Hidden between the A272 and the road from Lindfield towards Scaynes Hill, stands Bedales, a grand house with its origins in Elizabethan times. It is perhaps an unlikely location for the founding of a revolution in education. In 1893 John Haden Badley, aged 28, rented the house and founded Bedales School as a humane alternative to the authoritarian and harsh regimes typical of late Victorian public schools. His vision was to establish a co-educational boarding school for nine to 18 year olds with the ethos of ‘head, hand and heart’ and the development of ‘intelligence, initiative and individuality’ within a sense of community.
The education provided was to be profoundly different from that available at other schools. It was not until decades later that schools such as Steiner and Montessori were founded with a not dissimilar ethos. On formation, Bedales School was groundbreaking.

Corporal punishment, so prevalent in all other schools, did not feature; instead pupils had to run up and down the drive for the required number of times. Whilst the regime was described as humane, school life was by no means soft. The dormitories’ windows were kept open in all weathers, and before getting into bed, washing water was poured into the hip baths under an open window. Not infrequently, in consequence, a sheet of ice had to be removed in the morning before washing. A run to Scaynes Hill before breakfast followed, then bed-making. It was essential to make the bed correctly, failure resulted in bedding being thrown on to the floor. Boot cleaning also required exacting standards. Lessons were held each morning except Sunday, with a curriculum that included Latin, French, German, Ancient History, Classics and Surveying, plus, unusually, free study time.

Behind the house was the stable yard with a fine range of buildings that contained the woodworking room, chemistry laboratory and natural history laboratory. Three afternoons a week were devoted to sports, swimming, football or cricket, initially on a pitch levelled by the boys. If wet, a run to Chailey Common. The remaining afternoons were spent learning practical skills like woodworking and undertaking outdoor work such as gardening, digging, hoeing, lawn cutting, haymaking, gathering leaves and renovating school buildings. Not to mention the weekly task-force detailed to clean the earth closets!

A stream running through the school grounds was dammed with clay and wood to make the bathing pool about six feet deep, including the deep muddy bottom. It was equipped with diving boards and touching the bottom was to be avoided at all costs! Outdoor activities at weekends included expeditions and bicycle outings to explore Ashdown Forest, the South Downs and local countryside in quest of wild flowers, birds’ eggs and village churches for sketching and brass rubbing.

Pupils regarded Bedales as standing supreme for the quality of its food; the mushrooms and asparagus in their respective seasons being particularly unforgettable. The feeling of semi-starvation experienced by pupils at their previous boarding schools was not repeated. At dinner, Mr and Mrs Badley sat at the High Table on a raised dais in front of the oriel window, with seniors taking it in turn to eat with them. Regarded as a privilege, it was nevertheless a daunting experience. After dinner, the evenings in the hall were spent on fireside chats, rehearsing plays, readings from the classics and music making. Between 7pm and 7.30pm each evening the whole school song; mainly parts out of Tannhauser, Gaudeamus and the Messiah.
On Sunday evenings the school came together for The Jaw led by John Badley. Similar to an old style school assembly, The Jaw comprised prayers, readings and a talk giving an insight into the ways of the world, a moral perspective on issues of the day and other weighty topics. A compulsory and formal procedure before going to bed each night was ‘Handshaking’ when all pupils had to advance in a single file and solemnly shake hands and wish ‘Goodnight’ with every member of the staff. The aim being to build a bond between pupil and teacher and to wipe the slate clean of any misdemeanour that occurred during the day. This ritual still takes place at Bedales School, albeit with vastly more students, and, similarly, the Sunday evening ‘Jaw’ remains a feature of school life.

John Badley’s vision of a co-education boarding school educating both sexes together was finally realised in 1898 when a girls’ boarding house was established in Scaynes Hill. Eight girls formed the first year’s intake. The girls participated on equal terms in all activities, the only differences being they had breakfast in their boarding house before walking the half mile to school. On arrival they were closely inspected by the formidable Miss Withers, the Matron. Also the girls had to be called by their first names while surnames continued for boys.
In the beginning the girls were not welcomed by the boys, and neither sexes had experienced being taught together. After a short period of initial shyness, no notice was taken either by the boys nor girls of each other. In addition to establishing the girls’ boarding house, the increasing number of boys required another boarding house and Lyoth House, about half a mile from the school, was acquired. It was in poor condition and the boys undertook the redecoration. Like the rest of the school it was lit by gas lamps and all water had to be drawn from the well. With increasing pupil numbers it was not long before it became apparent that that the school required larger premises.

In 1899 John Badley acquired a 120 acre estate at Steep, near Petersfield, Hampshire, and set about building a purpose-built school. After seven successful years in Scaynes Hill, the school and its nearly 50 pupils moved in 1900 to its new home, retaining the Bedales name. The school has expanded beyond recognition from its early days in Scaynes Hill and continues to thrive encompassing the revolutionary approach to education pioneered by John Badley. A Royal seal of approval was achieved when Princess Margaret chose Bedales School for the education of her children. Scaynes Hill should be justly proud of having hosted the school during its formative years.

Contact Lindfield History Project Group on 01444 482136 or visit https://lindfieldhistoryproject.group/

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