11 Mar 2025

A celebration of reading at Bedales Prep - World Book Day 2025

Members of the Bedales community joined other schools in the UK and Ireland to mark this year’s World Book Day on Thursday 6 March, by dressing up as their favourite book characters and immersing themselves in a series of reading-related activities.

At Bedales Prep, literary favourites were brought to life through a vibrant display of costumes, with the likes of Elizabeth Bennet from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, leading characters from L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and the Queen of Hearts from Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland all attending lessons for the day.

Head of English at Bedales Prep Nichola Gotel led a World Book Day themed assembly in the morning, emphasising the power of reading for all ages and explaining the reasons behind the annual event. Dressed as Prue from The Land Girls by Angela Huth, Nichola shared a selection of books with strong female leads ahead of International Women’s Day on Saturday 8 March, before handing the assembly over to a group of Block 2 (Year 8) students. The students hosted a short debate, based on a hypothetical scenario in which all books, bar one, would be lost forever. The individuals pitched their choice of book to the audience, providing a brief description and explaining why their story should be the one to survive. Among the line up were Alice Walker’s The Colour Purple, Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich and the Holy Bible, however it was Julia Donaldson’s much-loved The Gruffalo that received the most votes and was therefore saved.

In the lead up to World Book Day, teachers dedicated more time to books and storytelling in tutor times, providing opportunities for reading as much as possible and sharing an appreciation of books through games, discussions and recommendations.

The celebration of books and storytelling will continue throughout the month, with children at Bedales Prep participating in a sponsored March Readathon to raise money for Read for Good – a UK charity that provides children and young people access to books in schools and hospitals to inspire a life-changing love of learning. Students and staff have been keeping track of the number of pages read each week with a coloured chart and once a book has been completed, the title is written on ‘book stack’ posters in The Well.

In addition to dressing up, children at Bedales Pre-prep were encouraged to create masks inspired by their favourite book characters, which have been proudly displayed in the library. The children have also been attending weekly workshops run by Bedales Librarian Marianne De Giovanni, to help them explore how illustrators bring stories to life through pictures, and as part of their exploration into African countries, Year 2 children experienced stories from Uganda with storyteller Kwame.

Nichola Gotel commented: “Books - for me - are always about understanding, about trying out other lives and perspectives and living bigger and broader than any of us can in a single lifetime. Knowing you are part of something bigger, an international celebration such as World Book Day reminds us that everyone's story matters and that the joy of storytelling draws us closer together.”

Originally established in 1995 by UNESCO, the annual event promotes the enjoyment of books and reading for pleasure and is celebrated by 100 countries around the world, with this year marking its 30th anniversary globally. In the UK and Ireland, World Book Day was first celebrated three years later in 1998 and continues to take place on the first Thursday in March.

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17 Jan 2025

Clare Kirkham appointed as new Head of Bedales Prep

Bedales School is delighted to announce the appointment of Clare Kirkham as the new Head of Bedales Prep with effect from 1 April 2025. Clare, who is currently Head of Junior School at Downsend, will succeed Colin Baty who after nearly 8 years will be taking up his new role as Head of Danes Hill School.

A graduate in Classical Civilisation from the University of Leeds, Clare began her career at the BBC and Channel 4, before transitioning into education when she completed a PGCE in Primary Education at the Institute of Education. She started as a class teacher at Barfield Prep School, near Farnham, and quickly progressed to the role of joint Head of the Pre-prep. Clare then moved to Guildford High as Head of English in the Junior School before taking up her current role as Head of Junior School at Downsend in 2017.

Alongside her passion for English and literature, Clare is an avid supporter of drama, having contributed to a number of productions for the Edinburgh Fringe. Outside of school, she enjoys spending time with her family and Schnoodle dog, exploring the outdoors, and travelling.

Clare Kirkham said: “I am hugely excited to be joining Bedales as the new Head of Prep. Having learned so much about the School in recent months, I can say with confidence that Bedales has captured my heart. The School has such a warm and welcoming community, from the students and staff to the parents and governors, and with all my interactions, there has been such close alignment with my values. I am excited to meet more members of the Bedales community this term, and to begin working in earnest in the Summer term to lead the Prep School with ‘head, hand and heart’."

Will Goldsmith, Head of Bedales, commented: “We are thrilled to welcome Clare to Bedales as our new Head of Prep following such a rigorous recruitment process. We have been impressed by Clare’s deep affinity with the Bedales ethos and her enthusiasm for engaging with our community. We look forward to working with Clare as we build on the strong legacy left by Colin Baty, whose leadership has been so valued, and we wish him all the best in his new headship.”

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14 Nov 2024

Bedales commemorates Remembrance Day

In a poignant ceremony of Remembrance, students and staff across Bedales School came together on Monday 11 November to pay tribute to those who have lost their lives in war.

On Armistice Day, members of the Pre-prep, Prep and Senior schools assembled by the steps of the Memorial Library where they honoured the occasion with a Remembrance service . Built in 1921 to commemorate staff and students who died in the First World War, the Library offered an apt setting for the Bedales community to reflect on the sacrifices made in wars of the past and current.

The service opened with a moving speech from Will Goldsmith, Head of Bedales, before Senior School Head Students Zeb, Sophie, Ege and Clara read out the student roll of former Bedalians who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars. Trumpeters from the Prep and Senior schools then performed ‘The Last Post’, signalling the start of the two-minute silence at 11am.

The sounding of ‘Reveille’ marked the end of the silence, and the ceremony continued with a compelling reading of Isaac Rosenberg’s poem ‘Break of Day’, spoken by 6.2 (Year 13) student George. Head of Bedales Prep Colin Baty then introduced Rupert Brooke’s poem ‘1914: The Soldier’ and May Herschel-Clarke’s ‘The Mother’, which were read by Block 2 (Year 8) students Plum and Max.

The service concluded with final reflections from Will, who said: “Thank you to everyone who gathered to mark this important occasion, and for bringing your thoughts and feelings to such weighty - but sometimes hard to comprehend - events in our history. Thank you also to the musicians and readers from the Prep and Senior schools for their meaningful contributions to the day.”

Bedalians also commemorated the occasion in the local community, supporting Petersfield Town Council and the Royal British Legion during Remembrance Sunday events on 10 November. In what has become an important tradition for the School, 18 members of the Bedales community volunteered in Petersfield at the weekend, alongside other local schools and organisations. The students engaged with the public, handed out orders of service and collected an impressive £1263 for the Royal British Legion, helping the charity to continue its work in supporting armed services personnel during and after their service.

As part of the Remembrance events, Senior School students Jodok and Poppy from Block 5 (Year 11) laid a wreath at the Petersfield War Memorial on behalf of Bedales.

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