| Motto | 'Ardent au devoir quotidien' Discover your talents. Be the best you can be. |
|---|---|
| Established | 1882 |
| Type | Selective Girls' Independent |
| Headmistress | Ms Jo MacKenzie |
| Founder | Harpur Trust |
| Location | Cardington Road Bedford Bedfordshire MK42 0BX England |
| Students | 1000 |
| Gender | Girls |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Houses | Harpur, Howard, Bunyan, Russell |
| Colours | Navy and cornflower blue |
| Publication | Reflections |
| Website | www.dahs.co.uk |
Dame Alice Harpur School (also known as DAHS) is an independent girls school in Bedford, United Kingdom, for girls aged 11-18. In September 2010 the junior department of the school merged with the junior department of Bedford High School. From September 2011 to September 2012 the senior schools are also merging, the new school is known as Bedford Girls' School.
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It is part of the Harpur Trust group of independent schools in Bedford which also include Bedford School, Bedford High School for Girls, 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 William 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.
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, Chequers cafe and music centre. A new Sixth Form centre opened in 2006 and was opened by old girl and Olympic silver medalist Gail Emms.
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 optional for the girls to wear the school's formal long length winter coat in place of the school blazer, but it must be worn to the Christmas carol service. The uniform in years 12 and 13 consists of a navy blue skirt, white blouse, plain V-neck navy blue jumper combined with black pumps or low heels.
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.
Jill Berry, the head of Dame Alice Harpur School, was the President of the Girls' Schools Association in 2009.
The current head girl is Megan McMellon
In July 2009, the Harpur Trust announced its intention to merge Dame Alice Harpur School with Bedford High School. The decision was made as both schools had seen a drop in pupil numbers over the years: In 1990 more than 2,000 girls were on the rolls of both schools, whilst in 2009 there were only 1,500. In November 2009, it was announced that the new merged school would be called Bedford Girls' School, and would be located on the current site of Dame Alice Harpur School. The junior department of the new school opened in September 2010, when the junior schools of Bedford High and Dame Alice Harpur merged on the Cardington Road site.[3] The senior department of Dame Alice Harpur School started to transfer to the new school administration in September 2011, with the full merger, including the sixth form department due to be completed in September 2012.[4]