Bethany School, Goudhurst
 |
| Bethany School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
| , Kent, | |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent |
| Established | 1866 |
| Founder | Reverend Joseph James Kendon |
| Headmaster | Nicholas D B Dorey, M.A. (Cantab) |
| Chaplain | Rev. Ben Bentham |
| Grades | Year 7 (Secondary) - Sixth Form |
| Enrolment | 415 |
| Campus | Rural |
| Colour(s) | Blue and yellow |
| Website | www.bethanyschool.org.uk |
Bethany School is an independent boarding and day school in Goudhurst, Kent in the United Kingdom. Since its foundation in 1866, the school still puts great emphasis on its Anglican character and education for those with learning difficulties. Being in the Kentish countryside, the circumambient area is largely orchards.
The school consists of six houses: Kendon, Pengelly, Todmans and The Mount for the boys, Old Poplars for the girls and The Orchard for the Sixth Form.
The current headmaster, Nicholas D B Dorey, joined the school in 1997 and has been keen to establish a 50:50 ratio of boys to girls, in a previously boys-only school. The school has been conducting a programme of rapid development with many new buildings, including the attempted [citation needed] construction of a new boarding house for girls and an unsuccessful merger with Bedgebury School.
History
Bethany was founded in 1866 by the Reverend Joseph James Kendon as a Christian community for pupils to attain maximum potential by being treated as individuals.
In 1959 the school became a Charitable Trust.
The late 1970s saw the construction of Pengelly, a boarding house.
In 1985 the squash courts were officially declared open.
After over 120 years of being an all boys school, Bethany School started admitting the first girls in the 1990s.
Admissions
The Bethany School entrance exam is used for determining admissions for prospective pupils aged 11-13. For entry by prospective pupils further up the school, especially in the Sixth Form the school may conduct interviews, examine reports or require references.
Entrance exams can be arranged specially, however normal scheduled exams are in November and March. As the school admits a large proportion of overseas students, admission can be arranged to take place at the pupils current school.
Scholarships
If the results of an entrance exam are deemed exceptionally good, the school may in certain cases grant a scholarship worth up to 40%. Scholarships are available not only for academic ability, but also music, drama, art, design & technology and also sport. There are other specific scholarships available for pupils entering the Sixth Form.
Fees
As of September 2006 the termly fee is £4154 (or for Boarders £6462). The fee with part-time Dyslexia support is £4372 (Boarders £6679) and the fee with full-time Dyslexia support is £4593 (Boarders £6900). Many pupils from overseas require English language learning support and the termly fee with English as an Additional Language Support is £4593 (Boarders £6900) and the fee for the Sixth Form is £4372 (Boarders £6679). These fees are inclusive of textbooks, compulsory stationary, basic laundry, school magazines, house funds and Friends of Bethany subscriptions.
A £100 registration fee at the time of application and a deposit of £500 (or £1000 for boarders) is required, the deposit being set off against the pupil's final year expenses.
Pupils wishing to have music lessons can pay £175 to the relevant instructor in advance.
Sports & other extracurricular activities
Bethany has a wide variety of sport. Rugby, football and cricket are among the most popular sports that the school offers. There are often matches between other schools, usually from the county of Kent.
Badminton and squash are played throughout the year, often by pupils not wishing or able to participate in the main team sports of the season. Such people usually choose the group called 'general activity'. Basketball is played occasionally, but this limited due to the use of the area being predominantly used by badminton.
There are a wide variety of clubs available to pupils. These range from Art & Crafts, to range shooting, archery, table tennis and many more.
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme is participated in by many students usually from year 9 upwards. This is a three stage award, from Bronze, Silver to Gold. The Gold Award if achieved is presented by the Duke of Edinburgh.
Business Studies pupils have the option in the Sixth Form of participating in Young Enterprise, a charity scheme where pupils form a business and attempt to generate profits for shareholders.
Recent development
From 1999 to 2005, Bethany School saw a major development of new buildings.
The first in the series of buildings constructed under the recent development plan was the 6th form house, The Orchard. This was completed in 1999 and was able to provide a separate living area for Upper Sixth pupils who in previous years would have had to remain in houses Kendon and Pengelly. The development costs were a reported £1 million.[1]
The very outdated and disrepairable changing rooms were replaced in 2001 with a far more modern and sizable sports complex in a more well placed location amongst the other sports facilities. This not only provided changing rooms but also a new 'weights room' and also a rock climbing wall.
