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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09 Oct 2024

Bedales musicians collaborate for Whole School Concert

Musicians from Bedales Pre-prep, Prep and Senior schools joined together on Friday 4 October for the annual Whole School Concert, showcasing the musical talents of Bedales’ very youngest through to Sixth Form.

Taking place in the School’s new Assembly Hall, parents and guests enjoyed a range of pieces from students and staff, including a Whole School devised performance and music from the Senior and Prep Choir, Bedales Contemporary Band and Bedales Senior Jazz Band among others.

The concert opened with an extraordinary Whole School Devised Performance of the 1928 French traditional carol Now the Green Blade Riseth, with song lyrics originally by J M C Crum. Incorporating two Creation poems by Marcelo Gleiser, the hymn’s lyrics were altered for the occasion by Lucy McIlwraith, Teacher of English at Bedales Senior, with music arranged by Doug McIlwraith, Director of Music at Bedales Senior. The orchestra was accompanied by dancers from the Senior, Prep and Pre-prep, and the audience were invited to sing along in an atmospheric Whole School effort.

Musicians from Bedales Prep followed with an immersive devised piece titled The Firebird, based on music by Stravinsky. Performers from the Prep School danced and acted alongside the musicians, bringing the story of the Firebird to life.

Bedales Senior Dance students then performed a routine to Florence and the Machine’s New Beginnings before the Senior and Prep Choir took to the stage for Anton Bruckner’s Locus iste.

In a further demonstration of the School’s strengths in the performing arts, Bedales Senior Drama students performed Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s poem ‘Constantly Risking Absurdity’ before the Bedales Senior Jazz Band played an energetic rendition of Picking up the Pieces by The Average White Band.

The concert was brought to a close with a spectacular performance by the Bedales Contemporary Band, playing an original composition - Who’s Got Control? - by Sixth Form student Andrea De Selancy.

Each year, the Whole School Concert is a wonderful display of musicianship across Bedales, highlighting the integrated community of students and staff from the Pre-prep, Prep and Senior schools and providing a performance platform for Bedalians of all ages.

Director of Music at Bedales Senior Doug McIlwraith said: “The Whole School Concert once again demonstrated the strength of collaboration across all ages at Bedales, from our youngest students performing alongside the orchestra to Sixth Form students composing original pieces. It was wonderful to incorporate Dance and Drama into this year’s event to showcase the breadth of talent across the School. Bedales is renowned for fostering creativity and individuality, and the Whole School Concert was a wonderful reflection of the passion and expression that we encourage in our students.”

Director of Music at Bedales Prep Matt Blunt added: “The excitement of performing in a space befitting our students’ creative skills was palpable - staff and students worked together across the School to showcase the development of our creative arts. There was a sense of joy in every rehearsal, performance and pew, as we came together to bring the Assembly Hall to life. This space will continue to inspire students for many years to come.”

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