WHAT? WHERE?

A unique co-ed senior school in the south of England, Bede’s is a non-selective co-ed school (ages 13-19) that has released the pressure valve to take a more holistic approach to educating young people – academic rigour, wellbeing and seemingly endless opportunities help students find their passions, with the pressure cooker dialled down to create a positive ‘can do’ culture.

Set in 140 acres of Sussex countryside, this stunning location allows pupils to enjoy countryside and coast – pack your swimmers, you’re 10 miles from Eastbourne. A relatively new school, Bede’s Senior School was founded in 1979 to complement Bede’s Prep which dates back to 1902. The estate the school now occupies was originally established by Horatio Bottomley, MP, founder of the Financial Times and a, ahem, notorious fraudster!

The campus dominates the pretty village of Upper Dicker, with its pristine playing fields and school buildings – some old, some new, and a few quirky huts – stretching across the main road. It also means students are free to walk to the village shop at lunchtimes for a flat white and a sausage roll. There are currently 820 student (with 340 boarders) and class sizes are 15-20, across eight or nine classes per year.

FACILITES

As you would expect at a buzzy senior school all the boxes are ticked – enormous sports hall, heated pool and pristine playing fields. Creatives are well catered for and animal lovers too – there’s a zoo. The only school I have ever visited with a collection of exotic animals… more on that later.

SPORTS

Bede's Senior School Sussex student playing hockey on astro

Bede’s is a sporty school – but sport is not compulsory. Through the co-curricular programme, students are encouraged to do a movement activity each week, be it a walk along the seafront or yoga/ Pilates (a hurrah from Muddy for that!). Six core sports are played: hockey, cricket and football, with the school fielding mixed and single-sex teams. Plus swimming, netball and an excellent tennis academy. Rugby is a no show, although rugby 7s is a co-curricular option if you want a taster and basketball, golf, equestrian pursuits, sailing and squash are all up for grabs.

Bede's Senior School Sussex STUDENT SWIMMING

The sports facilities? Well they’re impressive. The sports complex features a 25m indoor swimming pool, an eight-court multi-purpose hall, a state-of-the-art fitness suite and squash courts. There are two water-based astros (which I’m told makes for better play than sand-based) and some rather inspiring tennis courts in the green and purple colours of Wimbledon. Golf and other sports are off site.

Bede's Senior School Sussex football team at Bright and HOve Albion

The quality of the sports staff is top notch. If your child is football mad former Brighton & Hove Albion player Dan Harding will be a big draw. Talented young sportsmen and women often play for county and national teams and Bede’s staff go above and beyond to help them balance their commitments with school work.

CREATIVE ARTS

Legat Dance Academy Bede's Senior School Sussex

Have an aspiring dancer in the family? Pirouette this way. Bede’s is home to the prestigious Legat Dance Academy. Dancers audition for a place, and are trained by world class professionals in ballet, contemporary and jazz, with supplementary training in creative, strength and conditioning, tap and musical theatre. If your teen wants a career in dance, the academy will mould their talents to produce the next generation of dancers, choreographers and producers. The demands of dance training and academic study is intense, but student welfare is front and centre.

Electric guitar players Bede's Senior School Sussex

The annual cabaret is the highlight of the social calendar, taking place in front of 1,000 people including pupils from feeder schools. Bede’s also takes a show to Edinburgh Fringe most years and there are plenty of opportunities to perform and work the tech on productions. Not many take music as an exam subject, but there’s no shortage of choirs, orchestras and bands who sing and play instruments for fun. The cabaret is the big one when it comes to showcasing their talents.

CABARET SHOWCASE Bede's Senior School Sussex

The onsite black box theatre is small, but the school uses Devonshire Park Theatre in Eastbourne for big productions. An immersive performance of Alice In Wonderland was being worked on during my visit and the students set design using pages from Lewis Carroll’s book was impressive. Bede’s also has educational links with cultural hotspots like Charleston and Glyndebourne and groups are often whizzing into the London to see West End shows.

The acclaimed Art School includes dark rooms, ceramics studios, a Mac graphics studio and Victorian printing press. Y9 pupils study Fine Art, Ceramics, Photography and Graphics. A third of Bede’s pupils go on to study art-related degrees. Impressive bits of furniture produced by pupils in DT were on display and I was told, “You can make what you want as long as you can get it out the door.” Fair enough.

