing and making furniture in the Design Barn. Off timetable days and cross-curricular projects foster independent thinking and collaboration – examples include the annual Science fair and HOPIT (helping out people in trouble) event where students pitch their chosen charity for school fundraising. This approach mirrors the Senior School’s emphasis on curiosity and critical thought, ensuring a smooth transition at 13. With shared values and access to facilities across the Whole School, Prep students develop the confidence, adaptability and academic foundations to thrive in their next chapter.
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At the end of their time at Bedales Prep, students are very well prepared for their next steps. Almost all students progress from Bedales Prep into Block 3 (Year 9) at Bedales Senior.
Former students have delivered many successes in recent years, receiving a high proportion of the academic, art and music scholarships available for 13+ entry to Bedales Senior. They have also performed consistently well at Bedales Assessed Courses, GCSE and A Level and secured highly competitive university places including Oxbridge.
All our leavers for senior school will take with them a rigorous and inquisitive approach to their studies, and the strong friendships they formed with students and teachers at Bedales Prep.
See our detailed prospectuses to understand our innovative curriculum, vibrant school life, and supportive community.