A new library was completed in 2002 (replacing the old changing rooms), and the previous unsuitably small library was converted into a drama studio. The library has been very well received, especially by the Lower 6th who have a much more modern and resourceful library for private study.
A building to house Business Studies and Geography was completed in 2003. In September 2005 the completely reconstructed and redesigned dining hall complex was completed. This provides for a modern approach to catering repasts for the increasing number of students, and more formal occasions such as Old Bethanian society reunions.
Towards the end of the 2006/07 school year, the main science block burnt down. New scince labs have been built and teaching officially commenced on the 1st December 2008.
Community
Bethany has historically, and continues to put a strong emphasis on community[2]; extracurricular activities are wide and numerous.
It is compulsory for all students to attend religious worship.[3]
The school was respectably rated 52nd in Kent for GCSEs and 48th for A-Level results in the 2006 League Tables. In 2008 the school had a GCSE pass rate of 48% putting it below the Local Education Authority average[4]. The headmaster, Nick Dorey, who does not endorse League Tables, commented on the results by saying "I only ever look at the league tables very briefly, because I know what our students have achieved and therefore it doesn't tell me anything I don't already know."[5]
Boarding Houses
Todmans
This is for the most junior pupils - boys from years 7 and 8. It forms part of the school's chapel building.
The Mount
The mount is for boys from year 8 - a handful of which stay on until the Lower Sixth. The mount previously consisted of two buildings when Paul Holmes was house master. This changed when he was replaced by Anthony Khan who took over an entire building for his family. The remaining Mount building is a recent brick building.
Old Poplars
Currently Old Poplars is the only house that is exclusively for girls on the campus. Ranging from year 7 to the Lower Sixth.
Pengelly
Constructed in 1979[citation needed] and named after the incumbent headmaster at the time, Pengelly is a newly refurbished building, housing boys from year 9 to the Lower Sixth.
Kendon
Kendon named after the founder of Bethany makes up a large proportion of the original building. It was originally known as the Old School.
The Orchard
This is the newest boarding house, originally intended for Upper Sixth pupils only it has been forced by space requirement to accept Lower Sixth pupils. It is widely viewed as the best house due to a wide range of facilities and generous proportions. Facilities include en suite rooms, a kitchen, snooker table room, sitting room and lounge. There is also a bar which opens in the evening on weekends and occasionally other days (usually if the following day is a holiday). The supply is limited, and pupils are not allowed to store drinks they purchase.
Staff
Previous staff include the noted author, scientist and educator Paul Spiring.
Technology
Bethany School was one of the first schools in Kent, if not England to begin encouraging most pupils to purchase laptops for use in classrooms. Whilst this process began in September 1999, with Year 9 being the first year to adopt this principle, even now as of March 2009 not all year groups within the school have laptops. In addition to this, although the majority of the school is very focused on providing learning materials for laptops the school offers very limited opportunities for pupils to share their work using modern information technologies. Most of the classrooms have since 1999 been fitted with projection systems for computers, and are also capable of displaying video content, a basic requirement for modern education.
In 2001 the school obtained wireless Internet technology, revolutionary at the time. Although initially fairly localised to the main complex, this has since been extended to reach as far as Old Poplars and the Music School. This saw a decline in IT facilities' use as pupils were now able to access a world of information through the Internet from their own laptop computer.
Old Bethanians' Society
The Old Bethanians' Society was founded in 1887 for the former pupils of the school, many of whom reside in countries all over the world.[6] Information on the current events of the school and former pupils are regularly updated on the website. They also contribute greatly to the annual Old Bethanians' magazine. Being a member of the society gives former pupils the opportunity to attend reunions at the school and contribute to the published material on the website.
Notable Alumni
References
- ^ "Bethany Community". Retrieved 2007-01-27.
- ^ "Bethany Community". Retrieved 2007-01-27.
- ^ "Guide to Bethany School". Retrieved 2007-01-26.
- ^ "BBC News". Retrieved 2009-03-03.
- ^ "Head Critical of Ratings". Retrieved 2007-01-26.
- ^ "Old Bethanians'".
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External links
- Bethany official site
- Independent Schools Inspectorate
- Independent Schools Council - Schools Information
- Guide to Bethany School
- Old Bethanians' Society