Bedford Modern School is an Independent Co-educational Day School. There are in excess of 1200 students in the School from age 7 to 18. The School is governed by the Harpur Trust.

Headmaster’s Welcome

Bedford Modern School is proud of its 250-year-old tradition, yet we are resolutely innovative and forward-looking. We enable students to be their best self, developing not only their academic excellence but also the wider skills and attributes they need to thrive as individuals in a fast-changing world.

BMS is an outstanding school but we are not complacent. Our values are at the centre of what we do, guiding our evolution and enhancing our strengths. In this way we maintain and develop our culture of inclusion, our sense of community and our defining characteristic: unpretentious excellence.

We asked current students, parents, governors and staff about what makes BMS unique and also to highlight areas of school life we could improve. This research informed our five-year strategy for development, at the centre of which are our values. These are the pillars on which we have built our four aims, to inspire, engage, encourage and cultivate. Our ongoing development is driven to ensure that BMS provides a truly modern and relevant education delivering excellence across all the many aspects of school life.

Students are inspired to develop a sense of curiosity and a love of learning through both a broad range of academic opportunities and a co-curricular programme which challenges them to be the best version of themselves, with the focus on participation, enjoyment and achievement.

We are proud of the strength of the BMS community which is lived out in the students’ daily experience. We are an inclusive and grounded community that recognises our responsibility to others before ourselves. We seek to engage with potential, existing and former students, staff and parents in new ways with the aim of encouraging them to contribute fully to life at BMS. We also seek to widen access wherever we can, developing more partnerships and closer relationships with local clubs, organisations and the wider local community.

Student wellbeing is of fundamental importance and at the forefront of our thinking. Through encouragement and support we nurture students to become self-aware and resilient, able to face the challenges of today’s rapidly changing world with confidence and to develop a personal responsibility for their own wellbeing.

Finally, we are investing in the school estate, facilities and, just as importantly, the development of our staff, continuing to cultivate an excellent learning environment in which our students can flourish.

Achieving our ambitious plans means thinking creatively, but it does not mean losing our values or traditions because they are what make our school so special.

We are proud of both our current students and those who have left yet who remain a central part of our wider community. We help to nurture young people with high academic attainment allied to emotional intelligence that allows them to adapt and flourish in a modern world. Inspiring Excellence, our five-year development strategy, will drive our continued improvement.

Please visit our website: www.bedmod.co.uk for further information on the School.

David Payne
Headmaster