Bedales: discussion, projects and its own Assessed Courses alongside GCSEs

What are BACs, and would they suit your child?

Bedales Assessed Courses, or BACs, are the school’s own two-year courses for Years 10–11. They sit alongside GCSE and IGCSE study and use varied assessment. English Literature, for example, includes essays, examinations and an oral presentation. “Different assessment” does not mean “no assessment”.

Ask to see a complete piece of work, its assessment criteria and the feedback that helped the pupil improve it. How much happens in class? How many deadlines overlap? What support is available if a child is good at the subject but struggles to plan a long assignment?

Bedales says a commissioned Ecctis study found its English Literature BAC comparable to GCSE. The school’s April 2026 announcement concerns that subject; it is not a guarantee that every receiving school or university treats every BAC identically.

If you might move schools at sixteen or relocate overseas, ask the likely receiving institution how it would treat the exact courses and grades. Do this before subject choices are settled. A family planning to stay through A levels may face a different practical decision from one expecting an international move after Year 11.

Check the current subject offering for your child’s cohort. The curriculum page describes planned changes from September 2027, so do not assume today’s list is a fixed promise for a younger applicant.

A day place still means a substantial school week

The most easily missed practical detail is the morning-only minibus service. Routes include Petworth, Birdham, Winchester and Petersfield station. The school explains that different finishing times prevent a matching afternoon service. Places are booked termly rather than for occasional days.

Before deciding a route is manageable, build the return journey for several different days. Who collects after a late activity? Can a sibling’s pickup coexist with that? What is the backup when a parent is away? A convenient morning stop solves only half the problem.

The Senior day can extend into late afternoon and evening. The Prep’s Years 7–8 also have Saturday school.

Consider a fictional family whose child wants both music and a school production. Living close enough for lessons may not be enough if the parents cannot manage the later collection times. Another family nearby may find that the same activities make a day place particularly attractive. Neither conclusion depends on a school ranking.

Choose the boarding pattern, not just the boarding label

The boarding page describes full, half and flexi boarding at the Prep. These should not be assumed to be identical products in the Senior School. Ask which pattern is available at your child’s entry point and whether the nights you need can be guaranteed.

Write out a normal fortnight together: nights in school, weekends at home, travel, activities and contact with family. Then test what happens during a busy performance week or when the child feels unwell. A flexible-sounding arrangement is only useful if the practical rules fit your family.

The October 2025 inspection raised a concern about the dorm-mentor role in mixed-age boarding: it did not always foster the mutual trust and respect intended.

Speak to your child separately after the visit. Would sharing with older pupils feel reassuring or uncomfortable? What did they notice about the adults in the house? Our first-term boarding guide helps you plan contact and support if you decide to proceed.

How much structure and support would your child receive?

The inspection found teachers, tutors and boarding staff working together to support individual needs. It also recorded policy-update weaknesses that were corrected during inspection. A positive inspection cannot tell you whether every need your child has can be met; that takes a child-specific conversation about current policies.

A more varied assessment model may open up strengths, but it may also make planning support especially important.

Discuss where support sessions fit. Would your child miss a favourite lesson, independent study or an activity? The learning-support guide has a fuller meeting checklist.

A scholarship does not reduce the school fees

This distinction matters at Bedales. Its scholarship scheme offers a personal-development grant of up to £500 a year, not a tuition discount. Means-tested bursaries are separate and can reach full fees, with possible help for additional costs. Parents resident outside the UK are not eligible for bursary support.

Bursaries are available from 11+, with reviews when a child moves from Prep to Senior and into Sixth Form. Do not assume a talented child will receive funding merely because they qualify for a scholarship assessment.

The 2026/27 fee schedule separates tuition from extras such as examinations, transport, books, project materials and trips. Registration from Reception upwards is £240 including VAT; the published UK-resident acceptance deposit is £1,440. Families resident abroad face a different deposit arrangement.

Senior fees are £14,717 per term for day pupils and £18,999 for boarders, including VAT: £44,151 or £56,997 across three terms before extras. In Prep Years 7–8, day fees are £9,689 per term; half boarding, defined as three nights, is £11,625, and boarding from four nights is £13,058. These are 2026/27 prices, not a future-entry quote.

Request a complete quote for your child’s year and boarding pattern, including any separately priced support. A scholarship grant should not be subtracted from the tuition bill in your budget.

Our fees and bursaries guide can help you compare offers. Keep your own contribution, extras and potential future increases visible on the same page before accepting.

At eleven you join the Prep; at thirteen, the Senior school

The application page lists Prep entry at eight and eleven, and Senior entry at thirteen and sixteen, with day and boarding options. Other years depend on availability; Year 11 and Year 13 entry are not offered. This guide focuses on the older entry routes, rather than Nursery and Pre-prep.

An 11+ application is therefore not an application to start Senior School early.

The admissions policy assumes internal progression but makes it conditional on satisfactory academic progress and behaviour. Sixth-form progression normally requires an average grade 6 across GCSEs and BACs, with higher grades in chosen A-level subjects.

“All-through” should not be read as a place guaranteed until eighteen regardless of progress.

What happens during the residential assessment?

The policy describes 11+ assessment over two days and one night in January of the entry year, with maths, English, a one-to-one meeting and activities. At 13+, the residential normally takes place two and a half years before joining, adding an online ability test and interviews. Individual assessment days are also described as an alternative.

Help your child feel familiar with staying away and asking for help. You can talk about an interest they enjoy without preparing a polished speech about it. Ask Admissions what to bring and whether any work should be prepared; do not assume a portfolio is required simply because the school values creative activities.

Confirm the year on your invitation. The live calendar has inconsistent labels: the 13+ heading says 2029 entry while its January 2027 assessment row says 2028. The 11+ table is headed 2027 but one row says 2026.

For the 11+ table headed 2027, enrolment for assessment and bursary applications are due 31 October 2026. It lists assessment on 4–5 January 2027, offers in the week beginning 8 February and acceptance by 5 March. Do not transfer those deadlines to ordinary 13+ registration without confirmation.

Parents considering 13+ entry should also plan the intervening school years. Where will your child be taught, what conditions remain on the offer, and when will the family hear whether progress is on track?