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Bedales was founded by John Haden Badley in 1893 to be a humane alternative to the authoritarian regimes typical of late-Victorian public schools. The school became fully co-educational in 1898 students were given a formal voice by 1916, when the School Council was formed. Located on 120 acres of farmland, woods, orchards, and playing fields, students still follow John Badley’s ideal of educating ‘head, hand and heart’. Bedales was founded to be different from the schools of its time. Where others imposed conformity, Bedales nurtured individuality, initiative, and an enquiring mind. True to its roots and founding principles the school places emphasis on collaboration and care for others. Our students are naturally ambitious and competitive and build strong relationships with each other and their teachers based on mutual respect everyone, staff, and students, are on first-name terms. This approach enables students to concentrate on the complex business of learning, developing, and becoming their person. Bedales continues to be an innovative school we led the country in replacing many GCSEs with our own more interesting and more demanding Bedales Assessed Courses. Our students move on comfortably to university and beyond because they are self-disciplined, are already used to organizing their own time, studying in-depth, and to mixing and debating with their elders. Our students are naturally ambitious and competitive and build strong relationships with each other and their teachers based on mutual respect everyone, staff, and students, are on first-name terms. This approach enables students to concentrate on the complex business of learning, developing, and becoming their person. A glance at our online calendar of events gives a sense of the breadth and depth of the opportunities at Bedales. Here we encourage students to develop their interests and passions across a wide range of subjects and activities. View full school

We strive to give your child roots and wings: roots, so they feel grounded and safe, and wings to fly with ideas and an ‘I can’ attitude. Central to a Dunhurst education is the setting – as stimulating as it is picturesque. Sitting within a 120-acre estate, we are surrounded by the beautiful landscape of the rolling South Downs, which we take every opportunity to explore. Our curriculum is broad, and our commitment to encouraging creativity unswerving – a consequence, in part, of the close relationships we foster between our pupils and the adults who care for and teach them. Whilst Dunhurst is about helping the individual to blossom, this is not pursued at any cost. It is about being yourself, but also about community and mutual respect. Remembering the important things in life – manners, kindness, and the wherewithal to get along with others – is also high on my list. Developing and maintaining strong relationships with our parents is key to this. It is apparent from the moment you enter Dunhurst that it is a unique school: a warm inclusive atmosphere in which relationships are built on trust, tolerance, respect, support, and care a stimulating curriculum that has breadth and depth a school where children experience the joy of discovery and learning and a wealth of opportunity. The academic curriculum offers challenge through innovative teaching that inspires the pupil and focuses on the individual. Confidence grows as the children grow and with it their desire to question and discuss. Our distinctive approach to learning helps children excel academically. Learning through doing lies at the heart of our educational ethos. The vast majority of pupils at Dunhurst will go on to Bedales. The creative and performing arts, sport, the outdoor work program and the diverse wealth of activities on offer ensure that every pupil can develop new interests and skills important to them. Relationships throughout the Dunhurst community are warm and informal but this goes hand in hand with a strong philosophy of respect and courtesy. A global understanding is nurtured in the pupils through a wide range of outreach projects and fundraising initiatives: Dunhurst pupils are encouraged to see themselves through the context of a wider world. Visitors are very welcome at Dunhurst and pupils will give you an enthusiastic and informative tour. They are always happy to answer any questions you may wish to ask, enabling you to see Dunhurst through their eyes. View full school