Bedford
Upper School
Ages 13 -16
As specialists in boys’ education, we are committed to helping every boy realise his full potential—academically, socially and personally. In the Upper School, we focus on preparing young men for the real challenges and opportunities of today’s world, and for the future they are stepping into.
I have been teaching boys all my life—and, for seven years, I lived with 65 of them in a boarding house. As they grow, the teenage years can be fragile; but they can also be wonderful—and frequently both.
Bedford School is a school which understands boys; it understands the need for great pastoral care in this period of their lives, for working well with parents, for setting high expectations in all they do (whilst working hard to get through the tricky periods), for believing in boys when they doubt themselves, for keeping them busy and engaged.
We insist (as I also say at the start of every term to my own children) that they work hard, play hard and be kind.
“The result is a happy, well disciplined, successful school, with great outcomes and young men who know themselves well, who can hold a conversation in any company and who are well set for life after their formal education.”
Do come to see (and feel) for yourself; and I very much look forward to hosting you.
James Hodgson
Head Master
Digital Technology
Community Partnerships
Original Thinking
Our Upper School in numbers
GCSE exams graded 9 to 7
Whole afternoons of sport every week
Weekly co-curricular opportunities
That they be good men
“For me, a good man embodies respect, responsibility, and kindness.”
–Isaac
That they be good men
“To me, being a good man means encouraging the people around you, being supportive, and being kind—no matter who you’re talking to.”
–Semilore
That they be good men
“Always showing up on time, always practising, and always doing the best that you can.”
–Duke
That they be good men
“As a musician, it’s all about dedication, hard work, and practice—not just commitment to your teachers, but also to your peers, as teamwork is essential in any ensemble.”
–George
Academic Life
Our academic approach at Bedford School centres on maximising each boy’s academic potential. And we do that in a way that differentiates us from other similar schools. We have outstanding facilities, as many schools do, but it is our teaching that makes us different.
Sporting Life
Sport is not just part of school life at Bedford – it is tightly woven into who we are. From beginner to elite athlete, every boy has the opportunity to participate and develop in a vast range of sporting activities.
Boarding Life
Bedford is proud to have been recently named among Fortune’s ‘World’s Leading Boarding Schools’, and to also be awarded five stars, which places us not just in the top 250 schools covered by the report, but in the global top 100, and one of just six boys’ boarding schools in the world to have achieved such a rating.
Continue your journey
Discover how your son will flourish in the Upper School at Bedford…
