I am delighted to introduce you to our school.

At St Bede’s, we are absolutely committed to the idea that successful education starts with the needs of each individual child.  St Bede’s is a family school, built around its pupils, because feeling at home in a caring, family atmosphere is essential for the development of young people. Everything we do focuses on the needs of our pupils, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Our children explore and develop their talents in small classes where they can be effectively stimulated and challenged, while extensive extra-curricular activities provide a broad education in its truest sense. The breadth of the curriculum enables children to try many different things and find out what they are really good at and we monitor each individual’s academic and social progress closely. Giving individual attention allows us to identify and address particular talents or concerns early and, as a result, St Bede’s pupils of all abilities attain very high standards.

A St Bede’s education encourages children to feel happy and secure, to mix easily and establish friendships, to love learning and work with a purpose, to respect the ideas and beliefs of others, and to develop a sense of adventure, challenge and fun. Children gain the confidence to give things a go and to ask when they are unsure. They learn that in school as in life, the more they put in, the more they take out.

There is always a buzz of excitement and energy at St Bede’s. Children are busy at their studies, or at sports, or at one of the many activities that we offer, or simply playing games; to appreciate this vitality fully, you really need to experience it for yourself.

We warmly invite you to visit our school, meet our pupils and staff and experience life at St Bede’s at first hand. I look forward to welcoming you.

Autumn Term 2007

Boarders return	Tuesday 11 September
Day pupils return	Wednesday 12 September
Leave out weekend	Friday 28 September 4.00pm (No Saturday school)
Half term	Friday 19 October
Boarders return	Sunday 28 October
Day pupils return	Monday 29 October
Term ends	Friday 14 December

Spring Term 2008

Boarders return	Sunday 13 January
Day pupils return	Monday 14 January
Leave out weekend	Friday 1 February 6.00pm (No Saturday school)
Half term	Friday 15 February
Boarders return	Sunday 24 February
Day pupils return	Monday 25 February
Term ends	Wednesday 19 March

Summer Term 2008

Boarders return	Sunday 13 April
Day pupils return	Monday 14 April
Leave out weekend	Saturday 3 May 1.00pm (Monday 5 May)
Half term	Friday 23 May
Boarders return	Sunday 1 June
Day pupils return	Monday 2 June
Term ends	Saturday 5 July

Pre-Prep

Pre-Prep starts at the age of 4. Here, they truly begin to celebrate childhood as their confidence grows and their knowledge expands.

We continue to place an emphasis on developing literacy and numeracy skills, and broaden the curriculum to include drama and gymnastics. Children in Pre-Prep receive specialist teaching for ICT, music, French, PE, swimming, games and dance. Small teaching groups allow children to work at their own pace. We assess progress regularly, using the results to create a study programme to meet each child's needs and, where necessary, providing a Support Teacher to help both individuals and small groups.

Children also start to explore their local environment with theatre, exhibition and museum trips, and there are regular visits from touring theatre companies.

The children benefit from having their own dedicated library, dance studio,  a soft play area, as well as a garden for quiet play and reading. We aim to create a happy, stimulating environment.

During Year 1, children start to prepare for the National Curriculum Key Stage 1 tests, which they take at the end of Year 2. In Year 2, children can join the choir, learn the recorder and participate in a wide range of fully supervised after-school activities

Nursery

Nursery starts from 2 years old and children develop essential literacy and numeracy skills. In addition to general class teachers, we have specialists in both music and physical education.

Children have the chance to try out new activities and everyone follows a curriculum which includes French, science, basic computer skills, swimming, music and movement, and short tennis. By tackling many things, our children establish a sound foundation for their future education.

As part of a larger school, the children benefit from a wide range of resources, such as the indoor swimming pool, the library, the music and cookery rooms and the sports hall. Children use the minibuses to make frequent excursions to the beach, the Downs and the woods.

We aim to maintain a friendly, welcoming and safe atmosphere, so that both parents and childen can become accustomed to the school in a relaxed, unhurried manner.

We organise nursery education by the session to suit the needs of both parents and children. The school day is divided into a morning work period, followed by lunch and structured play, which ends at 3.45pm.

St Bede’s School offers a continuous education for boys and girls from the age of 2 to 19. Younger children up to the age of 13 are educated at the preparatory School on the seafront in Eastbourne where they are prepared for their chosen senior schools.

From the age of 13, boys and girls can join us at St Bede’s Senior School, located nearby in the heart of the village of Upper Dicker in East Sussex. St Bede’s at the Dicker is proudly and purposefully non-selective and enjoys the variety of its students – girls and boys, day students and boarders and those of every race and culture. We sincerely hope that it is an easy school in which to feel at ease, to learn to value others however different, and to treat all with kindness and sensitive consideration.
    

This website will, we hope, provide some useful information and an overall view of St Bede’s. A visit will enable you and your son or daughter to learn more about how we can meet your needs. We look forward to meeting you at one of our Open Mornings or at any other time.  

Stephen Cole
The Headmaster

Boarding

St Bede's has both boarding and day students.

Being a boarder at St Bede's enables students to make the most of the schools facilities, many of which are open in the evening. There are many activities and events planned specifically for our very strong boarding community of over 350 students, from more than 25 different countries.

Being a school that runs on a Saturday mornings ensures that boarding students get the maximum out of their time at the school, both academically and socially.

Each boarding house has its own unique atmosphere, with each house organises its own events and pastimes for students making sure there's never a moment to be bored as a boarder at St Bede's.

In the earlier years students share rooms, enabling them to form strong bonds that continue through the rest of their life. As students reach the upper years they will either be in single or double rooms, with facilities for studying in their room.

The menu on the left lists our boarding houses, showing you what they look like and giving you a brief insight into life in the houses. There really is only one way to experience them though - come and see!

Our girls houses are:
Dorter House
Crossways

Our boys houses are:
Dorms House
Stud House
Camberlot

Academic

We achieve excellent examination results and yet St Bede's is not selective academically. We believe that a wide range of academic abilities and talents are essential to providing a successful education in its broadest sense. We seek to understand and develop each student's maximum potential and to give credit for attaining it, whatever the level or field of interest.

We teach our students how to learn, structuring the curriculum around indivduals' needs. This demands a very low student to teacher ratio. Close relationships help staff to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each individual, and to counsel them accordingly. Students can choose to follow courses placing an emphasis on the traditional, academic curriculum, or those that support their individual talents and interests.