Bedales Prep School Dunhurst

This is a unique brochure designed by children for children.

The Dunhurst Block 2 (Year 8) Marketing Committee has designed this brochure to give a glimpse into Dunhurst from their perspective. Hopefully this will help prospective students get a better idea of what life could be like for them at Dunhurst.

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“The thing I love about Dunhurst is the pupils; they make me laugh and they are so friendly. When I joined they were all so welcoming and I know that’s how they would treat me if I were a pupil.

I love being in the countryside, it holds great facilities for all of the activities we get up to, I have always found this school fascinating.

I love the fact that the teachers and pupils get along so well and there is no shouting!

I believe there can never be too much creativity as I am an artist, I say bring on the creativity!

I love chatting to the children and discovering their view of the world. They always manage to surprise and amaze me with their ideas and perceptive views. Every child is unique and it is in our ethos to encourage children to question what they see and hear so that they develop their own well informed and considered ideas. It is these fascinating discussions that enable me to see the whole child.

Some of the best new ideas for Dunhurst have been sown through conversations with the pupils. It is their education and I love to see them taking an active part in the shaping of it.”

Jane Grubb - Head of Bedales Prep School, Dunhurst

“Work of each for weal of all”John Badley, founder of Bedales Schools

Boarding at Dunhurst is magic! You get to be with your friends all week while still getting to see your family at the weekends. It’s the perfect balance.

The matrons are lovely. If you are hurt, homesick or just need a hug they are there for you.

If the days get long and tiring you can just fall in to your bed in the evening or chill with your friends in the boarding house or outside.

One of the best things about boarding is the feeling of accomplishment when you have made your dorm in to a special little area that you can relax and take a break in.

Friday NightsBoarding is best on Friday nights because there is always a great activity to join in with. These weekly events can range from watching a movie to having a treasure hunt and barbeque! It is a fun hour or two with your friends, gappies (gap year students) and house staff.

The best thing about boarding at Dunhurst is that you can pick and choose the nights you want to board, so if you live locally you can balance your time with your family and friends.

WeekendsIf you are a London based boarder you have the option to take the train back to London Waterloo on a Saturday to spend the night at home and see your family and friends. At least one gap year student accompanies the group. You can then take the train back to Dunhurst again on a Sunday evening (also with a gap year student). However, if you do prefer to travel home by car with your parents then that is fine.

FoodThe food at Dunhurst is excellent. It never gets boring and is always fresh from the on-site kitchen. There is always a wide variety of meals and snacks which cater for everyone’s tastes and offer a balanced diet, including hot and cold meals, a salad bar and a vegetarian option.

Football

Hockey

Cricket

Rugby

AthleticsBadminton

Basketball

Rounders

Tennis

Numerous grass pitches (17 acres of playing fields)

IAPS finalists

Unbeaten league winners

Three hard netball/tennis courts

Full-sized, floodlit Astro-turf (12 tennis courts in the summer term)

The teams at Dunhurst are filled with good sportsmanship and a desire to achieve.

Most matches at Dunhurst are played on a Wednesday afternoon apart from a few exceptions.

We don’t have to play competitive sports although many of us do. We enjoy the competitions and we have got some fantastic sides who are doing really well – Go Dunhurst!

At Dunhurst every individual can choose different sports to pursue.

Sports Hall with space for eight badminton courts

Modern indoor swimming pool

Two gymnasiums Swim

ming

Netball

There are so many options at Dunhurst, especially in the Creative Department.

Creative StudiesIn Creative Studies there are so many different lessons like textiles, art, pottery and woodwork.

MusicYou can choose from a range of instrumental lessons from the harp, to the banjo.

To practise your music, there are about 15 little rooms just big enough for a piano and stool that are perfect for composing songs or just practising your own pieces, as well as two large drum rooms to practise with your band or to record your songs in.

Unique to Dunhurst are the opportunities to shine. All year round, from the end of term concert to the noisy atmosphere of the Rock Show, there is always something musical to be a part of.

Dance and DramaYou can have private or grouped dance lessons as well as LAMDA drama lessons.

All the way through the year, there are plays for different year groups to take part in. Early in the year is the Groups play, which everyone in Groups 1 – 3 (Years 4 – 6) takes part in. In the middle of the year is the first Blocks play for Blocks 1 and 2 (Years 7 and 8) which is performed in the Olivier Theatre - the proper theatre at Bedales. Then in the last half term of the year, the second Blocks play is produced and performed in a marquee on the Dunhurst playing fields. All the hard work put in by both the staff and students, including the costumes, make the brilliantly creative plays that Dunhurst is known for.

Dance, Drama, Music and Art

In Outdoor Work, it’s not just what we do, it’s what we do while we are doing it.Nick, Outdoor Work Teacher

“It’s rewarding seeing all the children progress their confidence in Outdoor Work skills.”Bob, The Gardener

In Outdoor Work we do many projects. Recently we finished building a camouflaged wigwam beside the pond. Sometimes our classes are split up in to groups and we work on different projects for example: making bread for the class, feeding and cleaning out the chickens, doing some gardening and picking apples and then pressing them in to juice.

Dunhurst supports a school in the coffee farming community of Miraflor, Nicaragua. The school needed facilities like working loos, so Dunhurst organised lots of fundraising events to help.

Dunhurst also has a fundraising event called the HOPIT fair (Helping Other People In Trouble). For the HOPIT fair, all of the students come up with their own individual ways of raising money for charity, from making delectate designed cupcakes or doughnuts to making jewellery and hosting a game of ‘Splat the rat!’

