Castle Newnham School
All-through · Academy converter · Mixed · Bedford
Goldington Road, Bedford, MK40 3EP
–
headline score
Ranking (England)
—
No ranked results
Ofsted
—
No graded inspection
Application demand
97%
1st preference success · Oversubscribed
Attendance
95.4%
9.7% persistently absent
At a glance
Pupils on roll
624
Capacity used
Has space45%
1,380 places
GCSE rank (England)
—
KS2 rank (England)
—
Application demand
Primary entry · official council applications and offers
97%
1st preference success rate
88 of 91 families who put it first got an offer
90
Places offered
162
Total applications
1.8
Applications per place
| Preference (Sept 2025 entry) | Applications | Offers | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st preference | 91 | 88 | ● 97% |
| 2nd preference | 42 | 2 | ● 5% |
| 3rd preference | 29 | 0 | ● 0% |
| Total | 162 | 90 | 56% |
Bedford lets families list 4 preferences. 1 applications came from outside the council area (0 offered). Source: Department for Education, school-level applications and offers. Offers are made on each school's admissions criteria (e.g. siblings, distance, faith), so check the school's policy.
Details
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- All-through
- Age range
- 4–16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Sixth form
- No
- Boarding
- No boarders
- Headteacher
- Donna Neely-Hayes
- Address
- Goldington Road, Bedford, MK40 3EP
- Phone
- 01234303403
- Local authority
- Bedford
- Ward / constituency
- Castle & Newnham · Bedford
- Area
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- URN
- 151125
Pupils
| Measure | School | LA | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free school meals | 10% | — | — |
| English as additional language | — | — | — |
| SEN support | — | — | — |
Local deprivation (IDACI quintile 2 of 5)
1 = least deprived area, 5 = most deprived. Context only.
Academy trust: BEDFORDSHIRE SCHOOLS TRUST LIMITED
624 pupils · 1,380 places. Intake figures describe the school's community — they aren't good or bad.
Ofsted inspections
- 26
17 March 2026
S5 Inspection · report card
Inclusion Expected standard Achievement Expected standard Safeguarding standards Met Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Attendance and behaviour Expected standard Leadership and governance Expected standard Early years Expected standard Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard Post-16 provision Not applicable
Attendance
2024/2025 school year · 558 pupils
Attendance
95.4%
Share of sessions attended · England 91.1%
Overall absence
4.6%
Sessions missed, any reason · England 8.9%
Persistent absence
9.7%
Pupils missing 10%+ of school · England 26.7%
Severe absence
1.1%
Pupils missing 50%+ of school · England 2.3%
Unauthorised absence
0.9%
Absences the school didn't approve
Source: Department for Education, pupil absence by school (pupils aged 5–15). Lower absence is better. England figures are approximate 2023/24 averages.
Primary results by subject (SATs)
Year 6 pupils meeting each standard, against England
Reading, writing & maths combined
Reading
Writing
Maths
Grammar, punctuation & spelling
Science
England average · Scaled scores run 80–120 (100 = expected standard).
Primary results over time
Expected standard (RWM) by year (2020 and 2021 exams were cancelled)
| Result | School | England (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Expected standard (RWM) | 67% | 61% |
| Higher standard | 8% | 8% |
House prices near the school
Typical sold prices (Land Registry) within 1 km, last 12 months.
Loading prices…
Key application dates
National deadlines in England. Apply through Bedford council, not the school.
| Entry | Deadline | Offer day |
|---|---|---|
| Reception (primary) | 15 January | 16 April (or next working day) |
| Year 7 (secondary) | 31 October | 1 March (or next working day) |
Source: Get Information About Schools and the DfE school and college performance tables (2023-2024); Oxbridge figures from the University of Cambridge's admissions by UCAS apply centre (Oxford doesn't publish per-school figures). Read the method.