Bedford School Mohali At Earth Mela 2025: Sharing Our All-Girls British Education Vision In Delhi

Bedford School Mohali participated in Earth Mela 2025, held on 13 and 14 December 2025 at the Italian Embassy, Delhi, with a dedicated stall aimed at engaging families and introducing the school’s all-girls British education model.

Over the two-day event, our representatives engaged children through hands-on activities and held in-depth conversations with parents about our curriculum, international standards, and the significance of an all-girls learning environment.

About Earth Mela 2025

Earth Mela 2025 hosted various sustainable, cultural, and communal activities within a festive seasonal setting. Held on the embassy lawns in Chanakyapuri, the event was designed as an eco-friendly public fair, drawing families who value creative consumption, cultural exchange, and holiday spirit.

A diverse audience, which included a considerable number of young families and parents, was drawn to Earth Mela by the presence of over 120 sustainable, women-led brands, and more than 40 stalls serving world cuisines. Alongside live music and family zones, the event also featured creative workshops, including pottery sessions, with dedicated activity areas for children.

The scale and nature of the event made it a relevant platform for Bedford School Mohali to engage with parents in a setting that encourages conversation, observation, and early exploration of educational choices.

About Bedford School Mohali

Bedford School Mohali is India’s first British International boarding school for girls, located in Mohali, and shaped by Bedford School UK’s 470+ year legacy of values-led education.

• We provide the IGCSE and A Level Cambridge curriculum with a strong emphasis on thinking, clarity, and confidence.

• Our campus has been purpose-built to accommodate a complete, holistic school life. The 14-acre campus includes top-notch facilities such as world-class science labs, a half-Olympic swimming pool, a 1100-seat auditorium, various sports and activity spaces, etc.

• We provide different types of boarding options, such as full boarding, day boarding, and flexi boarding, that are all supported by safe, supervised residential life and clear routines that comprise balanced learning, rest, and enrichment.

Our Participation at Earth Mela

Being the first British international boarding school for girls in India, we considered the event as an opportunity to showcase our educational philosophy on a broader platform.

In particular, we intended our attendance at the Earth Mela to:

• Present Bedford School Mohali to an open and welcoming community.

• Communicate our all-girls education philosophy clearly and its importance in today's world.

• Interact with parents, who were already engaged in understanding the curriculum pathways and international standards, directly.

• Provide a learning experience to the children via active and creative learning activities.

Our aim in participating in the event was to convey our vision and message through real conversation, thus permitting the families to connect with us through direct contact and informed discussion.

Interactive Activities Conducted At Our Stall

To attract younger guests and simultaneously provide a structured and warm space for families, we organised a hands-on cookie decoration activity at our stall. The activity was deliberately selected to symbolise creativity, independence, and experiential learning, which are one of the core principles of our approach in the classroom.

Key observations from the activity included:

• Kids from various age groups participated very actively.

• Cookies were completely distributed in just two hours on the first day.

• Continuous queues and people were going back and forth to the stall all day.

• Parents appreciated the activity’s hands-on and child-centred approach.

The whole experience made a significant contribution to the increase in visitors at our stall and provided a chance for parents to stay in conversation with us while their kids participated independently.

Parent Interactions and Enquiries

Interest from parents was steady throughout both days, especially since Bedford School Mohali is the first all-girls British International school in India. Many families came to us wanting to know more about our model’s thinking and the practical aspects of our educational framework.

Parent questions typically revolved around:

• Reasons and advantages of girls-only education.

• The support of the Cambridge curriculum in India for both academic and personal growth.

• Our international foundation and standards for quality assurance.

• The suitability of Mohali as a place for long-term education.

One interaction towards the end of the first day was particularly notable: A parent of an 18-month-old child spoke at length about his priorities for his daughter’s education and expressed a strong interest in our vision. The conversation reflected early trust and awareness, with the parent indicating that Bedford School Mohali would definitely be considered when his daughter reaches school-going age.

Addressing the All-Girls Education Model

Questions around a girls-only school were expected, and we welcomed them. Instead of providing mere assurances, we delved into the educational philosophy that supports our model and illustrated its daily application in the school.

We elaborated on the desirability of a girl’s participation without any hesitation, the bringing up of her voice with courage, and her being recognised for what she is, not for how she is compared with others.

In these discussions, we emphasised that our method is not about limiting the experience, but rather about enlarging it through deliberate opportunities and regular backing.

Furthermore, we explained how the all-girls environment can lessen the social pressure that is distracting for academics. And most importantly, it can make leadership visible as a quality that is growing and developing throughout school lessons, sports, extracurricular activities, and pastoral care routines.

We shared that the goal of Bedford School Mohali is to help every student:

• Gradually build uniqueness and self-knowledge with reliable support.

• Becomes more self-assured and expresses herself clearly through learning in everyday life.

• Be a part of a community that is amicable and respects others' rights and opinions.

• Gain experience in leading and working together through defined tasks and shared accountability.

The clarity of these conversations was appreciated by parents. Some of them remarked that our focus on empowerment, collaboration, and intentional personal growth made them see in practical terms the worth of an all-girls environment, not just through assumptions or stereotypes.

Leadership Presence on Day Two

On the second day, our stall was joined by Ms Naomi Atkins, the Founding Principal of Bedford School Mohali, and Mr Iwan Lloyd, the International Development Director of Bedford School UK Their presence further enhanced the level of discussions with parents who wanted to know the international roots of the school and the thinking behind establishing Bedford School Mohali in India.

Parents were especially curious about the selection of India as the country and Mohali as the city. Our representatives discussed how Mohali was best suited for holistic education, and gave some factors like the area’s clean air, good infrastructure, and a developing IT ecosystem that portrays and offers the region’s future-facing character and opportunities.

Alongside these discussions, we also highlighted several factors that informed our choice of location. Mohali offers a cleaner environment than many large metros, along with strong infrastructure and a steadily growing knowledge economy supported by the region’s IT ecosystem. For families, this translates into practical reassurance: a city that is well-connected, organised, and suited to consistent schooling routines, with the wider Chandigarh region supporting access, services, and a calmer pace of life.

There was also a lot of interest in the school’s connection with Bedford School UK and its implications in practice. We answered the questions related to quality control and standards, management, and the academic and pastoral principles that guide the school. This clarified that Bedford School Mohali is based on an authentic British education model and is not just a namesake association.

Most Innovative Stall at Earth Mela 2025

Our presence at the exhibition was brightly highlighted by a busy stall throughout the day, with families coming and going, interacting with us. We were delighted to be awarded Runner-Up for Most Innovative Stall at Earth Mela 2025, as it confirmed our choice of the visitor-friendly interactive approach for the event.

The acknowledgement was a great encouragement, reflecting the vital role of well-thought-out, child-centred interaction in a widely recognised platform.

Ending Note

Earth Mela 2025 provided a significant platform for us to engage with families, articulate our educational philosophy, and build early trust within the community. Through direct interaction, a child-focused activity, and clear conversations around curriculum and values, we were able to present our vision with transparency and intent.

As we continue our journey as a British international school in India, experiences such as Earth Mela reinforce the importance of community engagement, clarity of purpose, and authentic dialogue in shaping long-term relationships with families.