Established | 1895 |
---|---|
Type | Coeducational Day and boarding |
Religion | For all faiths and none |
Headmaster | Peter Goodyer (Senior) Giles Entwisle (Prep and Nursery) |
Chair | Major General Anthony Meier CB OBE |
Founder | Mrs Frances Browne |
Location |
East Sussex England |
DfE number | 845/6011 |
DfE URN | 114653 Tables |
Gender | Coeducational |
Ages | 3 months–18 |
Houses | Bloomsbury, Charleston, Dorter, Crossways, Stud, Knights, Dicker, Deis, Dorms, Camberlot |
Colours | Green, red and white |
Website | www |
Established | 1979 |
---|---|
Type | Independent day and boarding school |
Religion | For all faiths and none. |
Headmaster | Peter Goodyer |
Chair | Major General Antony Meier CB OBE |
Founder | Mr P. P. Pyemont |
Location |
Camberlot Road Hailsham East Sussex BN27 3QH Coordinates: 50°52′01″N 0°12′11″E / 50.867°N 0.203°E |
DfE number | 845/6006 |
DfE URN | 114657 Tables |
Staff | 200 |
Students | 750 |
Gender | Coeducational |
Ages | 13–18/19 |
Houses |
Day: Deis Knights Dicker Bloomsbury Charleston Boarding: Camberlot Dorms Stud Crossways Dorter |
Website | www |
Bede's Senior School, Bede's Prep School and Bede's Pre-Prep and Nursery are three schools in Eastbourne, East Sussex in southern England which, along with the Legat School of Dance, form the St. Bede's School Trust, a charitable organisation whose aim is 'to educate'.
All three schools are independent and fee-paying. Fees can be as high as £30,000 depending on the package selected for a specific student.
While the schools are on holiday, their sites form the 'Bede's Summer School' for exchange students.
The Prep School was founded in 1895 by Mrs Frances Browne, at her house in Blackwater Road, Eastbourne, as Eastbourne College Prep School. It opened with four boys and Mr D Burdett was appointed Headmaster.
In 1900 the school was acquired by Mr G Gowring who purchased a site in Dukes Drive and, at a cost of £7000 built what is still the school’s home today.
At the time of the Second World War, St Bede’s was owned by Mr and Mrs Kenneth Harding. During the War pupils were evacuated to St Edward’s Oxford, whilst the building itself was used for the essential wartime training of about 2,000 telegraphists who specialised in enemy code and cipher. St Bede’s boys moved back to Eastbourne on VE Day, 8 May 1945.
In 1964 Mr and Mrs Peter Pyemont took over the school and four years later it accepted its first girl pupil.
In 1971 it was formed into a Charitable Trust, administered by a Board of Governors.
By 1978, after growing tensions between the Prep School and Eastbourne College, and a dispute between the headmasters of each school, it was decided to split from the College and form a Senior School for pupils who wanted to continue an education steeped in the Bede’s philosophy of focus upon the individual, rather than passing on students to the exam and academic heavy College.
A country estate, eight miles to the north of Eastbourne, was purchased, and St Bede’s Senior School opened its doors in the village of Upper Dicker to just over 30 students.
The estate that was purchased, known to some as The Dicker, was the former of the Edwardian MP, financier and fraudster, Horatio Bottomley.
In Bottomley’s day, The Dicker boasted its own race course and stables. One of the most prominent houses in the village was the home of Bottomley’s stud manager, known as Stud House. That building still exists today, as the Sixth Form Centre and Café. This was only a recent change, as before the changes of Easter 2012 and the recent development of new boarding houses, this used to be 'Stud House', but have now been located just adjacent of the 'Multi Purpose Hall'.