Geographers experience Marrakesh and Sahara

The start of Easter saw the return of BAC geographers to Morocco. We studied aspects of North African culture, religion and history before setting off to experience Morocco for ourselves. During eight days on tour, from the bustling city of Marrakesh to the remote sand seas of the Sahara, we explored UNESCO sites (Ait- Ben-Haddou), stepped onboard galleons from Gladiatorat the Atlas film studios, walked the fossil covered Dades Valley and slept under the Sahara stars. A highlight for our sports’ contingent was the UK v Morocco football match in the Sahara, (1-0 to Bedales boys!). With one of the longest camel caravans this century, the students packed a great deal in throughout the week, keeping journals of their experiences along the way. Follow @GBedales. View photos.

By Kirsty Layton, Head of Geography

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Bedales School is one of the UK’s top independent private co-education boarding schools. Bedales comprises three schools situated in Steep, near Petersfield, Hampshire: Dunannie (ages 3–8), Dunhurst (ages 8–13) and Bedales itself (ages 13–18). Established in 1893 Bedales School puts emphasis on the Arts, Sciences, voluntary service, pastoral care, and listening to students’ views. Bedales is acclaimed for its drama, theatre, art and music. The Headmaster is Keith Budge.

Bedales students trace WW1ancestors in historic visit to Battlefields

To mark the occasion of the WW1 Centenary, 77 Block 3 (Year 9) Bedales students conducted a History tour of The Battlefields of Belgium and France (Ypres and The Somme) to trace relatives and Bedalians who died during the war.

Accompanied by Bedales Head of History, Jonathan Selby, the students travelled down the Western Front, pausing at Notre Dame De Lorette (the French National First World War Cemetery) and the Canadian Monument and trenches at Vimy Ridge. The students visited the market town of Arras, near to the location where poet Edward Thomas died, before exploring the battlefield area of The Somme, visiting Thiepval Memorial, Beaumont-Hammel and Lochnagar Mine Crater in the village of La Boiselle.

One of the students, Maud Bonham-Carter, who is the great, great granddaughter of Herbert Asquith, Prime Minister of Great Britain at the start of the First World War, had the opportunity to see the grave of Asquith’s son, Raymond, who had been killed in the war. Raymond’s grave was in Guillemont Cemetery and by extraordinary coincidence, the grave of former Bedales student William Alexander Forbes was found directly in front of Raymond  Asquith’s grave. The students left tributes written on small poppy crosses.

Student Minna Whitby traced her great great uncle in a beautiful secluded cemetery surrounded by woodland, Flat Iron Copse. This was a special grave since although there was a headstone, his body was not beneath it but his comrades knew he had been killed in that field and thus he was granted a full memorial.

The tour concluded with the Last Post Ceremony under the arches of The Menin Gate. Block 3 students Amelia Pike, Olly Brewer and Ed Adams laid a wreath to commemorate the 65 Bedalians who had died in the war. The wreath had been made by the family of Ed Adams.

Commenting on the experience, Jonathan Selby, said: “The tour provided a poignant and evocative few days with the manifold issues of the war seeming as bright and powerful as ever, despite the passing of 100 years. We are now in the process of publishing biographies of the 65 Bedalians who died serving in the war, both teachers and students, some fighting for England and some for Germany. Many interesting stories are emerging from our research, including inspiring tales of those who survived. We look forward to sharing this fascinating part of the school and local community’s history, later in the year.”

View photos.

 

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Bedales School is one of the UK’s top independent private co-education boarding schools. Bedales comprises three schools situated in Steep, near Petersfield, Hampshire: Dunannie (ages 3–8), Dunhurst (ages 8–13) and Bedales itself (ages 13–18). Established in 1893 Bedales School puts emphasis on the Arts, Sciences, voluntary service, pastoral care, and listening to students’ views. Bedales is acclaimed for its drama, theatre, art and music. The Headmaster is Keith Budge.

6.2 mathematicians visit Bletchley Park

6.2 mathematicians recently visited Bletchley Park, which is an estate located in the town of Bletchley, in Milton Keynes. We learnt about the Enigma machine along with the Lorenz machines and the Colossus – the world’s first programmable electronic computer. The Enigma machine was invented in Germany and captured machines were used by Britain’s code breakers as a way of deciphering German signal traffic during World War Two. The Lorenz machines were rotorstream cipher machines used by the German Army during WWII and the Colossus was used for finding possible Lorenz key settings – although not completely decrypting the message. Full decryption relied on the work of the mathematicians and code breakers at Bletchley. Overall it was a very educational visit.

