Bob.brownatstbedes

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Hello, Bob.brownatstbedes, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions, especially what you did for St Bede's School, Hailsham. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are some pages that you might find helpful:

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December 2011

Welcome to Wikipedia. Everyone is welcome to contribute to the encyclopedia, but when you add or change content, as you did to the article St Bede's School, Hailsham, please cite a reliable source for your addition. This helps maintain our policy of verifiability. See Wikipedia:Citing sources for how to cite sources, and the welcome page to learn more about contributing to this encyclopedia. Thank you. -- MST☆R ^{(Chat Me!)} 11:03, 15 December 2011 (UTC)

Please do not add or change content without verifying it by citing reliable sources, as you did to St Bede's School, Hailsham. Please review the guidelines at Wikipedia:Citing sources and take this opportunity to add references to the article. Thank you. -- MST☆R ^{(Chat Me!)} 11:08, 15 December 2011 (UTC)

Hello, Bob.brownatstbedes. You have new messages at MelbourneStar's talk page.
You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{Talkback}} or {{Tb}} template.

-- MST☆R ^{(Chat Me!)} 11:39, 15 December 2011 (UTC)

January 2012

Please stop your disruptive editing. If you continue to add soapboxing, promotional or advertising material to Wikipedia, as you did at St Bede's School, Hailsham, you may be blocked from editing. Charles (talk) 18:10, 30 January 2012 (UTC)

Dear Charlesdrakew RE Editing of St Bedes Prep school entry.

I have been asked by The headmaster of the St Bede's prep school to expand on, and correct errors in, the entry for the school. We have tried to give more information about the school than in the very brief existing entry so that readers will get more of a flavour of what the school is like. I am sorry if you deem this soapboxing or advertising. The following is the text which I tried to insert after the initial paragraph, which I modified to take out incorrect references to key stages. I also removed references to the school being run by the Pyemont family, as this implied they were owners of the school when in fact it was, and remains a charitable trust. i also removed the Reference to the Banker Nick Bevington. Mr bevington was not a banker.

I am still anxious to improve the entry, if you would like to suggest which parts of our text are unacceptable to wikipaedia then that would be most helpful

St Bede’s Prep School is an independent school set in a fabulous location at the most western point of Eastbourne seafront. It is the only building on the seafront between the Redoubt and the Downs and can boast stunning sea views and the beach as an extra classroom.

Founded in 1895, the school is part of the St Bede’s School Trust and whilst pupils will move on to schools such as Harrow, Eton and Rugby, most remain within the Trust and move on to St Bede’s Senior School, situated eight miles inland in the village of Upper Dicker.

At St Bede’s Prep education is all about the individual. Pupils explore and develop their talents in small classes where they are stimulated and challenged; while extensive extra-curricular activities provide a broad education in its truest sense. This breadth enables pupils to try many different things and find out what they are really good at.

To ensure pupils are getting the most out of their education each individual’s academic and social progress is closely monitored. Pupils gain the confidence to give things a go and to ask when they are unsure. They learn that in school, as in life, the more they put in, the more they take out.

The curriculum focuses upon skills as much as content and encourages curiosity, self-reliance and self-belief.

Integrated Studies brings history alive for the pupils and helps them understand geographical features, through the emphasis on fieldwork. The South Downs, the Cuckmere River, Lewes Castle, Battle Abbey and Canterbury Cathedral all become extensions of the classrooms. Year 5 children learn about the poverty and frustration of the Jarrow shipbuilders by re-enacting the Jarrow March, an Indian Day brings the country alive for Year 4 pupils, whilst Year 3 pupils enjoy an annual Anglo Saxon feast.

Classics Week includes workshops that range from the being a child in Roman Britain to Ancient Egypt and Greek Mythology. Languages Week sees the whole school focussed on the importance of language as a means of communication and an expression of community and cultural identity whilst the ever popular Book Week has visiting poets and authors, competitions and culminates in the children dressing up as their favourite character from fiction.

The Performing Arts play a big part in school life from the Pre-Prep upwards and recent productions have included Private Peaceful and The Crucible. Concerts range from the classical to the contemporary and from Year 6 children can join (by audition) the prestigious Legat School of Dance at St Bede’s. Art is also very strong in the school with older children able to join Art Masterclasses.

All major sports are on offer and the school has a particularly strong reputation for tennis. From Year 6 many matches are played on the pitches at the Senior School, but the Prep School can boast its own beautiful pitches at Whitbread Hollow, as well as a Sports Hall, Indoor Swimming Pool and cricket pitch over-looking the sea.

Nursery and Pre-Prep

In 2010 St Bede’s Nursery and Pre-Prep moved to their own bespoke building next door to the Prep School and babies from three months old were welcomed into the new baby unit.

