Bedford High School for Girls - any knowledge or experience?

Hi Fait, do you have children at BMS? My friend's daughter didn't get through the girls school assessment but was accepted by BMS and another couple of friends have moved their girls from BMS to the girls school, so I thought the girls school was more selective than the coed?

My dd will be Year 7 in 2014 and I'm looking at both but I'm worried that everyone says there are hardly any girls at BMS and it's a bit macho?

There are now three schools in the consortium - Bedford Modern, Bedford Boys and Bedford Girls. The ONLY ONE that is turning children away (including siblings if they don't reach the standard) is Bedford Modern. The others are pretty much accepting anyone willing to pay. I suspect the results coming out in four or five years time will reflect this.

I would recommend BMS whole heartedly.

Rebuilding trust indeed. It seems that Bedford Girls School is taking more or less anyone in the Junior school to bolster numbers and cash (see article in Beds on Sunday re rowing) and at the same time asking those whose results don't come up to scratch much later to leave.

This policy is decimating the numbers at St Andrews school and is in great danger of leaving those who aren't so academic high and dry later on with potentially no alternative.

Lost - ime very few parents decided between these schools on the basis of perceived "poshness or otherwise". DAHS used to be the school for musicians and the high school was the best place for girls who were into competitive sport, but apart from that it really came down to which suited best in terms of parking and the morning commute. Anyway, it's all ancient history now. The issues here are really little to do with infrastructure and facilities but much more about the need for strong, inspirational leadership - eg the playing school sale has been on the cards for ages - but it is a massive "communication fail" not to have been up front about it with parents, especially when rebuilding trust is so important.

Lost ... I absolutely love your name :)

I was at Dame Alice too and it was lovely - quite traditional, and we sang hymns every day, including Jerusalem. I'm sorry to hear things have gone badly since they had to absorb Bedford High in the merger.

To be fair, Bedford High did used to sell itself partly on its poshness, not only on being academic (their prospectus at one point used to boast about how many of their girls had brothers at Bedford School), so I'm sure there are a good few High School parents who were appalled at the move to the Dame Alice site just because they've always seen Dame Alice as more downmarket.

Having said that, I would never dismiss all criticism as being down to that attitude - if it's the same swimming pool that was there when I was then, like a previous poster said, it's definitely old now! And teachers and management can change (or be mixed up with staff from a merging school) and make a school unrecognisable, which is a terrible shame.

Glad to hear ,mightyproud, that Berko working for your girls, it does look like a great school. We withdrew our dd with a terms notice, however two other girls were pulled out of her class last term without parents giving any notice as I think they were so pissed off with the school so I suspect the Harpur Trust is very busy trying to sue lots of families !!!

We removed our dd part of the way through the year from Bedford Girls' School and are currently being sued by Harpur Trust (and we have paid them over £150,000 in school fees for our dds over the years!!), so not a big fan myself . Opted for Berkhamsted . 15-19 minutes on train from Bletchley. Fabulously fab school. Youngest dd however complains - "I hate Berko - they make me wear my glasses". Enough said.

I'm just so relieved that I've removed my dd after seeing mkshoppers information about the harper trust selling off the beautiful high school playing fields in a further effort to cost cut and leave the school with truly appalling facilities. I heard the school sang Jerusalem for the first time ever at the beginning of this term which after my earlier post makes me wonder if the head is a follower of mumsnet !!! Thankfully my dd having amazing time in new school which is infinitely better than BGS in every way. It's a shame the girls of Bedford are so let down when the boys school is so good. I really hope things start to improve for all the girls still there.

Hey Proudworkingmum, noticed you said about Bedford Girls School - "they have access to another larger site a couple of miles down the road"

You mean - the lacrosse fields at Beverley Crescent ? Beautiful aren't they.

"Bedford Charity (Harpur trust)" has applied for planning permission to build 205 homes there. Good to see their priorities.

Of course you will have known being a parent, but just in case ....

www.portal.bedford.gov.uk/internet/environment/planning/planning%20applications/plans%202011/11%2002000%2011%2002999/11%2002600%20-%2011%2002699/11%2002675%20eia/11%2002675%20eia%20app%20form/11%2002675%20EIA%20APP%20FORM.pdf

Ooooh, much longer ago than that ... Having said that I was amazed that a couple of the teachers I had had were still there up to a year or two ago.

cheesedoff when were you at DAHS? I left summer 1999.

I also went to Dame Alice and am appalled at how the merger has been handled. By, the way, the person who commented on the swimming pool is spot on, my MOTHER helped to raise money to have it built when she was in the sixth form.

I went to Bedford High back in the 1970s when it was very highly regarded. I was so proud of the place. Very sad to hear all this.

I went to Dame Alice ... It is devastating to hear that so much has been lost in the merger.

