Bedford Modern School
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| Bedford Modern School | |
| Established | 1566 |
| Type | Independent |
| Headmaster | Stephen Smith |
| Founder | William Harpur |
| Location | Manton Lane Harpur, Bedford Bedfordshire MK41 7NT England  |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 7 to 18 |
| Houses | Bell, Farrar, Mobbs, Oatley, Rose and Tilden |
| School colours | Black & red |
| Publication | The Eagle |
| Website | www.bedmod.co.uk |
- Bedford Modern School should not be confused with Bedford School.
Bedford Modern School is a co-educational public school in the Harpur area of Bedford, England.
Ths school has its origins in the endowments of Sir William Harpur in the 16th century, and was known as the Writing School, teaching copperplate handwriting in what is presently the Old Town Hall in Bedford. In 1834 it moved to new mock-Tudor Gothic premises in Harpur Square, designed by Edward Blore. In 1874 the name was changed from English School to Modern School to reflect the new curriculum. In 1974 the school moved to its current site in the Harpur area of Bedford. In 1976 the institution became an independent school. The school became co-educational in 2003.
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[edit] Uniform
Basic senior school dress consists of the following: Senior Boys years 7 - 11: Black trousers, white shirt, house tie, black blazer. Sixth form Boys : Any type of suit. Sixth form girls : Beige skirt, any type of shirt. Junior Boys: Black blazer, white shirt, junior house tie, white shirt, black trousers. Junior Girls: Black embroidered blazer, white shirt, tartan skirt or black trousers, optional black jumper.
[edit] The School Houses
Following a tradition of over a hundred years the Senior School Houses of BMS were; North, South, East, West, County and United Boarders. This last was comprised of the combined boarding houses: Culver, Shakespeare, and School House. The day boy houses often, though not always, reflected the parts of the town or county from which the boys hailed and were mentioned in the school song. Inter-house sports cover all major and minor sports run by the school, at both junior and senior level, and range from rugby and hockey (major sports) to shooting and fencing (minor sports). There are also non-sporting events such as quizzes and music and drama competitions. Each house is led by a Head of House (a member of staff), and a House Captain, two Monitorial Deputies and a Co-opted Deputy (Upper Sixth Formers). Previously there were five houses for day pupils, each named for its municipal catchment area: North, South, East, West and County (outlying areas). There were also several actual houses for boarders, including Culver House, School House and Shakespeare House.
The Junior School house system operates on similar principles, with 4 houses: Taylor, Kaye, Poole and Liddle.
[edit] Monitors and Heads of Houses
Students can volunteer to become monitors once they are in the top year of the school (Year 13). There are two heads of school, one boy and one girl, each with a deputy. These are selected by the headmaster. Heads of school make occasional speeches and attend school events, as well as overseeing Senior Monitors, House Captains and Monitors. Senior Monitors are responsible for organising a team of monitors who provide pastoral care for one year group. House Captains are responsible for organising members of their relevant house in various competitions and events. All monitors wear a distinct monitors' tie, and senior monitors and the head boy and girl wear a special blazer[citation needed]
[edit] The Arts at BMS
Highlights in recent years include 'High School Musical' Oliver! 'The Pirates of Penzance', 'Mother Courage and her Children', 'Les Miserables' a Shakespeare Festival, and a Choral Concert of Karl Jenkins' 'The Armed Man'. BMS also performed a Children in Need Concert with Bedford Town Band. More recently in 2008, however, Bedford Modern school has produced such wonders as We Will Rock You the musical, and a special artistic night for the late departed Christopher Fry, including his last piece of work, 'The Ringing of Bells' which he had written especially for the school shortly before passing away.
The School has its own 300 seat auditorium, The Howard Hall. The music school offers instrumental, singing or theory tuition, and the Art Department provides studios for painting, ceramic sculpture, relief printing, screen printing and photography. Many students study Speech and Drama, and a wide range of Dance classes are run throughout the Junior and Senior Schools
[edit] School sports
Sport and physical activity play an important part in school life, with students involved in over thirty different sports and more than 1,000 fixtures during the year. Staffing, resourcing and period allocation all reflect the high priority given to sporting activity within the School.
Many teachers and coaches are recognised at national level within their respective sport. The department has thirteen full-time and six part-time staff dedicated to sport across both the Junior and Senior School, and are supported by several academic staff who have specific expertise in one or more sports.
Activities available in the Senior School include rugby, football, cricket, rowing, water polo skiing/boarding, athletics, cross-country, mountain biking, dance, basketball, badminton, golf, table tennis, squash, equestrian, fencing, swimming, hockey, weights & fitness, sailing, gymnastics, rugby sevens, rounders, shooting, fives and tennis, with the addition of basketball, badminton and touch rugby for girls.
[edit] 2012 Olympics
Bedford Modern School has been selected as an official training site for the London 2012 Olympics. The school is expected to attract Table Tennis teams training for the event. [1]
[edit] Notable Old Bedford Modernians
- Francis Penrose (1817–1903), Surveyor of St Paul's Cathedral, 1852–, architect, archaeologist and astronomer
- James Howard (1821–1889), agriculturalist and member of parliament
- Sir William Augustus Tilden (1842–1926), Chemist & Dean, Royal College of Science, London (1905–1909)
- John Holland Rose (1855–1942), Vere Harmsworth Professor of Naval History, University of Cambridge, 1919–1933
- Sir George Herbert Farrar (1859-1915), South African mining magnate, politician and soldier
- W. H. D. Rouse (1863–1950), schoolmaster and classicist
- E. D. Morel (1873–1924), journalist and activist
- Edgar Mobbs (1882–1917), rugby union player
- Gillie Potter (1887–1975), comedian and broadcaster
- Sir Charles Oatley (1904–1996), Professor of Electrical Engineering, University of Cambridge, 1960–1971, and developer of the first scanning electron microscope
- Peter Grimes (1905–1988), Director, London Museum, 1945–1956, and Director, Institute of Archaeology and Professor of Archaeology, University of London, 1956–1973
- Sir Bill Johnson (1906–1988), General Manager, Eastern Region, British Railways, 1958–1962, and London Midland Region, British Railways, 1962–1967, and Chairman, British Railways Board, 1968–1971
- Derick Emmison (1907–1995), County Archivist of Essex, 1938–1969
- Christopher Fry (1907–2005), playwright
- Sir Arthur Mooring (1908–1969), British Resident in Zanzibar, 1959–1963
- Robert Alec Gale (born 1933), England cricketer
- Sir Keith Speed (born 1934), politician
- Russell Ash (born 1946), author of Top 10 of Everything, etc
- Professor Sir Peter Knight , professor of Quantum Optics and Principal of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Imperial College.
- Patrick Hall (born 1951), current MP for Bedford
- John Sessions (born 1953), comedian and broadcaster
- Lionel Weston (born 1954), England Rugby Union scrum half
- Andy Gilchrist (born 1960), former head of the FBU (Fire Brigades Union)
- Toby Litt (born 1968), novelist and short story writer
- Tim Foster (born 1970), Olympic Gold Medallist rower
- Christian Coulson (born 1978), actor
- Monty Panesar (born 1982), England cricketer