Each year the afternoon before the HOPIT fair, students present to the whole school a charity that they are keen to benefit from our fundraising. After all the presentations the HOPIT committee decides which charities of the ones presented to donate to.

There is a wide range of charities that Dunhurst support.

All of the students and the staff are really enthusiastic when it comes to fundraising and there is always a queue to the signup sheet when it is first put up.

Another fundraising event is the Sam Banks charity where each student uses £10 to start a business. They then pay back the £10 to the person who gave it to them and give the rest of the profits to the school. The school’s current fundraising project is the Sam Banks Memorial Pavilion – a new Oak framed cricket pavilion for the Dunhurst sports pitch.

Activities for Groups (Years 4 – 6) are as varied as they are for the Blocks (Years 7 and 8). The possibilities range from mountain biking to taekwondo, from sailing to cooking! The choice of activities changes throughout the year and so you have plenty of opportunities to try new experiences or revisit your favourites and become a bit of an expert.

Throughout the year we go on various school trips, from places like Marwell Zoo to London theatre productions like Les Miserables and Wicked. We go to drama and art workshops and art exhibitions like Freda Carlo. Sometimes we just go bowling or sightsee at places like Dickens World.

Every May each year group goes on a camp. Everyone loves the camp; it’s a fun experience for everyone to hang out with in their year group. From Group 1 (Year 4) to Block 2 (Year 8), you always get a great camp in the summer term! From Dorset to Point Du Hoc.

CommitteesAt Dunhurst there is a wide range of committees. When you reach Block 2 (Year 8) you can apply for a variety of committees such as the Marketing or Food Committee. It is a way of children having more of a voice in what goes on and having the freedom to make decisions for the benefit of each student and the school as a whole. This freedom encourages people to think for themselves and discuss their ideas with the rest of the committee.

Peer ListeningPeer Listening is a scheme where some of the older pupils are assigned to a class. They will help a member of the class if they are having any problems. It is set up because the majority of pupils going through a rough time don’t tell a teacher but they will tell someone who they know as a friend.

The atmosphere is amazing in Dunhurst – all of us are good friends with everyone including the teachers. It is all about individuality here and it makes you feel like you are all part of one big family.

At Dunhurst we have an original year group system:

Group 1: Year 4Group 2: Year 5Group 3: Year 6Block 1: Year 7Block 2: Year 8

A green is a free period where we have to go to the library and work or read a book. We can also have a music lesson, music practice, learning support or a LAMDA lesson.

To the right and below are sample timetables for the Groups (Years 4 – 6) and Blocks (Years 7 and 8):

GlossaryCS - Creative StudiesJAW - School AssemblyLAMDA - The London Academy of Music and Dramatic ArtMRS - Music Rehearsal SessionODW - Outdoor WorkPefe - PetersfieldPSHE - Personal, Social, Health Education

Average Group 2 Timetable

Average Block 2 Timetable

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

1 PE Topic Topic Spelling English

2 PE Topic Topic Science English

3 English PE English IT/Green Maths

B R E A K

4 English PE English Music Maths

5 Maths Maths Games IT/Green CS

6 Maths Maths Games Science CS

L U N C H

Groups Lesson*

Reading Science CS Maths Story

7 Green Science CS Maths French

8 Music French Topic ODW Green

9 Choir Green Topic ODW Drama

Activities/Home

Activities/Home

Activities/Home

Activities/Home

JAW

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 8:55-9:30 French Ensembles Drama PE Ensembles History

2 9:30-10:05 GREEN GREEN Drama PE Geography IT

3 10:05-10:40 GREEN Music French English Spanish Music

10:40-11:00 Ballet (Mon) Piano (Tues) B R E A K

4 11:05-11:40 Geography English French English GREEN GREEN

5 11:40-12:15 Games Maths Maths Science Maths PE

6 12:15-1:00 Games Maths Maths Science Maths PE

1:00-2:00 L U N C H Guitar lesson (Fri)

7 2:05-2:40 Science PSHE Home French History Home

8 2:40-3:15 Science MRS Pefe CS History Home

9 3:15-3:50 English ODW Match CS MRS Home

3:50-4:15 B R E A K

10 4:20-4:55 CS Science Break GREEN Tutor time Home

11 4:55-5:30 CS Science Break History JAW Home

5:30-6:00 S U P P E R

Activity 6:00-7:00 Home

An extra lesson period in the timetable as Groups have 30 minutes for lunch

Created by

Kitty Kennedy, Gabi Gotts, Molly Beardall, Alia Mehta, Milo Howes, Tilly Excell

Dunhurst Block 2 Marketing Committee (2011-2012)

Bedales SchoolsHeadmaster: Keith Budge

BedalesManaging Head: Dominic OliverChurch RoadSteep, PetersfieldHampshire GU32 2DGT: +44 (0)1730 711569F: +44 (0)1730 300500E: admissions@bedales.org.uk

DunhurstHead: Jane GrubbAlton RoadSteep, PetersfieldHampshire GU32 2DRT: +44 (0)1730 711733F: +44 (0)1730 711820E: dunhurstadmissions@bedales.org.uk

DunannieHead: Jo WebbernAlton RoadSteep, PetersfieldHampshire GU32 2DPT: +44 (0)1730 711733F: +44 (0)1730 711830E: dunannieadmissions@bedales.org.ukwww.bedales.org.uk

September 2012