Bethany School, Goudhurst

Bethany School is an independent boarding and day school for girls and boys aged 11–18 (Year 7-11 and Sixth Form), in Goudhurst, Kent, United Kingdom, which still places great emphasis on its Anglican character. The School is a rural campus, located on a in a beautiful 60 acre site in the heart of the Weald of Kent.

Headmaster Francie Healy has been in post since September 2010. The School has seen a constant programme of development with many new buildings. The most recent addition to the facilities is the new Science Centre which was completed at the end of 2008. Bethany School was founded by The Reverend Joseph Kendon in 1866. He was a man of great vision and faith who intended Bethany to be a community where each student would be treated as an individual and encouraged to reach their true potential in all areas of life.

Admissions and Scholarships

For up to date information regarding the School's Entrance Examinations and Scholarships, please refer to the School's website at www.bethanyschool.org.uk

Sports and other extracurricular activities

Bethany has a wide variety of sport. Rugby, Football and Cricket are among the most popular sports for boys, with Netball, Hockey and Rounders for girls.

A wide variety of clubs and activities are available to pupils and these are incorporated within the school day. These range from Arts & Crafts to Bee-keeping, Golf, Equestrian, Archery, Table Tennis, Chef School and many more.

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme is extremely popular with pupils from Year 10 upwards and each year between 15-20 pupils achieve the Gold Award.

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

In recent years, Bethany School has seen a major development of new buildings. 2016 has seen the completion of a fantastic, six lane 25m indoor swimming pool, a state of the art Fitness Suite and a new Sixth Form Centre.

The Orchard was completed in 1999 and provides a separate living area for Sixth Form pupils with ensuite study bedrooms. In 2001 a modern sports complex was completed, providing a new 'weights room' and also a climbing wall.

A new library was completed in 2002 and the former 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.

The Holmes Building which houses 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.

The modern Food Technology and Textiles rooms were opened in 2006, as well as new language classrooms. A new Astroturf was constructed in 2007.

In 2009 a brand new five million pound Science block was built, due to the fact that the old one burnt down. 2013 saw extensive refurbishment within the boarding accommodation.

Community

Bethany has historically put a strong emphasis on community, and continues to do so;^[1] extracurricular activities are wide and numerous.

Boarding Houses

The Mount

The Mount is for boys from Years 7 to 12, who like to refer to themselves as Mounties, and has recently been refurbished with brand new, bespoke furnishings.

The Mount is a boys weekly boarding and day house situated on the outskirts of the School. It is run by Mr and Mrs Khan who have been house parents at The Mount for 13 years and live next door to the house together with their three children: Oliver, Joshua and Elizabeth.

Old Poplars

Currently Old Poplars is the only House that is exclusively for girls on the campus and accommodates girls from Year 7 to the Lower Sixth. Old Poplars has benefited from an extensive refurbishment programme which was completed in 2013 and it offers its girl boarders a comfortable 'home from home' character.

Pengelly

Constructed in 1977 and named after the 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 the original Bethany House School, completed in 1866 and named after the School’s founder, J. J. Kendon.; originally known as the Old School.

It has a rich history and still retains some of its original features although it has been developed extensively over the years and, following further recent refurbishments, is one of the most modern and best-equipped Houses on site.

The House caters for boarders from Years 7 to 12, and for day boys between Years 9 and 11, and is proud of its multi-national and multi-cultural composition, something of which J. J. Kendon, a noted philanthropist, would surely have been proud. This diversity creates a special atmosphere in which the boys are able to develop the important skills of acceptance, solidarity and teamwork, alongside their academic development.

The Orchard

This is the newest boarding house and accommodates most of the Sixth Form pupils. All Upper Sixth and most Lower Sixth pupils have single en-suite rooms. Day pupils also have study rooms here which can be used for study periods. The Orchard has generous proportions and facilities include a kitchen, snooker table room, coffee bar, sitting room and lounge. In 2010 a new block was built adjacent to The Orchard due to increased demand for Sixth Form boarding places.

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. This process began in September 1999, with Year 9 being the first year to adopt this principle and now all pupils above Year 8 work from laptops. For the last two years, all Year 7 pupils have been gifted with an iPad and protective cover, generously funded by the Alumni, The Bethanians' Society, who were keen to allocate some funds to new Bethany students to further enhance their study.

The School also benefits from a campus-wide wireless broadband network.

The Bethanians' Society

The Bethanians' Society was founded in 1887 for the former pupils of the School, many of whom reside in countries all over the world.^[2] 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.

See also

• Category:People educated at Bethany School (Goudhurst, Kent)

References

External links

• Official website
• Independent Schools Inspectorate
• Independent Schools Council - Schools Information
• Good Schools Guide entry for Bethany School
• Old Bethanians' Society
• Gascoigne, Rodney. "Schooldays," memoir of an Old Bethanian's time at the school in the 1950s.

Coordinates: 51°8′9″N 0°29′2″E / 51.13583°N 0.48389°E / 51.13583; 0.48389