SIXTH FORM

The focus is on getting the students to their destination and ensuring they have the emotional, academic and life skill toolkit to start that next chapter. A grown up Sixth Form Centre with a cool café sets the tone. A Level and BTech options are broad covering everything from traditional academic subjects to Media Studies, Ceramics, Psychology, Animal Management, Sport and Dance, to name a few. They also study a Bede’s Diploma in the Lower Sixth, described as a ‘holistic enrichment programme’ designed to boost qualities like teamwork, leadership and resilience through talks, trips, workshops and community service.

There’s a lot of support with university applications in the UK and overseas, careers advice and degree and higher apprenticeships are growing in popularity. Entry requirements to study A Levels is six GCSEs grade 9-6, some subjects have individual requirements. For BTech courses, you’ll need five GCSEs grade 9-4. There’s a lot of competition in the local area, but many who have left soon realise the level of support they received at Bede’s was missing and have returned. Whatever you choose to do, there is no snobbery, which is pretty refreshing.

ACADEMICS

Bede’s terms itself ‘low level selective’ in the academic sense, except for at Sixth Form intake. Instead of relying on the ‘blunt tool’ of Common Entrance exams it assesses admissions based on a cognitive test, reports from feeder schools and how readily prospective pupils get involved in group activities during the Bede’s experience days. Its own Prep School generally accounts for a third of new pupil intake.

There’s no shortage of choice, with over 40 GCSE, A Level and BTech options. In their first year (Y9) pupils choose from a ‘carousel’ of humanities and arts subjects, gradually honing down those they find most interesting.

In 2022, 45% achieved 9-7 (A*-A) at GCSE; 47% A*/A at A level (71 per cent A*-B). University and careers advice is strong at Bede’s and destinations are broad. One student I spoke to was off to the US on a hockey scholarship to study. Others were headed to Russell Group unis, leading arts colleges and degree and higher apprenticeships are on the up. By the time they leave Bede’s they have the confidence to take the road less travelled, rather than follow the crowd. There’s a lot to be said for that.

PASTORAL CARE

Wellbeing and academics are given equal footing, with emotional and subject support in place. The diversity of pupils (international boarders and mix of backgrounds) breeds a culture of inclusion and tolerance. The online Whisper programme allows pupils to report any concerns anonymously and blow the whistle on unacceptable behaviour.

Mental health is ‘forensically managed,’ with an online system that notes behavioural changes ranging from slightly out of character upwards. The tutors play an integral role in the students’ happiness and everyone I spoke to raved about the overwhelming support they give – replying to emails at 11pm. There are two school counsellors, a mental health nurse and the chaplain is a good sounding board too.

BOARDING

Boarding HOuse Bede's Senior School Sussex

Full or weekly boarding are there for the taking. Bede’s also has a ‘Day Boarding’ wrap-around care concept, with study room, common rooms and a kitchen. These pupils are attached to a boarding house, complete their prep at the school and return home around 7.15pm.

Bede’s latest boarding house? It’s cool – one student told me they felt it was giving boujee hotel vibes – with lots of places to study, hangout, eat, and play competitive ping pong. The houses are bright, welcoming places with dorms radiating off large communal areas through keyhole-shaped doorways. Wall maps and flags celebrate the varied countries boarders originate from. There’s no shortage of squishy sofas which get pulled forward to prime TV-watching positions for Love Island, we’re told. Pupils typically start in a dorm for five and as they progress up the school, and their study commitment grows, they end up with bedrooms to themselves or shared between two.

No formal Saturday school but an optional weekend programme for both boarders and day pupils covers sports, charity fundraising, booster and revision sessions and additional study.

THE HEAD

Head Peter Goodyer has been in the top job at Bede’s since 2016 (previously Deputy Head at Colston’s School, Bristol). The native South African came to the UK as a history and geography teacher at a Leatherhead school and never went home. He has a calm, commanding manner and unrelenting belief in serving the community, with a desire to help and guide others. Unsurprising, when you consider his dad was a vicar. His big passion is in the psychology and neuroscience behind how children learn and growth mindset. He’s not interested in league tables and A* (although nice to have in your locker), the focus here is on breadth of experience and the individual care of pupils. Like many heads, he speaks about the importance of ensuring pupils’ happiness, though says when speaking to adults he’d express this as a sense of fulfilment.

