Thinking of Bedales for sixth form

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Just wanted to hear from anybody who had sent their kid there for sixth form. Are the new kids accepted and fit in quickly?

They are put into study pods, three or four (I think) per study. And the school is careful to split up friendship groups so that new joiners can be incorporated. (My experience is of four years ago, before Will was the permanent Head.)

It is a big change at six one, but it works.

Just to say that my experience is from nursery, and that at sixth form things definitely get jigged around. Are you thinking of boarding?

I know a few that have been, why Bedales in particular? It’s known locally to be a bit quirky but fab for children who want to be more arts and creative in life.

Most children have been there since juniors.

in the immediate area you have Churchers for 6th form and lots go there from other schools as well as the longer term churches children.

Most children have been there since juniors.

Well I would disagree with that. Year size massively increases at Block 3, ie Bedales "big school", as I call it.

in the immediate area you have Churchers for 6th form

I doubt OP is looking to send their child to Churchers. They are clearly not local. There's no reason to pick Churchers unless you are local.

Thank you. I loved it when I looked round with my eldest - but she didn't like it.
My youngest is a much more confident child, clever but not academic, and is desperate to board for sixth form. But I don't want her to go and find really established friendship cliques or to find it too cool.

When you say “not academic” what sort of GCSEs is she likely to get? I ask because “not academic” is obviously subjective ( especially when talking with my HK friends 🤣) and just thinking about possible alternatives to give you some other options.

I think she will get 6/7/8 and one or two 9s.

Is she arty? Musical? Interested in the performing arts? That would strengthen her weaker GCSE predictions, for Bedales.

For instance, what A levels is she interested in doing?

Bedales is careful to split friendship groups up when it comes to allocating study rooms. You stay with the same group for one year, then it gets changed again in 6.2.

I think she’s probably getting better GCSE’s than her cohort at Bedales will have got. It definately has a reputation of attracting a certain ‘type’

I think she’s probably getting better GCSE’s than her cohort at Bedales will have got.

Then you would be wrong. There are all sorts of pupils at Bedales, many of them very academic.

Bedales sixth form has a wide range of pupils, OP. What A levels is she interested in?