Beaudesert Park School A GSG School

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What The Good Schools Guide says

Headmaster

Since 2018, Mr Chris Searson BA, previously deputy head at Highfield School. English and PGCE at Warwick. Growing up in a forces family his first experience of education was at a tiny primary school on a beach in the Shetlands, where his mum was his teacher. ‘She has shaped who I am as a teacher; I sometimes hear her voice in the back of my head reminding me to stop and ask myself what’s right for the child.’ Actually, he’d meant to become a journalist, but a teaching placement during his degree turned his head. ‘They were the real littlies’, he says by way of explanation.

First job was at Caterham Prep; thence to Highfield where he met his wife, then a matron and now deputy head of pre-prep here. The couple host year 8s every Wednesday, challenging them after dinner to a ‘totally hilarious’ round of Pucket; ‘they all want to beat our eight-year-old daughter’, he laughs (one, an otherwise perfect young gent, had ruthlessly claimed victory last week: ‘I channelled the inner beast!’, he told Mr S afterwards).

‘Chess lover, sproodle owner and handstand enthusiast’, is how he describes himself on Twitter and we can vouch for the first two, at least. ‘Hold on, I’ll just feed Dougal now before he gets too hungry,’ he says as we walk into his study to interview him, busying himself with dog food as Dougal himself stretches out glossily on the carpet. Chess boards are piled high beside his armchair. He runs us round a few activities after school, Dougal firmly at his ankles, into a room of girls making bracelets out of loom bands and into Warhammer club, where we bump into Beaudesert’s reigning chess champion (‘It’s three-three in our matches against each other, and I think I should leave it like that’, he confides afterwards). Pupils told us he made a striking Gangsta Granny on World Book Day the previous week, borrowing the outfit his daughter wore last year: ‘When I was head of English I went to town – as a headmaster I am more restrained, I feel I’ve got to keep a bit of decorum,’ he chuckles. What’s he reading at the moment? ‘War and Peace! No, not really. I have done it, years ago, but not again’. Really, he loves ‘getting lost in a Hardy, though it’s not long before my eyes close at night.’

Any changes he’s overseen here have been slow and steady. ‘The school is changing as new families move here, but he is managing that rather than driving the change himself,’ says a long-time parent, suggesting that post-covid down-from-Londoners come with different expectations. ‘One of the most important things I’ve done is I haven’t ripped the carpet out,’ he says, characteristically self-effacing, ‘change has to be subtle.’ So, classrooms are smarter and more roomy and staff are more aware of metacognition; all a ‘collaborative piece’. Parents describe him as ‘very available’, ‘very visible’, ‘very impressive’. ‘He fits the mould and holds the school’s key values without being stuffy.’

The Searsons have a son doing A levels in Cirencester and a daughter here. ‘I’m not great at doing the Beaudesert marketing spiel,’ he confesses, though that, of course, is exactly what wins us over.

Entrance

Broadly academically non-selective. ‘We occasionally have times when we have to say no because a child would not access the curriculum or thrive.' Capacity flexible. First come, first served, with sibling priority, but they can probably accommodate your brood.

Exit

A handful leave at 11+, mostly to local senior schools. At 13+, most go to Cheltenham College, Dean Close, Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Radley College and Marlborough College. Others to St Mary’s (Calne), King’s (Gloucester), Kingswood School, Rendcomb College, Bradfield College, Eton, Stroud High, Tudor Hall School, Malvern College, Clifton College, Bedales, Rugby, The Crypt Grammar School, Millfield School, St Peter’s High School, Sir William Romney School and Tonbridge School. ‘For me it’s important that children are going to lots of different schools,’ says head, proud of Beaudesert’s independence. ‘He gets a good feeling for individual children and the ethos of each family,’ one parent says. ‘If you have very academic aspirations then you do need to push them,’ felt another, ‘though it’s lovely how little the children worry.’ In 2024, 25 scholarships.

Our view

‘We always get help if we’re stuck,’ year 5 told us, ‘though not in tests of course, then we have to work it out for ourselves.’ That said, nobody got ‘too stressed’ during the ISEB exams, according to year 8. ‘They did come out of those exams very relaxed,’ parents agreed, ‘because there is no pressure from the school.’ We saw buzzy lessons, children writing scripts and making things go ‘pop’ in science. It’s definitely not uncool to do well: one had noticed how the school ‘breeds respect for academic achievement, my son was never in the scholarship group but he was always amazed by what they were doing.’ Pupils pleased that subjects given equal attention, ‘so whatever you like, you can be good at it’.

Around 17 per cent have SEN. ‘We cater well for children that have some differences; they wouldn’t be picked out by other children,’ says head. ‘I have dyslexia and learning support’s really good,’ one boy told us. Department of five helps pupils with dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD, ASD; most children on register have two sessions weekly. External speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, education psychologists brought in as appropriate. We found a very inclusive, warm, unfussy approach to learning support throughout. Department sits in the middle of the school – no one’s being dispatched to the eaves, for once – and pupils talk openly about it.

