Bethany School is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

boarding Boarding may refer to: *Boarding, used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals as in a: **Boarding house **Boarding school *Boarding (horses) (also known as a livery yard, livery stable, or boarding stable), is a stable where hor ...

and day school for girls and boys aged 11–18 (Year 7–11 and

Sixth Form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...

), in

Goudhurst Goudhurst is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. It lies in the Weald, around south of Maidstone, on the crossroads of the A262 and B2079. The parish consists of three wards: Goudhurst, Kilndown a ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The school was founded by a Baptist minister, The Reverend Joseph James Kendon, in 1866 and still places great emphasis on its Christian character. Headmaster Francie Healy has been in post since September 2010. Bethany School has a campus location set in of countryside.

Sports and other extracurricular activities

Bethany School has a wide variety of sports.

Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

and

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

are among the most popular sports for boys, with

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...

hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...

and

rounders Rounders is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams. Rounders is a striking and fielding team game that involves hitting a small, hard, leather-cased ball with a wooden, plastic, or metal bat that has a cylindrical end. The players score b ...

for girls. The school also has other sports facilities, including fitness premises, and a , six-lane indoor swimming pool. A variety of clubs and activities, including beekeeping, archery, table tennis, and others are available to pupils and these are incorporated into the school day. Bethany School takes part in the

Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (commonly abbreviated DofE) is a youth awards programme founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, which has since expanded to 144 nations. The awards recognise adolescents and ...

and each year 15-20 pupils achieve the Gold Award. Business Studies pupils have the option in the Sixth Form of participating in

Young Enterprise Young Enterprise is a British charity that specialise in providing enterprise education and financial education to young people. Young Enterprise works directly with young people, teachers, volunteers, and influencers with aim of building a suc ...

, a charity scheme, where pupils form a business and attempt to generate profits for shareholders. Bethany School has historically put a strong emphasis on community, and continues to do so.

Recent development

In recent years, Bethany School has seen a major development of new buildings: * 1999 - The orchard was completed, providing a separate living area for Sixth Form boarding pupils. * 2001 - The modern sports complex was completed, providing a new 'weights room' and a climbing wall. * 2002 - The new library was completed, with the former library being converted into a drama studio. * 2003 - The Holmes Building was completed, which houses Business Studies and Geography. * 2005 - The reconstructed dining hall complex was completed. * 2006 - The modern Food & Nutrition rooms and new language classrooms were opened. * 2007 - The new

Astroturf AstroTurf is an American subsidiary of SportGroup that produces artificial turf for pitch (sports field), playing surfaces in sports. The original AstroTurf product was a pile (textile), short-pile synthetic turf invented in 1965 by Monsanto. Si ...

was completed. * 2009 - The new Science block was completed, costing £5 million. * 2013 - The refurbishment within the boarding accommodation was completed. * 2023 - Construction of the £4.5 million Performing Arts Centre began.

The Bethanians' Society

The Bethanians' Society was founded in 1887 for the former pupils of the School.

References

External links

Official website

Independent Schools Inspectorate

Independent Schools Council - Schools Information

memoir of an Old Bethanian's time at the school in the 1950s. {{authority control Church of England private schools in the Diocese of Rochester Boarding schools in Kent Educational institutions established in 1866 Private schools in Kent 1866 establishments in England

Sports and other extracurricular activities

Recent development

The Bethanians' Society

See also

References

External links