St John's School
Austin Canons, Bedford Road, Bedford, MK42 8AA
- Phase
- Academies
- School type
- Academy special converter
- Ages
- 2 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- BEDFORD INCLUSIVE LEARNING AND TRAINING TRUST
- Head of School
- Miss Shannon Poulter
- Religious ethos
- None
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- SEN provision
- SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- Bedford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 181
- Pupils on roll
- 178
- URN
- 137469
- Local authority
- Bedford
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01234345565
About this school
St John's School is a special academy in Bedford. It teaches children aged 2 to 19 and has 178 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 22 | 12 | 7 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Average scaled score in reading | - | - | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | - | - | - |
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 14 | 15 | 15 |
| Attainment 8 score | - | - | - |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | - | - | - |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | - | - | - |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St John's School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Bedford average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 0% | 50.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 0% | 53.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 0% | 52.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 10% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 179 |
| 2023/24 | 183 |
| 2024/25 | 178 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 49.29%
- English as an additional language
- 24.7%
- Overall absence
- 8.6%
- Persistent absence
- 25.68%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Grange Academy0.5 miles
Academies · Bedford
-
Rivertree Free School0.9 miles
Free Schools · Bedford
-
Greys Education Centre1.0 miles
Academies · Bedford
-
Bedford Girls' School1.0 miles
Independent schools · Bedford
-
Polam School1.0 miles
Independent schools · Bedford
Other schools in Bedford
- Cambian Walnut Tree Lodge School Special schools
- Grange Academy Academies
- Greys Education Centre Academies
- Ridgeway School Special schools
- Rivertree Free School Free Schools
- Cherry Trees Nursery School Nursery
- Peter Pan Nursery School Nursery
- Balliol Primary School Primary
- Bedford Road Primary Academy Primary
- Brickhill Primary School Primary
- Broadmead Lower School Primary
- Bromham CofE Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St John's School teach?
- St John's School teaches children aged 2 to 19. It is a special school in Bedford.
- Who is the head of school of St John's School?
- The head of school of St John's School is Miss Shannon Poulter, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St John's School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St John's School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is St John's School?
- St John's School has 178 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 19.
- Is St John's School full?
- St John's School has capacity for 181 pupils and 178 on roll (98%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St John's School a faith school?
- No. St John's School has no designated religious character.
- Who runs St John's School?
- St John's School is part of BEDFORD INCLUSIVE LEARNING AND TRAINING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does St John's School have?
- The schools register lists St John's School's special educational needs provision as: SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have St John's School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 0% in 2022/23 and 0% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is St John's School's absence rate?
- St John's School's overall absence rate is 8.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St John's School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St John's School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.