Maths and English aside, it’s their Tree Climbing License that Beaudesertians aspire to, awarded in year 3. It’s a serious matter, tree-climbing: ‘Are there any school rules that you disagree with?’ we asked a group of pupils. ‘I disagree with the rule about not climbing a branch thinner than your wrist,’ one said earnestly, ‘because some are incredibly strong, like a Yew or a Wellingtonia.’ No tree-climbing when we visited – the wind was literally howling through them – but the dramatic topography and extraordinary views down over Nailsworth do give the school an unusually wild and woolly feel. ‘I don’t know how they get the children in after break, they scatter everywhere and somehow they’re back for lessons,’ says one parent. School is a Green Flag award-holder thanks to the ‘flourishing Eco-Committee’. Alumnae include Daphne Schrager, a world record-holding cycling para-athlete, and Olympic marathon-runner Dan Robinson, who now teaches PE here (‘Not that he’s joining our staff team for football against the parents tomorrow night,’ harrumphs Mr Searson, only half mocking, ‘and yes, you can print that in your review.’)

With rugged views and ruddy cheeks, Beaudesert can’t help but be sporty. Spare a thought for the cross-country team; negotiating the Slad Valley is no mean feat. ‘We play a lot of sport,’ pupils told us, ‘and they mix up the good and the not-so-great in practices, so everyone has a go.’ Parents agree: ‘There are opportunities if you’re sporty, but also if you’re not.’ Playing fields are ‘a short jog’, says school, across the common (presumably this depends on the pace of one’s jog). Astros on site along with both outdoor and indoor pools; renovations upcoming on the latter. Parents praise school’s encouragement of club or county level commitments.

Almost three-quarters have individual music lessons, at break or lunchtime for older children. ‘My boys love all the drama and every child is in every production,’ one mum said, ‘they do a bit of everything.' We sat in rehearsals for the spring concert, enjoying a rousing rendition of a Les Mis medley which had us humming for hours; parents feel performances are charming and not too polished, allowing children the chance to express themselves and have a go.

Superb pastoral system runs right through the school: these are happy, happy children. ‘Everyone’s really kind,’ our year 4 source tells us, ‘and my friends are happy.’ Pupils feel they can talk to any member of staff: ‘It’s a really safe environment’, and anyway, ‘we have a nurse here in case you fall over or someone accidentally kicks you in the eye with a ball,’ as had happened just that morning (never a dull moment). Parents feel the school is ‘big enough for them to grow, but still feels intimate.’ Behavioural notes and detentions for those ‘being silly’, pupils explain, ‘I did get a detention once but I probably deserved it.’ Importance of being kind reflected by reward system, which gives one house point for good work but two for good behaviour. ‘I got a credit because I sat with my friend until she finished her lunch, even though she was eating really slowly,’ one pupil tells us. We don’t blame this mindful masticator: the food is yummy. Fish and chips are the favourite, according to pupils.

Uniform practical yet charming. Green tracksuits for tinies optional, but wellies non-negotiable: down in forest school, delighted nursery children had mud on their noses, in their hair and down the back of their waterproofs, having slithered joyfully down the hill on their backsides. Tattersall shirts for boys, pinafores or kilts for girls, though it was the older boys’ chunky-knit shoulder-patched sweaters that we really coveted - think James Bond on a shooting weekend. ‘Hand-me-down chic’ is the look. No mobile phones in school; years 7 and 8 are given Chromebooks.

Most families live within 20 miles. ‘A spattering of London money but it’s not like the north Cotswolds,’ one told us; ‘The days of horse boxes in the car park are not yet over here, it’s more rural,’ said another. Lots grew up locally, moved away, returned with their offspring. ‘There’s a lot of, ‘Oh my God, you’re back too!’ at the gate,’ says another, ‘or people come from London and go to a wedding in Painswick and they think right, how are we going to make this work?’ School knows its market: a page on their website entitled ‘Moving to the Cotswolds’ explains that, ‘The Cotswolds is a hidden gem complete with quaint villages, rolling hills and a strong community spirit.’ For some, a conscious rejection of pushier London or home counties preps: ‘Don’t put a rather sleepy child at Beaudesert and think they’ll land up at Eton, because they’ll spend their time up a tree,’ says one convert. As sociable as you want it to be, with lots of opportunities for HIIT classes in Box village hall or sitting on the common watching the cricket.

Boarders

Of the 250 pupils eligible to do so, around 170 do some boarding each week. All boarders flexi when we visited, though weekly available too. No boarding on Saturday or Sunday nights. Boys and girls are on separate floors with shared day areas downstairs. Boys’ dorms, a series of interconnected rooms, renovated in 2021; girls, several rooms of five or six, about to be done when we visited. Girls had been busy choosing paint colours – ‘there are a few that we might need to tone down,’ says head of boarding, tactfully.

‘Boarding’s fantastic’, parents say, ‘I can’t rave more highly about it’. ‘It ticks the socialising box, they’ve done their sleepover during the week so you get family time at the weekends.’

Money matters

Fees comparable with local prep boarding schools. Small bursary pot available from year 4.

The last word

‘The Easter bunny has already been!’, year 2 tell us, having found some chocolate eggs under the trees, ‘Can you believe it?’ Actually, we can: a heady combination of fresh air and freedom make Beaudesert just the sort of magical place where he might hop by a couple of weeks early. ‘Of course the bubble will be popped when they leave year 8,’ says one grateful parent, ‘but why not stay in that bubble for as long as you can?’ You won’t find edge here – this is not an edgy part of the world – but we found happy, free-range children living their best life, an idyllic start in idyllic surroundings.

Special Education Needs

09-09 School's description of their SEN provision:

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