He is proud of the value added activities on offer and hopes also that the school instils a sense of community and self-respect. Students have hosted charity events for causes close to their hearts and volunteered at charity centres and local schools, so I’d say it’s very much part of the school’s DNA. He’s much liked by pupils, staff and parents – reads people well, prioritises wellbeing and is incredibly down to earth. In recent years, Goodyer and Bede’s Prep School head Leigh-Anne Morris have worked hard to improve the connection between the two schools and improve transition fro junior to senior.

QUIRKS

Boarding HOuse Bede's Senior School Sussex zoo

Doesn’t get quirkier than a zoo! Since 2011 Bede’s has boasted an Animal Management Unit. Sixth Formers can study BTec Animal Management (the only senior school to offer this qualification in the UK) and younger students have a chance to get involved in the Zoological Society. This zoo is home to 70 species and was expanded to house monkeys and lemurs, but you’ll also find an owl, hornbill and inquisitive meerkats, tortoises and pigeons. The facility is a big hit and incorporates a successful dormouse breeding programme.

Co-curricular options are huge – and creative. As pupils grow older and begin experiencing the pressures of public exams, this provides a much-valued opportunity to forget about academic goals and simply enjoy an activity for its own intrinsic pleasure, be that tinkering with engines in Car Restoration, drone flying, enjoying the local countryside in sailing, mountain biking, or Downland walking or Dungeons and Dragons. Sixth Formers get a kick out of making a home brew in wine-making and even restore vintage cars. They also are given life skills sessions like ‘cooking for survival’, and first aid to help equip them for university and beyond.

WRAP AROUND CARE

Bede’s is a 24/7 school, though the school timetable runs 8.30am to 5pm and official school hours are 8am to 7pm. The 100+ clubs and activities create a balance in a busy day. The Educational Enrichment programme includes a Space Science Club, Writers’ Workshop, Theology and Philosophy and a Model United Nations. Three afternoons a week are given over to extra activities spanning sports, arts and hobbies. Children can change their preferences every term.

SEND PROVISION

Learning Enhancement is much praised by parents. Individual, small group and in-class support available. Parents report good liaison between LE and class teachers. Bede’s also has one of the country’s leading EAL (English as an Additional Language) departments.

ISI REPORT

The last inspections were pre-pandemic – and inspectors gave Bede’s an enthusiastic thumbs up, praising the pupils’ confidence, desire to learn, sense of community and their moral compass. Read the reports here.

MOBILE PHONE POLICY

A sensible but rigorous approach to mobile phone use. In First Year, Lower and Upper Fifth, no phones are allowed during the school day. Sixth Formers are permitted to use theirs during free time but not during the the school day. Boarders must hand in tech at 9.30pm, and the WIFI is turned off at night.

TRANSPORT

Bede’s catchment area is typically Sussex, Surrey, Kent and other home counties, with London also accessible. A fleet of 35 school buses whizz around the Sussex countryside scooping up students within a 35-mile radius. Many kids take the train to Polegate station where they picked up and shuttled up to the school, others are picked up on lines stretching up to Tunbridge Wells, Haywards Heath and East Grinstead. Along the coast covering Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings, to name a few. Routes are regularly reviewed to ensure everyone is accommodated.

WORD ON THE GROUND

Bede's Senior School pupils sat at a bench

One prospective parent who has short listed Bede’s Senior School loved how ‘normal’ it was. Down to earth, great facilities and a place for their child to thrive rather than survive. Other current parents praised the teaching and pastoral care – eeking out superb academic results without piling on the pressure, regardless of ability. Pupils I spoke to raved about the teachers and the support they gave each individual child. They also liked the campus layout because it enabled them get some fresh air between lessons. The good performance facilities were a hit with arts-focused pupils.

FEES

The fees for 2023/24: day students, £8,990; day boarding, £9,240; weekly boarding, £13,250; full boarding, £14,080; Sixth Form supplement £90.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Good for: Animal lovers and those looking for a down to earth, superb all-round education. Bede’s walks the walk and talks the talk when it comes to catering for every individual.

Not for: If you’re looking for stricter academic selection criteria at admissions to create a competitive environment, walk on by. Children who are unlikely to make the most of the endless opportunities.

Dare to disagree? The next Open Morning at Bede’s Senior School on Sat 30 Sept 2023. Contact 01323 443838 or admissions@bedes.org to register. Several experience days for potential pupils run throughout the year. Entry to the school is at Y9, Y10 or Y12.

Bede’s Senior School, Upper Dicker, East Sussex BN27 3QH

Bede’s Senior School, Upper Dicker, Hailsham

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