BEDALES will be celebrating its 125th anniversary with a series of special celebratory events.

The original school was opened in January 1893 by founder John Haden Badley.

It was housed in a rented building called Bedales at Lindfield, near Haywards Heath in Sussex.

The first pupils to attend were one 12-year-old and two 14-year-old boys.

Five years later, in 1898, the first girls joined the school, and Mr and Mrs Badley were able to realise their ambition that Bedales should be for girls as well as boys.

In 1900, the Badleys moved the school to its current estate in Steep, having bought Church Farm and the farm house, Steephurst, off Chruch Road, from Jane Balfour for £8,000.

Bedales’ current headmaster Keith Budge said: “I am looking forward to celebrating the educational vision of John Badley and the distinctive Bedales heritage during our 125th anniversary.

“Since its foundation in 1893, Bedales has innovated, championing a broad arts-rich education with students at its centre.

“I think that if John Badley visited today, he would recognise his powerful student-centred legacy, an environment that encourages creativity, independent thinking, learning through doing, and tolerance of difference.”

A centrepiece of the 125th anniversary celebrations will be an ambitious 125km four-day expedition by students and teachers.

The walkers, including Mr Budge, will hike from the site of the old school at Lindfield to Bedales in June.

A school spokesman said: “This journey, very much in the tradition of John Badley’s early camping expeditions, will cover much of the South Downs Way.”

Pupils, parents, teachers and alumni will be able to track the group’s progress, and to walk with the group along the route.

At the school, the programme starts with a concert next Tuesday by pupils from the three Bedales schools – Bedales, Dunhurst and Dunannie.

The concert will mark the re-opening of the refurbished Grade 1 listed Arts and Crafts Lupton Hall, built in the school grounds in 1911.

Over the next two terms, former students will return to the school to perform or give talks.

These include musician Marika Hackman and writer, broadcaster and former MP Gyles Brandreth.

The Eckersley Science Lecture in May will be given by Professor Roger Penrose, of Oxford University.

He is an expert on general relativity, and is the son of the Bedales head girl of 1919.

Tickets are available from www.bedales.org.uk/events.

More information on the 125th anniversary celebrations at the school is available on the website at: www. bedales.org.uk/bedales-125