Living
Living at Bedales is about the quality of relationships across the 3-18 years. With small classes, a first-name culture, and students choosing what to wear, authentic bonds are formed with peers and teachers. Members of the community live and work alongside each other, which creates an environment where students feel known and valued. At every stage, children and teenagers are trusted, listened to, and encouraged to be themselves. Our innovative curriculum and informal approach reflect our belief that education thrives when there is mutual respect, creativity and collaboration.
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From the Pre-prep's shared play and storytelling, the newly refurbished Prep co-educational boarding house to the Senior School’s mixed-age houses, we foster familiarity across year groups and an inclusive environment for all members of the community.
We encourage healthy choices, grounded in physical and outdoor activities, within an environment where students live confidently and happily in the digital age.
Students give back to the community, working alongside adults - ushering in our theatre, tending to the grounds, sitting on school committees – a daily demonstration of empathy, service and leadership.
Working on projects across the campus with a focus on outdoor work supporting the running of the farm, students develop real environmental agency and an understanding of their place in the natural world.
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Bedales boarding is relationships-driven. At the Prep, children board in mixed-age rooms that feel like extended families. This continues into the Senior School which encourages mature and respectful friendships across year groups. Houseparents and tutors become trusted guides - reading stories to our youngest boarders or discussing university plans with Sixth Form students. A busy daily programme of evening events (open-mic nights, debates, theatre performances) unite boarders and staff socially. The weekend activity programme provides the right balance of down time and organised activities. Deep friendships form, often lasting a lifetime.
Day students are an integral part of the Bedales community and playing a vital role in school life alongside their boarding peers. They enjoy the same exceptional curricular and co-curricular opportunities, from innovative academic programmes to extensive activities and sports. Our day students benefit from the school's unique ethos and approach to education whilst maintaining the flexibility of living at home. Together with boarders, they create a diverse, dynamic community that enriches the entire Bedales experience.
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Wellbeing at Bedales is about knowing and being known. Every student has a teacher or tutor who meets them regularly, one-on-one, across the school. Houseparents, pastoral staff, counsellors and support staff work as a close-knit team. Students lead assemblies, host community events, and support each other through mentoring and peer counselling. Innovative wellbeing education - like self-reflection logs, digital wellbeing tools, and nature-based therapy - goes beyond the standard PSHE model. Staff relationships are built on mutual respect with students speaking freely and trusting adults to listen.
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At Bedales, safeguarding is rooted in authentic relationships. Children feel safe because they are known - by name, by character, by interest. From the Pre-prep's first steps to Senior’s final year, staff build trust through consistency, openness and warmth. Our safeguarding team is visible and approachable, with robust systems complemented by a strong relational ethos. Regular training, student voice and safe online practice form the foundation, but the lived experience is richer: daily check-ins, informal conversations and shared responsibility across the community. We stand apart in how protection and freedom co-exist - students grow up confident, supported and resilient.
Service at Bedales is not a duty - it’s a relationship with the school and wider world. Pre‑prep children support charities they vote on; Prep students co-run the HOPiT fair (Helping Out People In Trouble); Senior students support the farm or kitchen, planting hedgerows or edible produce for the market garden. Every student is encouraged to contribute - from nursery-age composting to Sixth Form digital archiving. Teachers work alongside students, not above them: pulling thistles, planting bulbs, preparing community events. This hands-on, egalitarian spirit is distinctively Bedalian - learning grounded in doing. It’s how the school’s founding motto, ‘work of each for weal of all’ comes vividly to life.
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See our detailed prospectuses to understand our innovative curriculum, vibrant school life, and supportive community.