Bedales School

Bedales was founded by John Haden Badley in 1893 as an alternative to the authoritarian public-school model of late-Victorian England. It became fully co-educational in 1898 and formed a School Council in 1916. That history is reflected in a school that links academic work with practical study and student participation. The Steep, near Petersfield, school runs from pre-prep to sixth form and has day and boarding places.

Bedales Senior begins in Block 3, equivalent to Year 9. Block 3 includes a broad programme with subjects particular to the school, including Global Perspectives and Outdoor Work. In Blocks 4 and 5, Bedales Assessed Courses sit alongside GCSEs, while the Sixth Form focuses on A levels. This means the senior curriculum combines externally examined subjects with courses designed by the school before pupils narrow their study post-16.

Music, sport, debate, creative activities and academic societies are part of the activities programme, with students able to change selections each term. The South Downs National Park setting supports the Duke of Edinburgh's Award; students can complete its volunteering, physical recreation, skills and expedition sections through the programme. This is practical context for a school whose curriculum and activities extend beyond a standard GCSE timetable.

The school recommends its standard entry points and says it cannot admit pupils to Block 5 (Year 11) or 6.2 (Year 13). Current 13+ and sixth-form admissions pages set out registration, assessments and interviews, with separate dates by entry year. The admissions policy expects prospective sixth-form entrants to be predicted an average GCSE grade 6, including grade 6 in mathematics or English Language; subject requirements and availability need confirming for the chosen entry year.