About us
Through fully funded bursaries, the John Badley Foundation (JBF) transforms the lives of children who are able to join Bedales Prep, Dunhurst and Bedales Senior from difficult school and home situations in the UK and abroad.
The JBF is a registered charity (charity number 1138332) set up to widen opportunity beyond the school’s existing bursary schemes. With the generosity of the Bedales community, the charity has funded full bursary places for 17 children to date, giving them a chance to thrive in this unique educational environment.
Donors often ask us how this experience impacts on a child’s life. We feel this is best answered by students who have left the school and moved on to higher education and careers. These individuals are now able to look back on their time at Bedales and share their stories with you here.
Parents can apply directly to Bedales for a JBF bursary place for their child. We also work closely with Royal SpringBoard and Buttle UK, who identify children most likely to benefit from a Bedales boarding education. These charities believe, like us, that every child deserves the chance to thrive, regardless of their background.
Royal SpringBoard can demonstrate evidence that bursary placements for disadvantaged and vulnerable young people lead to: improved academic performance; improvements to pupils’ emotional and social wellbeing; improved chances of securing places at university or competitive apprenticeships; a ripple effect of rising aspirations in home communities.
Our ambition
The JBF Trustees agreed shortly before the COVID crisis to increase the number of children supported each year from nine to fourteen over the next five years. This is a big step for the charity and will only be possible if annual donations double from £250,000 to £500,000 in that time. With the disruption to the education system caused by COVID resulting in significant learning loss, particularly for disadvantaged pupils, there is an added urgency to these plans. We need to act now.
How you can help
We hope you share these ambitions with us and feel inspired to join a growing community of donors in supporting the Foundation. There are a number of ways you can do this and we encourage you to get in touch with us to discuss your preference.
We are proud to make a commitment that every £1 you donate or raise will be matched. This is because when the time comes to fund the full school fees for a bursary recipient, Bedales covers half of the costs.
To find out more about the John Badley Foundation, please contact Tanya Darlow, Head of Development (development@bedales.org.uk).