Dame Alice Harpur School

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**Dame Alice Harpur School**
Headmistress	Mrs Jill Berry BA MEd
School type	Selective Girls' Independent
Religious affiliation	Various
Location	Cardington Road, Bedford, Bedfordshire
Enrollment Age	7-18
Total pupils	890
Surroundings	Urban Riverside
Main Sports	Hockey, Rowing, Netball, Water Polo

Dame Alice Harpur School is a selective girls’ independent school in Bedford, United Kingdom. It is part of the Harpur Trust group of independent schools in Bedford which also include Bedford School, Bedford High School, Bedford Modern School and Pilgrims Pre-Preparatory School. Established in 1882 as “Bedford Girls’ Modern School”, it first shared its premises with Bedford High School. In 1892 it moved to St Paul’s Square into the Cowper building left vacant by the Grammar School. In 1938 it moved to its present site on the southern bank of the River Great Ouse on Cardington Road. It changed its name to Dame Alice Harpur School in 1946. As of September 2006 it caters for approximately 890 girls aged 7-18 and fees range from £6500 to more than £9000 per annum.

Dame Alice Harpur School is named after the wife of Sir William Harpur who originally endowed the foundation with land in Bedford and Holborn, London.

The school has a Christian ethos but, while upholding traditional values and standards, is fundamentally ecumenical. Girls are divided into one of four houses representing famous figures from historic Bedford, these are Bunyan (Green), Harpur (Yellow), Howard (Blue) and Russell (Red).

The senior school has modern buildings, plus agreeable gardens and playing fields, on a riverside site. It is well equipped for sport with a floodlit all-weather pitch, hockey fields, swimming pool, sports hall, gymnasium, sporting pavillion and boathouse on the River Great Ouse. There are also facilities for design technology, textiles, art and drama; two listed Georgian houses have been adapted to provide a sixth-form centre and music centre. The junior school catering girls of ages 7-11 is situated on the opposite side of Cardington Road.

The school offers a broad general education and examination results are extremely good, with a 100% GCSE pass rate in 2003.[1] Drama is very strong and the music department is especially flourishing (with choirs, orchestras, string quartets, a string orchestra, wind band, and other ensembles). A wide range of sports and games is provided; many teams compete at county and regional level, and some regularly at national level. Extra-curricular activities include the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, Combined Cadet Force, mass-debating, Youth Theatre, chess, field courses and a wide range of outdoor activities and visits.[2]

Current school uniform for senior school girls from ages 11-16 consists of a traditional Scottish Kilt in navy blue, a navy blue v-neck jumper with a blue eagle representative of the Harpur Trust sewn on the chest, a pale blue shirt and navy blue blazer with an embroidered school shield containing a cornflower, an eagle and a book. For the winter, it is compulsory for the girls to wear the school's formal long length winter coat in place of the blazer.

The uniform in the junior school is considerably different to that of the senior school, however they do wear the same navy blue kilts. The key difference is a cornflower blue jumper, a white shirt and navy blue tie with diagonal stripes, the colour corresponding to the house the girl is in. Purse belts are also popular amongst junior school pupils.

In the Easter of 1998 the school experienced great amounts of flood damage from the River Great Ouse, in particular in the drama studios. However it caused very little disruption to the running of the school because the worst occurred during the Easter holidays.

Dame Alice alumni include English fashion designer Jean Muir CBE FCSD, Olympic badminton silver medalist Gail Emms, actress Loo Brealey, deputy head of BBC Television News Rachel Attwell and BBC television presenter Sue Beardsmore.