Bedford Modern School

Bedford Modern School is an independent day school for boys and girls aged 7 to 18 located in the town of Bedford. The school is part of The Harpur Trust, a charity which has been providing education and supporting the community since 1566.

Bedford Modern strives to be 'an unpretentious, tolerant community where all students can flourish as individuals.' The school has four key aims 'inspire, engage, encourage and cultivate' – together providing 'a clear sense of purpose to drive the delivery of our mission.'

Headmaster Alex Tate says: 'We want students to leave Bedford Modern School with high academic attainment but also the emotional intelligence and self-awareness that allows them to adapt and flourish in the fast-paced world in which we live.'

Inspection reports

Inspections provide parents with detailed information from which to assess key aspects of a school. Find out more about why inspections matter.

The school was last inspected in February 2022. Read the inspection reports on the school's website.

The school is part of The Harpur Trust, a registered charity managed by a board of governors. Read more on the Charity Commission website.

What makes Bedford Modern different?

Attain asked the school, what makes Bedford Modern different – and why should parents consider it?

Combining a 250-year-old tradition with a modern outlook, Bedford Modern School (BMS) is an unpretentious, tolerant community where all students are encouraged and nurtured to flourish as individuals.

The only selective co-educational day school in Bedfordshire, we are proud of the excellent GCSE and A Level results our students achieve year on year, but we are anything but an academic hothouse. Rather, we inspire our students to develop a sense of curiosity and a love of learning by providing a breadth of stimulating academic opportunities with our extensive co-curricular programme focusing on participation, enjoyment, and achievement.

It is this education outside of the classroom which is often cited as having the greatest impact whether it be in sports, music, drama, training with the CCF or taking part in educational trips and outdoor pursuits. Parents and students alike often describe its effect as life changing.

The wellbeing of our students is extremely important to us, and we work hard to help them develop their own emotional intelligence and self-awareness in order to face the challenges of today’s rapidly changing world with confidence.

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