Established in 1552

The school consists of 1120 boys, aged 7 to 13 for Prep and 13-18 for the Upper School. Our pupils come from all over the world, boasting 27 different nationalities. In terms of staff, there is an average staff to pupil ratio of 1:9.

  • Staff
  • Pupil

47 minutes

is the time it takes for pupils to travel from London St Pancras to Bedford School. Our school’s 50 acre estate is located in the heart of Bedford, with London’s four main airports in easy reach.

Outstanding results

In 2018, two-thirds of boys went on to Russell Group universities including Oxford and Cambridge, and almost three-quarters of boys went on to Times Top 30 universities. At GCSE, boys recorded the record results – our best since 2010 and our second best on record.

Creative Arts

40+

Art exhibitions, lectures, masterclasses, talks and trips taken each year

109

Concerts and recitals per year

148

Productions in the Quarry Theatre last year

Sport

1200

Sports fixtures played

40

Different sports

14

National finals in the last 3 years

7

National call-ups across 6 different sports in 2017

Extracurricular

70+

Clubs and societies in BOTH the Prep and Upper School

£330,000+

Raised by our boy-run Charities Committee in the last eight years (Prep and Upper School)

100+

Charities supported by the school in the last 9 years

Scholarships available

Scholarships are awarded for excellence and are worth up to 35% of fees. Financial assistance is available through our bursary awards, which are means-tested and worth up to 100% of fees. Here at Bedford School, a third of our pupils currently receive a scholarship and/or financial assistance.’

We have scholarships for:

  • Academic
  • Sport
  • Art
  • Golf
  • Drama
  • Music

2 gold awards

These two national awards are validation of the high standard of careers and UCAS provision delivered to boys across the school. We recognise that high quality careers and UCAS guidance is vital to prepare boys for their futures and to help them to make the most of the opportunities open to them.

Recent Developments & Investments

£6m Quarry Theatre

£3m upgrade for the Science Building

£3m Music School

£1.8m Library

£1m Langham Pavilion

Old Bedfordians

8,500 Old Bedfordian members worldwide. Established in 1891, this vibrant and active alumni community is one of the largest and oldest in the country.

Ranked 32nd in the UK’s top 100 schools by the Sutton Trust*. *ranked by the number of leading people educated at each school.