By Maddie Scott, 6.2

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Bedales School is one of the UK’s top independent private co-education boarding schools. Bedales comprises three schools situated in Steep, near Petersfield, Hampshire: Dunannie (ages 3–8), Dunhurst (ages 8–13) and Bedales itself (ages 13–18). Established in 1893 Bedales School puts emphasis on the Arts, Sciences, voluntary service, pastoral care, and listening to students’ views. Bedales is acclaimed for its drama, theatre, art and music. The Headmaster is Keith Budge.

Examining US and UK politics

Over recent weeks, Politics students from both 6.1 and 6.2 have enjoyed full-day immersive experiences in “academic politics from an examiner’s perspective”, in the novel locations of places of worship in London, chosen specifically to encourage students to be reflective. 6.2 students, following a course in applied US politics and government, were led through talks whose titles ranged from the relevance of the Electoral College as a means of electing modern Presidents through to an assessment of whether the US Supreme Court has too much power for an unelected body. The talks led to lively debate and conversation on the train back to school, with students particularly focusing on whether the UK would benefit from a more presidential-style of government. Happily for David Cameron and the Con-Lib Coalition, they voted to keep the status quo. The course for 6.1 politics students is firmly centred in the politics and governance of the UK. Their talk titles covered a range of fascinating topics, examining the role of pressure groups such as Frack Off, Action for Children and Fathers for Justice and the balance of power between the Commons and the Lords, amongst others. The clarity of the speakers, combined with their excellent insight into the examinations system and consequent focus on essay technique and the requirements of forming a balanced argument, meant that both days were a resounding success.

By  Ruth Tarrant, Head of Government and Politics

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Bedales School is one of the UK’s top independent private co-education boarding schools. Bedales comprises three schools situated in Steep, near Petersfield, Hampshire: Dunannie (ages 3–8), Dunhurst (ages 8–13) and Bedales itself (ages 13–18). Established in 1893 Bedales School puts emphasis on the Arts, Sciences, voluntary service, pastoral care, and listening to students’ views. Bedales is acclaimed for its drama, theatre, art and music. The Headmaster is Keith Budge.

Block 5s enjoy Shakespeare

Block 5 English Literature students recently went to see Guildford Shakespeare Company’s take on Othello at the Holy Trinity Church on Guildford High Street. Interestingly, the Company chose to set their version of Othello in the context of the Cold War – 400 years after its original setting in Venice – cleverly mirroring the sense of paranoia and dishonesty which characterises the play. The performance was thoroughly enjoyable, and the audience was fully able to engage with the cast and the plot, due to the innovative stage setting which put the crowd right in the action.

By Charlie Milliken, Block 5

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Bedales School is one of the UK’s top independent private co-education boarding schools. Bedales comprises three schools situated in Steep, near Petersfield, Hampshire: Dunannie (ages 3–8), Dunhurst (ages 8–13) and Bedales itself (ages 13–18). Established in 1893 Bedales School puts emphasis on the Arts, Sciences, voluntary service, pastoral care, and listening to students’ views. Bedales is acclaimed for its drama, theatre, art and music. The Headmaster is Keith Budge.

Action-packed Icelandic adventure

A Level geographers visited Iceland on a five day, action-packed adventure. From relaxing in the 37 degree Blue Lagoon, to donning crampons and heading up Sólheimajökull glacier, the full exposure to the landscape was exciting and brilliant. ‘Best trip ever’ was the call from the bus on the last day, after a busy week which included seeing the Northern Lights. AS students explored elements of coasts, rivers and cold environments, whilst A2 looked more into living and adjusting to a hazardous environment. The prospect of getting just 30 minutes warning prior to an eruption of one of the many Icelandic volcanoes was unnerving enough, but one of the group stood on the crater edge of Eyjafjallajökull volcano the day before it erupted in 2010 – so with the experience fresh in their minds, it made for a dynamic experience. Follow @GBedales. View photos.

By Kirsty Layton, Head of Geography

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Bedales School is one of the UK’s top independent private co-education boarding schools. Bedales comprises three schools situated in Steep, near Petersfield, Hampshire: Dunannie (ages 3–8), Dunhurst (ages 8–13) and Bedales itself (ages 13–18). Established in 1893 Bedales School puts emphasis on the Arts, Sciences, voluntary service, pastoral care, and listening to students’ views. Bedales is acclaimed for its drama, theatre, art and music. The Headmaster is Keith Budge.

