Welcome to Castle Newnham School

Traditional Values, Bright Futures, One Journey

We are a federation of two highly successful and established schools working together to provide excellence from Reception right up to Year 11.  Situated close to the town centre, on two sites, in a lovely part of Bedford within a vibrant and diverse community, our over-subscribed and popular federation is one in which ambition and care for each of our pupils is at the heart of everything we do.

Castle Newnham’s traditional values mean that our expectation every day is of participation, enjoyment , outstanding behaviour and kindness to all. We value hard work and commitment to learning throughout the school which pays off in the high standards reached. Our forward-looking approach is seen in our openness to embrace change and to keep up with the latest research and thinking in education. The opportunities for our pupils to enhance their education through extra-curricular provision whether sporting, creative, environmental or technical are varied and growing all the time. These include a range of local and residential visits in this country and beyond.

We are developing all-through education for our community from 4-16 in a wider federation with our partners at Hazeldene School.  All pupils currently at either Castle Newnham School or Hazeldene School (who will be establishing its first Year 5 and then Year 6 provision from September 2017 too) are guaranteed a route through as far as GCSE.  Our first Year 9 cohort will start in September 2017 and we are very excited about the development of high-quality education to GCSE.  We never stand still in our quest to secure a fantastic school experience and a bright future for each of our pupils.

Our staff are a committed, skilled, energetic and dedicated team and our pupils are a source of great pride in their enthusiasm, courtesy and care for others. We encourage strong links with families right from the start as well as with our local partners and increasingly, with international partners.  We are very proud of our many awards and quality marks and, importantly, of the reputation we have in the community for the quality of education and care for each one of our pupils.  We provide training for teachers across our federation and beyond as a lead school for the School Direct programme with the University of Bedfordshire.

Ruth Wilkes

Federation Principal