Holywell Mount is a magnificent Art Deco villa with bright, spacious classrooms, a library, music room and technology room. The children have access to an enclosed playground that is separate from the Prep School and there is also a superb ‘outdoor classroom’. Both Nursery and Pre-Prep children have use of all the Prep School facilities, including the indoor swimming pool and dance studio.

The development of the children’s literacy and numeracy skills is the foundation of the school day, but much is achieved through a broader curriculum that includes Art, Dance, Drama, ICT, French and Music – all taught by specialist teachers.

A typical Autumn term for example will see the Pre-Prep leading the whole school Harvest Festival. Throughout the term there will be trips to the beach, the Downs and the nearby village, enhancing the children’s understanding of their local environment as well as learning creative and geographical skills in a very practical way. Often, in the village, they will buy ingredients for their cookery lesson back at school.

The Nursery and Pre-Prep take a full part in Book Week and for Children in Need day they all come to school wearing something ‘spotty’. The build up to Christmas will probably include a Christmas card design project, a trip.

Both the Baby Unit and Nursery operate for 50 weeks of the year and there are after school clubs for Pre-Prep children.

History

St Bede’s Prep was founded in 1895 by Mrs Frances Browne, at her house in Blackwater Road, Eastbourne. It opened with four boys and Mr D Burdett was appointed Headmaster.

In 1900 the school was acquired by Mr G Gowring who purchased a site in Duke’s Drive and, at a cost of £7000 built what is still the school’s home today.

At the time of the Second World War St Bede’s was owned by Mr and Mrs Kenneth Harding. During the War pupils were evacuated to St Edward’s Oxford, whilst the building itself was used for the essential wartime training of about 2,000 telegraphists who specialised in enemy code and cipher. St Bede’s boys moved back to Eastbourne on VE Day, 8th May 1945.

In 1964 Mr and Mrs Peter Pyemont took over the school and four years later it accepted its first girl pupil. In 1971 St Bede’s was formed into a Charitable Trust, administered by a Board of Governors. In 2000 it became part of the St Bede’s School Trust which also incorporates St Bede’s Senior School and St Bede’s Summer School.

Facilities

St Bede’s has an excellent Sports Hall complete with climbing wall. In 2007 new Science laboratories and classrooms were built and in 2009 a new dining room, kitchens and Year 8 classrooms were opened. The Nursery and Pre-Prep moved into their bespoke home in 2010

Notable Bedians

Sir Geoffrey Johnson-Smith - broadcaster and politician Eddie Izzard – actor and comedian Nicky Henson - actor James Yuill - Folktronica musician Daniel Harding - Ipswich Town and England U21 football Rob Buchanan - Harlequins and England U21 rugby Luke Wells - Sussex CCC and U19 England cricket 'Dilly Newton - England hockey'

Regards Bob Brown Website Content Manager St Bede's Schools trust

(1) You have a clear conflict of interest and should not be writing about an organisation you work for. If you want changes made raise them on the article discussion page for independent editors to consider.

(2) All facts on Wikipedia should be referenced to a reliable secondary source independent of the subject. See WP:Citing sources.

(3) Primary schools are not considered notable by Wikipedia and are usually covered by the local settlement article.

Thank you--Charles (talk) 11:18, 31 January 2012 (UTC)

I accept that under the definition used I may have a conflict of interest, but my user name Bobbrownatstbedes is, I hope, evidence that I am not trying to hide it. I have worked for the Senior school for 23 years and two of my sons are former pupils of the Prep School. If people who know the school well can't edit entries why should anyone else bother.

I am perfectly happy raise my proposed changes for independent editors to cosider, but do not know how to do so (as I said before I am new to Wikipaedia and do not find its varios sectiona at all easy to handle) I would be very happy for you to act as an independent editor ( I thought you were the one who looked after this page) hence my inclusion of the proposed text.

Although the idea of citations independent of the source is a valid one, in the case of a school it is difficult to know why such a source would exist. would entries in the Good Schools guide be acceptable for example?

I do hope you can help me over this Regards Bob Brown Bob.brownatstbedes (talk) 11:35, 31 January 2012 (UTC)

Hi Bob. I just thought I'd drop in here to help out a bit. You may want to have a read of our guide on how to edit with a conflict of interest if you get a chance. It doesn't prohibit you from editing, but it's worth remembering that Wikipedia needs to be neutral in all articles, so it might be difficult for you.

I find your question "why would anyone else bother" quite an interesting one, as I've discovered the editors of the encylcopedia will write fantastic articles on subjects that interest them, for example, I've never even heard of the school and I'll be reading up and offering some suggestions as soon as I can.

One very important fact is regarding the sources. If a fact isn't reported elsewhere, then it shouldn't be in wikipedia, as you will be straying into "original research", something that shouldn't be on Wikipedia. The entry in Good Schools may be acceptable, I'd have to look at them, but also independent news papers, books that discuss the school and its history and so on and so forth. I'll get back to you with anything I find. Worm^TT · (talk) 12:00, 31 January 2012 (UTC)