Holistic Approach
- Pastoral Care
- House System
- Student Leadership
- Co-Curriculum
- Sport & Physical Well-Being
- Creative Arts
- Trips & Excursions
Vision & Ethos 
News 
Co-Curriculum We value and celebrate every member of our community as a unique individual and recognise our responsibility to the world around us. We remain continually curious about the perspectives of others. We lift each other up with nurture and challenge. We strive to create joy through learning and always seek to use our intellect to remain inquisitive to endless possibilities.
Wellbeing and Growth
Growing up is complex, and it is never a linear path. Friendships play a vital role in girls’ happiness and sense of self. Neurological differences mean that girls often experience friendship challenges more intensely. This occurs in all settings, but our expertise allows us to respond effectively. We use pastoral strategies tailored to girls and encourage wide friendship groups throughout the whole year cohort and extensive co-curricular programmes.
Research commissioned by the GSA shows that girls in single-sex schools develop stronger mental toughness and resilience compared to those in other settings.
In an all-girls setting we can allow students to make mistakes, learn and move on without a sense of shame. Girls can learn that taking risks is part of learning and they can do so without fear of judgement. This develops mental resilience and long term self-belief. We can be the safety net to nurture and support them but we can also challenge and encourage them to take academic risks in ways that work for girls.
This backed up by research, for example, a 2018 University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) study of nearly 6,000 incoming female university students has found that graduates of all-girl schools are more likely to show higher levels of science self-confidence, consider themselves critical thinkers, score higher on measures of academic habits of mind, and demonstrate stronger study habits.
Confidence is key to building equitable relationships. A gender-stereotype-free environment fosters this confidence. It is really important that our students learn how to build respectful mutual friendships with boys. We also collaborate with other schools to provide opportunities for socialising and teamwork; in particular we partner with the boys at Bedford School. Our joint programme of activities includes:
- Termly Junior School joint learning days and seasonal led events
- Year 7 and 8 social activities and team building
- Joint PSHE programmes in Year 9
- Bi-annual main school musical and other on-going creative opportunities
- Choral and musical collaboration including events such as Open Mic Night and Battle of the Bands
- Debating Competitions and MUN conferences
- Combined Cadet Forces
- Sixth Form leadership programmes
- Sixth Form academic societies
- Joint Sixth Form sports and charity initiatives, and social events
Our ethos underpins our approach to pastoral care and well-being. We are committed to promoting a culture of kindness which cares for every member of our community. We have an incredible expertise in creating a positive environment focused on helping our students develop into confident young women who understand their individual uniqueness.
We recognise that in today’s society growing up can be complicated. We help our students anticipate the next stage; discuss with them the hormonal, physical, neurological and psychological changes they will be going through as they grow up and how this will impact their sense of self at different points in time. We aid our students foster positive relationships and develop effective strategies to manage their own well-being within a safe and inclusive environment.
We know they will all grow in confidence and resilience but this takes time and is nurtured both through the curriculum and co-curriculum at BGS.
We also understand that growing up is not a linear path to success and we value each student as an individual and recognise that the care they will need will vary and provide the structure and support to help manage each stage. We believe in the power of conversations and trust; we encourage our students to actively engage in conversations with our staff and to be able to express their concerns in an environment free from judgement.
We work in partnership with parents, helping them understand the stages of their daughter’s development and providing strategies to help support their daughter’s as they navigate growing up.
Overseen by our Deputy Head Pastoral our pastoral structure ensures that every student is nurtured and challenged through an age-appropriate approach.
Our Pastoral Staff
In the Junior School, the form teacher is at the centre of a student’s school life. As they progress into the Senior School this role transfers to the form tutor, aided by teacher mentors, senior tutors and the Heads of Year, who are supported by a full time senior school pastoral officer. In the Sixth Form students benefit from small tutor groups, and a dedicated Sixth Form pastoral officer and senior tutors who work alongside with the Director of Sixth.
We also have a dedicated school counsellor and nursing team who play an important role in our pastoral team. We work in collaboration with external experts to future support our students.
We encourage mentoring both between staff and students but also student-to-student; this approach is further embedded through our House system where older students work alongside the younger members of our community.
Staff across the school understand their responsibility for our students; we invest in training all staff on a wide range of pastoral care issues and we share collaborative responsibility for behaviour management of our students to ensure that everyone can thrive.
