About Our School

Foundation

St Bede's School, Redhill was formed in 1976 as an amalgamation of Bishop Simpson (CofE) School and St Joseph's (RC) School. We benefit from the support of the Arundel and Brighton Catholic Diocese and the Southwark Anglican Diocese.

Arundellogo Southwarklogo

In 1992, the local free churches became partners of the school giving us our unique ecumenical nature.
The school aims to provide 'Christian education at its best' and when inspected by Ofsted in February 2017 every aspect was judged 'outstanding.'

Mission statement

We strive to provide ‘Christian education at its best’ embracing the values of Belonging, Education, Determination, Excellence and Service (BEDES).

The ethos of St Bede's is a shared Christian faith which values and celebrates our unique identity. We celebrate and explore the different Christian traditions that make up our school as well as gain a better understanding of our own denomination.

We seek to explore our faith within an inclusive community which works hard to appreciate everyone, without ever losing sight of our common faith in Christ. We look to live out the Gospel values of charity, love, forgiveness, humility and prayer. We believe “Nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37) and our embodiment of this is supported by all members of the St Bede’s community.'

Ethos, aims and values

Life at St Bede's reflects the strong common Christian faith that all partners share, but also values and celebrates the differences between us. We know, from our daily experience, that diversity enriches us. We learn from other traditions, but we also appreciate our own tradition more deeply. There is room to grow and develop - to seek and explore one's own relationship to faith and to Christ, but within an inclusive community which works hard to value and appreciate everyone, without ever losing sight of the common faith in Christ.

This approach, as you would expect, is reflected in worship, in religious education and in spiritual development. It is very clearly seen in the Chaplaincy team and the work that we do together.

Learning at St Bede's

We believe that God has given every one of us many gifts. It is our job to discover these gifts and talents
in every student and to develop them to bear much fruit. St Bede’s has an extremely strong track record
of learning.

We believe that learning is important and valuable in itself, as well as creating opportunities in later life.
We know that students like to learn, and that they enjoy an atmosphere in which they learn well.

We believe in academic excellence and we believe in excellence in all fields - whether sport, performance, art or personal development.

A caring environment

St Bede’s is a cheerful, friendly place in which everyone can feel at home and give of their best. We insist on the highest standards of good behaviour, mutual respect and concern and because we expect all students to take responsibility for themselves and for others. We support this with a high level of pastoral care and support (including specialist services) for any student who needs it.

The heart of this community are our year groups. In the main school, Years 7-11 have 12 tutor groups, each led by a Head of Year and supported by a Deputy Head of Year. Each year group's team rolls through; receiving the students in Year 7 and working with them to learn, grow and achieve right through to Year 11. The sixth form also has a strong tutor team, led by an Assistant Head and Heads of Year for 12 and 13.

Facilities

At St Bede’s we are very proud of our impressive facilities which we believe contribute towards outstanding learning within the school. Situated in Carlton Road, Redhill, the school has developed significantly since the original building for Bishop Simpson was constructed in the 1950s. Our most recent £6.4 million expansion and refurbishment project was completed in 2019, and includes spacious and modern classrooms, new science labs, additional computer rooms and enhanced music facilities. The school canteen has also been redesigned and enlarged. We have a range of excellent sports facilities, including an athletics track, astro-turf pitch, dance studio and a fitness suite with a fully equipped gym and free weights room.