Dame Alice Harpur School
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| Dame Alice Harpur School | |
| Established | 1882 |
| Type | Selective Girls' Independent |
| Headmistress | Mrs Jill Berry |
| Founder | Sir William Harpur |
| Location | Cardington Road Bedford Bedfordshire England |
| Students | 890 |
| Gender | Girls |
| Ages | 7 to 18 |
| Houses | Harpur, Howard, Bunyan, Russell |
| School colours | Navy and cornflower blue |
| Publication | Reflections |
| Website | www.dahs.co.uk |
Dame Alice Harpur School is a selective girls' independent school in Bedford, United Kingdom.
Contents |
[edit] History
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, Bedford. It changed its name to Dame Alice Harpur School in 1946. As of September 2006 it caters for approximately 890 students aged 7-18 and fees range from £6800 to more than £9500 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, tennis courts, netball courts, hockey fields, indoor swimming pool, sports hall, gymnasium, sporting pavilion 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. A new Sixth Form centre opened in 2007 and was opened by old girl and Olympic silver medalist Gail Emms.
[edit] Present day
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, 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 pleated skirt in navy blue, a navy blue v-neck jumper with a blue eagle representative of the Harpur Trust embroidered 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 from that of the senior school, however they do wear the same navy blue skirts. 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. During the spring and summer months, girls have the option of wearing a pale blue and white striped summer dress. Purse belts are also popular amongst junior school pupils.
The uniform in the Sixth Form comsists of a navy blue skirt, white blouse, plain V-neck navy blue jumper combined with black pumps or low heels.
Girls are encouraged to be driven, outspoken and confident.
The school shares a friendly rivarly between Bedford High School and due to joint school events and the proximity of the two schools, Dame Alice girls can often be found to socialising with boys attending Bedford School and less frequently with pupils at Bedford Modern School.
Since 2003, when Bedford Modern School became co-educational, a significant percentage of girls move to Bedford Modern School after Year 11 in order to take their A Levels rather than staying in Dame Alice. The most common reasons for moving appear to be the wider range of subjects available and the co-educational environment offered.
The Dame Alice Harpur school was recently quoted by the Independent newspaper to be within the top ten independent schools in England and has won numerous awards for both academic and extra-curricular achievement.
[edit] Headmistresses
- 1946 - 1955 Miss Irene Forster BSc
- 1955 - 1970 Miss Lawson-Brown
- 1970 - 1990 Miss Suzanne Morse
- 1990 - 2000 Mrs Rosanne Randall
- 2000 - present day Mrs Jill Berry BA MEd
[edit] Notable Alumnae
- Jean Muir CBE FCSD, fashion designer
- Mimi Saxon, married Martin Saxon, a NASA kingpin.
- Gail Emms, Olympic badminton gold medalist
- Rachel Attwell, deputy head of BBC Television News
- Loo Brealey, actress
- Sue Beardsmore, BBC television presenter
