Bedes Prep school eastbourne

[cybermumrules]

We are moving from Ibiza where my son who is 11 yrs old attends an international college. I am a single parent and am trying to sort house, job, and school!!! Can anyone please give me a heads up on their experience and experience of Bede's prep, please!

Hi there, its a small school (btwn around 20 to 40 per year maybe). Disproportionate number of boys vs girls (about 70% boys i'd guess). Facilites aren't that great at the prep school compared with st andrews next door but they're not bad and the children seem to head up to the dicker (senior school) often to use the facilities up there. Its not particularly academic - its got a good reputation for SEN but my experience of it wasn't particuarly great tbh. I think it gently develops the children, gives them time to be kids and provides lots of extra curricular activities so that the children can explore different interests. Brighter kids are gently stretched i think but conversely kids can get away with doing the bare minimum.
It is a very sporty school but without the coaching expertise to match its reputation imo. They seem to buy in talent via scholarships/bursaries rather than nurture from within. The coaching in cricket and hockey is very good. Coaching in football is rubbish despite having a reputation as a football school. They have just ditched rugby which hasn't gone down too well with some parents. I certainly wouldn't send my child there for the sport. Music is good - although the head of music is leaving. They run a LAMDA programme and art is good. The head is excellent, approachable, friendly and no doubt an asset to the school. There has been quite a lot of staff turnover and i think he is trying to get rid of some of the dead wood. There is a bit of variety in the quality of the teaching - some are excellent but some are not the quality you would expect. Most children move on to Bedes Senior school afterwards.
Its a good school - although probably not worth the money.

thank you so much xxx

Some may see Bedes as a non academic school & feel it is only a sporty school; however, it is much more. It is a great nurturing prep school that will help your child find the things they are good at & will encourage them in the areas where they may need more support. Yes it is sporty if your child loves sport, its arty if that's your child's thing & it's academic if you have a boffin. My DS is a mix of all the above & so he thrived at Bedes Senior. If we lived in Eastbourne, we would of selected the prep school too.

The ethos of Bedes is the same through from age 2 to 18. The prep does make use of the facilities at the senior school. That said I thought the facilities at the prep were good too?

If you want your child to attend a school that will give him the tools to become a free thinker, then you can't go far wrong. Maybe contact the school if you have concerns? I had many questions & received speedy replies answering every one.

This reply has given me confidence that somehow I have found The right school. My son is very well-behaved child she quite likes structure his idea of a good school is where he can wear a blazer and tie so he was slightly disappointed attending international school here where it’s all very loose and free! However he likes a peaceful learning environment and can’t stand when teachers to shout and shout to assert their authority. He likes to learn and is keen to get things right. He has a strong natural talent in drama and also good strength in English. I had a natural interest in politics and in history. He does enjoy sport. He needs a friendly school caring school and the school where he can really have his natural interests fed. This is what I am hoping for with this School. He also might end up boarding for the first half a time which to be honest I am quite nervous about although I do feel assured by team at the school that this will be a positive experience for him

Sorry I can see some grammatical mistakes above but I can’t seem to edit them?

I wanted to say that he has a strong natural talent in drama Plus strengths in English and a natural interest in politics and history

Which class is your DS joining? How many classes each year group? Have you visited?
We are visiting in 2 weeks for my DS, also coming back from overseas...