Learning about Byzantines from Oxford don

Bedales students were visited recently by Dr Peter Frankopan from Worcester College, University of Oxford who gave a talk at Civics on the Byzantine Empire. The very concept of this topic challenged the Western consensus of how history has happened and it was very much Dr Frankopan’s concern to shake up our view of what was important in the study of history. The audience was treated to a brand new set of characters and stories, from the Crusades to exploding sparrows. A range of students from all year groups questioned Dr Frankopan closely on all aspects of the Byzantine Empire and left the talk inspired to enquire further into this fascinating topic.

By  Nick Meigh, Teacher of History

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Bedales School is one of the UK’s top independent private co-education boarding schools. Bedales comprises three schools situated in Steep, near Petersfield, Hampshire: Dunannie (ages 3–8), Dunhurst (ages 8–13) and Bedales itself (ages 13–18). Established in 1893 Bedales School puts emphasis on the Arts, Sciences, voluntary service, pastoral care, and listening to students’ views. Bedales is acclaimed for its drama, theatre, art and music. The Headmaster is Keith Budge.

Fresh perspective on Wuthering Heights

Before Christmas, 6.1 English students went to London to hear lectures on Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights; the text for this year’s AS prose comparison coursework. The day was exceptionally rewarding with some really useful lectures on a range of challenging topics. Sheila Lawes from the Open University began with Romantic Figure or Cruel Oppressor?: Some Perspectives on Heathcliff, and then Catherine and the Limitations of Women’s Lives in the World of Wuthering Heights. The lectures offered both a fresh perspective on the character of Heathcliff but also enabled students to see knowledge acquired from their lessons reinforced. The day continued with a lecture on Wuthering Heights And The Gothic Tradition delivered by Dr Eleanor Spencer-Regan from Durham University and then ended with a useful take on the structure of the novel by Rory Drummond, former Head of English at Framlingham College. It is always valuable to experience information in the context of the lecture to encourage independent learning whilst also being exposed to the style of learning needed at university level. A very stimulating day.

By David Anson, Head of English

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Bedales School is one of the UK’s top independent private co-education boarding schools. Bedales comprises three schools situated in Steep, near Petersfield, Hampshire: Dunannie (ages 3–8), Dunhurst (ages 8–13) and Bedales itself (ages 13–18). Established in 1893 Bedales School puts emphasis on the Arts, Sciences, voluntary service, pastoral care, and listening to students’ views. Bedales is acclaimed for its drama, theatre, art and music. The Headmaster is Keith Budge.

Greek Tragedy for classicists

Before Christmas, 6.1 Classical Civilisation students attended a series of lectures in London on Greek Tragedy, given by professors from Oxford and King’s College London. The lectures covered the plays being studied for the AS exam as well as giving a flavour of what Greek theatrical festivals were like and for what kind of audience the plays were written. Themes such as the use of symbolism, the role of women in society (and in particular the threat to men when they act beyond this role – Athenian women were not expected to command their men) and heroism in drama were discussed. As well as a useful day of lectures it was a chance to see what Classicists from the rest of the country look like!

By Alex Walker, Head of Classics

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Bedales School is one of the UK’s top independent private co-education boarding schools. Bedales comprises three schools situated in Steep, near Petersfield, Hampshire: Dunannie (ages 3–8), Dunhurst (ages 8–13) and Bedales itself (ages 13–18). Established in 1893 Bedales School puts emphasis on the Arts, Sciences, voluntary service, pastoral care, and listening to students’ views. Bedales is acclaimed for its drama, theatre, art and music. The Headmaster is Keith Budge.

Heart-warming production at The National

Last week, BAC and A Level Drama students were fortunate enough to visit the National Theatre and see Carl Miller’s production of Emil and the Detectives. The play tells the story of young Emil, who bids farewell to his mother and takes the train to stay with his cousin and grandmother in Berlin. While on the train, the money that Emil’s mother gave to him in strict confidence gets stolen by the mysterious conman Mr. Snow. From there on, Emil thinks he’s lost everything, until he begins his quest of tracking down the infamous thief with the help of Gustav, also known as ‘Toots,’ and the other eager children of the big city. It was a heart-warming production that encouraged the audience to get up on their feet at the end and chant for the young adventurer, and altogether an incredibly enjoyable evening.

By Christi Van Clarke, 6.1

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Bedales School is one of the UK’s top independent private co-education boarding schools. Bedales comprises three schools situated in Steep, near Petersfield, Hampshire: Dunannie (ages 3–8), Dunhurst (ages 8–13) and Bedales itself (ages 13–18). Established in 1893 Bedales School puts emphasis on the Arts, Sciences, voluntary service, pastoral care, and listening to students’ views. Bedales is acclaimed for its drama, theatre, art and music. The Headmaster is Keith Budge.