I'm afraid I was left with no option but to remove my daughter from Bedford Girls' school this summer term which I did not do lightly. I personally don't think the site is spacious , not when 1200 girls are crammed into it. My daughter had to queue to go up and down the stairs and at the end of the day rush to the lockers quickly to get anywhere near them , the girls call this 'locker crush' as the area is so overcrowded . Class sizes are 25 which i think is high for a private school.
When teachers were off sick on a number of occassions no supply
cover would turn up, when I complained about this to the deputy head I was told that it was impossible to know if a class had a teacher present if it was down the end of a corridor , friends and I listened to this comment in horror and suggest that a career change in PR would not be a good move for her ... The pool looks like some 1970's relic and the sports hall is from bygone era that I can't recognise. The sports facilities at the previous high school site were vastly superior . 17 members of staff left the school this summer term, sadly these tended to be the better ones and the fantastic head of the junior school left too ?!!!
I have many friends of ex high school girls who are desperately unhappy with the new school. The high school was a very special place with a distinct traditional ethos, gone are the days of singing Jerusalem, the new school has a projector that comes down and the girls clap like crazy to evangelical happy clappy songs- ahhhhh. My daughter was accosted by drunks when returning from the new music school which is down the road from the main site and during the summer term on the small patch of grass the school owns a man exposed himself and worse through the fence while a group of them enjoyed the sunshine !!!! So not the best year in my opinion !!! We're looking forward to moving on to pastures new in September.

Well I guess you can only speak as you find proudworkingmum. As I said previously I have 4 friends with girls at the school who would completely disagree with your opinion. I also know parents at my daughters school who looked at Bedford Girls for 6th form and decided against it for virtually the same reasons that coldglassofwine stated. It doesn't hurt to pass on opinions to prospective parents so that they can be on the lookout when viewing schools. Personally I always find glowing reports slightly suspect.

Like JUBEE0412, I couldn't disagree more with the comments from ColdGlassofWine and FozzieMK, we think the new Bedford Girls School is fantastic.

The school has great facilities and vision - they've built a new purpose built music house and a friend on the PTA told me they're looking at a recital hall as well. Not only does the school have a swimming pool on site for PE lessons, but I believe they are keeping the old pool from the High School for elite swimmers for the next 10 years as well. There is a playing field is on site, which was not true for the old High School and they have access to another larger site a couple of miles down the road. The whole site is much more spacious and modern than the old High School which was landlocked next to the prison and didn't have a single blade of grass on site. The range of sports and the arts available to the girls is just fantastic (I wish I had the same opportunities, when I was at school!).

The Headmistress seems providing great leadership and direction to her team and they are focussing on girls' education by providing amazing opportunities such as offering both A Level and IB.

The thing we really noticed through the merger process is that the High School had very little computer equipment which we always felt was inappropriate for our girls in today's world. The new school has an interactive teaching board in every classroom and a virtual environment for homework and sharing ideas amongst the girls, the teachers seem really enthusiastic about using IT and how it can support the learning for their subjects.

We actually think the merger process which was unsettling for the girls and staff at both schools has been handled really well - none of our initial fears came to pass and the school is going from strength to strength. Both my girls have very close friends from both Dame Alice and the High School, there is no distinction now, it is very much one school.

If you're looking for a local school for your girls, you'd be doing yourself a real disservice to not look at Bedford Girls School and then decide for yourself which suits your girls best.

I have a few friends with children at Bedford Girls, most of them are unhappy with the new school for the same reasons that ColdGlass lists. Quite a few girls from my daughters school used to go to either Dame Alice or Bedford High for sixth form, this year there is only one moving to Bedford Girls.

Really couldn't disagree more with the comment above. The merger went seamlessly and my children within a week said they felt as if they'd been all together for years?! All of the parents I associate with also have had a good experience and are more than pleased with the leadership. I truly believe that when choosing a school for your child you need to see it for yourself anyway. This discussion just shows how opinions can be polar apart and you should trust your own instincts when deciding upon your daughters education.

I'm replying a year after the original post but just wanted to give an update. Bedford High senior school has now been merged for a year and become Bedford Girls's School. It has gone from being a fantastic school to one which is truly appalling. The leadership is weak,the change in site has lead to atrocious facilities, huge class sizes and cost cutting at every opportunity. I don't know a parent who is happy with it. Don't touch with a barge pole , it's just not worth the money. Kimbolton, Bedford Modern, Northampton High would be far better choices for anyone living in this area.

Have you thought about Bloxham or St Edwards?

Bedford has come in for a lot of criticism since the merger. At the prep school where I work at one family left for Bedford then came back!

We also lost several girls to Thornton at 11+. One has come back and I know of a few others who are planning to move on again or who have not settled well. I believe it is a lovely school though, just not for everyone (sport not that strong, only one drama production every other year etc).

Thornton is a lovely school but basically is not really for the academically able.I am sure it does have some very bright girls but is more for the gentle non academics I think