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Our view
The self-assurance of this venerable school that dates back to 1552 is wonderfully evident in the confident and considerate young men it turns out. Its commitment to a holistic education means it’s not jumpy with change but rather finesses what it does in a mindful manner. A sense of pride and contentment is palpable among pupils and staff alike and, although it might not catch the eye with state-of-the-art buildings, the solidness of Bedford School goes much deeper than a flashy façade.
Where?
Situated in 50 beautifully maintained acres, the school feels spacious while being conveniently located in leafy suburbs on the edge of Bedford’s town centre. A gatehouse marks the entrance and a Grade II-listed chapel and red-brick main school building sit at its heart, both overlooking the main sports pitches. The older buildings have lovely high ceilings and roomy classrooms, while the newer buildings have tons of glass to let the light in and efficiently designed purpose-built areas. Despite the 1,100-pupil population (which includes 400 in the prep school), nowhere feels cramped. And with new academic blocks, a boarding house and a health and wellbeing centre all in the pipeline (started work in 2024 and due to open in 2026), this sense of spaciousness is only going to grow.
There’s a boathouse off site on the River Ouse and a large nature reserve used for outdoor education, including subjects such as biology.
London is just half an hour away by train (Bedford station is a 20-minute walk from the school gates), making the school an easily commutable distance from the Big Smoke.
Head
James Hodgson joined in September 2014, and has lost none of the enthusiasm he arrived with. He’s very popular with pupils, parents and staff and it’s not hard to see why; his relaxed and smiley manner means he’s easy company, but his industriousness also shines through. His early focus on academics, support for future careers and the old boy network means those areas are top-notch. Not that he’s resting on his laurels: ‘There’s always room for improvement,’ he tells us. His current priorities are digital learning, a community and partnership programme, and developing pupils’ entrepreneurship and leadership. These are already coming on apace: the new head of digital learning teaches the ethics of computing as well as its practical application; mentoring in local schools is a meaningful part of the boys’ education; and leadership training courses and internal entrepreneurship opportunities are plentiful. Mr Hodgson is proud to run the school as a boarding school – the split is 35 per cent boarders to 65 per cent day – so every boy, boarder or not, benefits from the inclusivity of a boarding school education. The only challenge, he says, is managing the boys’ time as the wealth of opportunities open to them make for busy days.
Admissions
The school is academically selective with entry points at Years 3 to 7 (to the onsite prep school) and Years 9, 10 and 12. Boys sit the ISEB Common Pre-Test in Year 6 or 7 to gain a place in Year 9, or the school’s own aptitude test, an online exam designed to get potential pupils to flex their academic intelligence rather than regurgitate spoon-fed facts. This is no hothouse, but boys do need to be able to keep up.
Pupils from Bedford Prep make up over half of each year group, with children from other local preps and more and more from London making up the other half along with UK and overseas boarders. Bedford is well placed to scoop up Cambridge families too, offering an alternative to the city’s own increasingly oversubscribed schools. Entry to the sixth form is on the basis of references, predicted (then actual) grades and an interview. Scholarships are available for boys who show exceptional talent and potential in academics, computer science, sport, golf, art, drama or music, and means-tested bursaries provide fee assistance to those who require it.
Academics and destinations
Academics have skyrocketed under Mr Hodgson’s tenure. The school is rightly proud of its academics which are underpinned by committed staff, digital technology and learning that goes beyond the classroom. Our guides told us that not only are there clinics to support them in all their subjects, there are also subject-specific clubs, such as physics project club, that help them expand their knowledge and give them opportunities to enter competitions. SEN provision is solid, with individual and group support for pupils with dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and AD(H)D, as well as boys requiring general study skills support.
In the sixth form, A-levels are the order of the day. The award-winning careers department holds a three-day annual careers fair and leavers go on to a variety of destinations, from Oxbridge and Russell Group universities to degree-apprenticeships and apprenticeships. There’s a growing interest in European and US universities too.
Co-curricular
Known for being sporty, the school plays rugby, cricket and hockey at a very competitive level with much cheering for the home side from the sidelines. But it’s not only core sports on offer. ‘There is every sport you can think of,’ the boys told us, including fives, rowing, water polo and golf. (There are robust ties with Woburn Golf Club, home to three championship courses, and a couple of golf scholarships are awarded each year.) A fantastic number of current and ex-pupils compete at county and national level (former England cricket captain Sir Alastair Cook is an old boy); masterclasses and individual, top-level coaching are all available. The non-sporty are encouraged to have a go at everything with heaps of teams to support everyone.
Art is strong too, with specialist teachers for painting, printmaking and sculpture. Boys complete a term of each and then specialise. Their work is impressive and, as one teacher told us, the level of expertise ‘gives boys an art school experience while at school’. Unsurprisingly art A-level is popular and many of the pupils go on to study architecture. D&T is also popular, with half the boys taking it at GCSE. It remains one of the highest performing subjects across the school.
A large, modern music school overlooks the sports pitches and is home to choirs, orchestras and music groups, as well as a recording studio and music tech suite. More than a third of boys learn an instrument, many of them two. House singing is the highlight of the year, and the standard is exceptionally high.
The Quarry Theatre serves the local community as well as the school, with one side opening into the school grounds and the other into the town. The 280-seat auditorium makes it an ideal venue for external productions. Large numbers of boys get involved in a show each year, often joining up with Bedford Girls' School; on the day we visited, the Year 9s were auditioning for A Christmas Carol. Many pupils choose drama at GCSE and A-level.
CCF is one of the largest in the country, joining up with the girls’ school, and DofE is popular too. Plus, there are some 70 clubs and societies on offer, with new ones being started up all the time.
Boarding
Days are full on and fast paced at Bedford, which is run like a proper boarding school, with lessons on Saturdays and matches and activities long after classes end. Flexi boarding was rolled out last year, and the total number of full, weekly and flexi boarders sits at around 35 per cent.
The boarding houses are smaller than many other schools, taking between 30 and 45 boys, and are located both in the school grounds and on nearby residential streets. All are converted houses and feel homely – no resemblance to a Travelodge here. Masses of common rooms and outside space means there is an easy feel to them, and the pupils are well looked after by a housemaster, deputy, matron and tutors. All the boys congregate in the school cafeteria for meals although there are kitchens in each of the houses so they can make themselves snacks. The six boarding houses are twinned with the six day houses, so day boys and boarders are neatly integrated and there’s no ‘them and us’ mentality.
School community
A vertical tutor system encourages positive integration between the year groups, which we saw plenty of proof of. The younger boys gain confidence from the older ones and they learn mentoring skills. Tutors monitor each pupil’s academic progress, as well as their wellbeing, offering individualised support and guidance. There are also on-site counsellors, a medical team and the chaplain.
With more than 30 nationalities, Bedford is a much more diverse community than many assume. The boys are down to earth and go to great lengths to nurture the bond between town and gown, volunteering in local old people’s homes and primaries. Parents are involved, from cheering on the sports teams to hosting socials and fundraising events. And the Old Bedfordians Club is thriving with 9,000 members that host frequent reunions, sporting events and fundraisers. They are also hugely supportive in helping out with work placements and job searches for current pupils.
And finally....
We like the quiet confidence of this all-boys school that delivers a perfectly rounded education to its pupils. The fact that old boys remain loyal and actively engaged with their alma mater says a lot about the solid grounding and values the school instils in its charges. A compelling single-sex option.