Boarding is an integral part of life at Bedales Prep, Dunhurst. Inclusiveness, responsibility for self and others, and living and learning together as a community, have always been cherished principles of our communal boarding life.
At Bedales Prep, we offer a distinctive and nurturing boarding experience for pupils aged 8-13 in a beautifully refurbished co-educational boarding house located in the main school building.
Our flexible boarding provision – full, half and flexi boarding – provides academic, social and pastoral benefits for children and offers parents the flexibility they need in their busy lives.
Boarding at Bedales Prep includes a varied and fun activities programme in the evenings and weekends. For boarders who would prefer to go home for the weekend, we offer an accompanied train service to and from London Waterloo, making us a popular choice for families looking for a boarding school near London.
We are excited to be opening our beautifully refurbished boarding house in September .
The 40-bed boarding house brings together our boys’ and girls’ boarding houses into a single, co-educational boarding house for pupils in Group 1 (Year 4) and Block 2 (Year 8), with communal social spaces and separate areas for dormitories and bathrooms.
The boarding house was designed in collaboration with staff and boarders to create a space that will improve pupils’ integration and enhance the boarding experience.
Located on two floors in the main school building, boys will occupy the top floor and girls the lower. The first and second floors are separated by alarmed doors.
There are six dorms on the first floor and nine dorms on the second. There is a maximum of four beds in each dorm.
Each bed area has storage for personal belongings; electric points; a bedside table and lamp; and a pin board for photos and posters that pupils would like to bring with them. We encourage our boarders to bring posters, family photos and other belongings to make it feel like a cosy home from home.
Each floor has its own bathrooms, containing toilets, showers and basins.
There is a common room, kitchen and games area on the first floor, with comfy sofas, books, board games, televisions and an Xbox. Boys and girls can socialise together in these areas. We also have use of the rest of the school building and playgrounds and pitches during the evenings and weekends.
We offer flexible boarding provision, subject to availability, to suit the needs of your family.
Priority is given to full and half boarders.
Boarders' activities programme
There are a wide range of activities organised for boarders each evening – from treat nights on Tuesdays, when pupils enjoy toasties or waffles for snack, to special Friday nights with events such as dance-offs, dress-up themed evenings and quiz nights.
At the weekend, trips and experiences are organised, enabling our boarders to have fun. We create a varied programme throughout the year, from cultural visits and trips to London or the beach, to picnics, BBQs and adventurous activities such as sailing, kayaking and paintball.
With a strong emphasis on the family feel to boarding at Bedales Prep, our boarders are encouraged to do the things they might otherwise do with their family, like cooking and eating, socialising and relaxing together. Every evening, 'Homely Time' gives pupils the opportunity to spend an hour doing something they might do in their spare time at home – whether that’s baking, playing with Lego or going for a walk.
Going home for the weekend
Boarders are welcome to stay at school at the weekends (with the exception of long leave/exeat weekends) but they are also welcome to go home, even if they are a full boarder.
For those who choose to go home for the weekend, boarders in the Groups (Years 4-6) are able to leave from 4.30pm on Friday afternoon. Boarders in the Blocks (Years 7-8) can leave after morning lessons at 12.50pm on Saturday.
For boarders going home on a Saturday, we offer an accompanied train option to and from London Waterloo at the weekends. A member of staff accompanies boarders on trains departing Petersfield on Saturday lunchtime, meeting parents at an agreed meeting point, and accompanies them on a return journey from London Waterloo on Sunday evening.
Our Boarding team
Our dedicated and passionate Boarding team create a caring, homely environment for boarders to flourish.
The team comprises Houseparents Simon Kingsley-Pallant and Alice Tang-Pullen, who are supported by Deputy Houseparents David Ellis and Mea Wade. All Houseparents and Deputy Houseparents are members of the Bedales Prep teaching team, which ensures that our boarders have continuity in care and know the boarding team well.
There are also two resident matrons and one non-resident matron who have overall responsibility for the physical wellbeing of the boarders.
Boarding is the heart of Bedales: it is based on the principles of sharing, responsibility for self and others, and community living.
Bedales is organised into three boarding houses:
The structure of boarding at Bedales means that there are no competing houses, and students are encouraged instead to think of themselves as members of the whole Bedales community.
Virtually all dormitories are shared. In Steephurst and Boys’ Flat, mixed-age dorms ensure supportive friendships across all year groups, an opportunity for older students to take responsibility, and avoids isolation of individuals.
In 6.2 (Year 13), students move to a co-educational boarding house, which has shared study bedrooms. Greater freedoms here carry considerable responsibility and greater domestic involvement, to prepare students for life after Bedales.
One of the unique aspects of boarding at Bedales is our mixed-age dorms, which not only give new boarders a range of buddies for support, but also ensures the school is genuinely integrated with friendships across year groups.
A key part of this is 6.1 (Year 12) students taking on the role of Dorm Mentor, acting as a role model for younger students.
Dorm Mentors lead by example, and show respect for the school and their boarding house, as well as a willingness to participate in school life. They work with houseparents to monitor the general welfare of boarders in their dorms and are a supportive friend to the younger students in their care.
All boarders at Bedales Senior are full boarders, although they may go home on Saturday night if free from school commitments.
Activities are provided for boarders at the weekend, both at school and off-site. The gym, swimming pool and sports hall are open for boarders at specific times, while in the evenings there are often combined events across the houses, and activities in the afternoons.
Students are able to go into Petersfield on Saturday afternoon or during the day on Sunday. They are also welcome to simply enjoy some downtime and recharge as they would do at home.
Twitter