Highlights
- New girls' boarding house and Sixth Form Centre to support the change.
- Bedford Girls' School to get a new music centre, wellbeing hub and expanded sports investment.
- Bedford Modern School to have refurbished classrooms, a multi-faith prayer room and a reception revamp.
- Notable Bedford School alumni include Sir Alastair Cook, Al Murray and Harold Abrahams.
BEDFORD SCHOOL will admit girls for the first time since it was founded in 1552, in a change that will bring co-education to the historic school from September 2027.
The Harpur Trust, which has managed Bedford School since 1764, announced the move as part of a wider investment across its schools over the next 12 months.
Girls will be welcomed into all year groups at the independent day and boarding school, supported by a new dedicated girls' boarding house and a Sixth Form Centre.
The trust said the changes would make "education available to more young people, while enhancing the experience of those already part of the school community".
It added: "The investment will ensure that each school continues to offer an outstanding and distinctive educational experience into the future."
New facilities
Bedford Girls' School will also benefit from the investment, with a new music centre and recital space, a new wellbeing hub and increased funding for sport. The school will introduce a careers Pathways Programme for pupils from Year 10 to Upper Sixth, along with additional Sixth Form subjects.
Bedford Modern School, which is already co-educational, will see a refurbished suite of classrooms, a new multi-faith prayer room, a site-wide Wi-Fi upgrade and a refreshed reception area, continuing its ongoing campus development programme.
Families at Pilgrims Pre-Preparatory School will benefit too, with eligible families able to access up to 30 hours a week of free childcare for children aged from nine months to four years.
David Steadman, the trust's chief executive, said: "The world of education is changing rapidly, and we continually review how our schools can best meet the needs of current and future generations.
"We are confident that these plans will enable our schools to continue delivering an outstanding educational experience for generations to come."
Bedford School's notable former pupils include cricketer Sir Alastair Cook, comedian Al Murray and Olympian Harold Abrahams.
