Bedford Girls' Modern School
| Motto | 'Ardent au devoir quotidien' Discover your talents. Be the best you can be. |
|---|---|
| Established | 1882 |
| Closed | 2012 |
| Type | Selective Girls' independent school |
| Founder | Harpur Trust |
| Location |
Cardington Road Bedford Bedfordshire MK42 0BX England |
| Students | 1000 |
| Gender | Girls |
| Ages | 7–18 |
| Houses | Harpur, Howard, Bunyan, Russell |
| Colours | Damson and blue |
| Publication | Reflections |
Dame Alice Harpur School (also known as DAHS), known from 1882 until 1946 as Bedford Girls' Modern School, was an independent girls school in Bedford, United Kingdom, for girls aged 7–18. In September 2010 the junior department of the school merged with the junior department of Bedford High School. From September 2011 to September 2012 the senior schools also merged, the new school is known as Bedford Girls' School.
The school was established in 1882 as the Bedford Girls' Modern School, at the same time and on the same site as the Bedford High School for girls, both of which were part of the Harpur Trust group of independent schools which also included the boys' schools Bedford School and Bedford Modern School. At first, it shared its premises with Bedford High School, until in 1892 it moved to St Paul's Square, occupying the William Cowper building left vacant by the Grammar School. Initially, the Girls' Modern School was much less successful in attracting girls than the more traditional High School, and in 1894 the number of pupils at the two was 146 and 553 respectively. However, under a new head mistress, Miss Edith Dolby (1894 to 1925), the school began to find its way. The curriculum was expanded, the girls stayed longer, and by 1908 numbers had reached 312.
In 1938, having outgrown its St Paul's Square site, the school moved to new buildings designed by Oswald Milne on the southern bank of the Great Ouse on Cardington Road, Bedford, built on playing fields there already owned by the Harpur Trust and used by the school.
In 1946, the school changed its name to Dame Alice Harpur School, adopting the name of the wife of Sir William Harpur, who had originally endowed his foundation with land in Bedford and Holborn, London.
The school always had a Christian ethos, upholding traditional values and standards, but it was fundamentally ecumenical. Girls were divided into one of four houses representing famous figures from historic Bedford, these were Bunyan (Green), Harpur (Yellow), Howard (Blue) and Russell (Red).
...
Wikipedia