St John Rigby Catholic Primary School
Polhill Avenue, Bedford, MK41 9DQ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- OUR LADY IMMACULATE CATHOLIC ACADEMIES TRUST LTD
- Headteacher
- Mrs Michele McGettigan
- Diocese
- Diocese of Northampton
- Sponsor
- Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Academies Trust (OLICAT)
- Constituency
- Bedford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 268
- URN
- 139515
- Local authority
- Bedford
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01234401900
About this school
St John Rigby Catholic Primary School is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Bedford. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 268 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St John Rigby Catholic Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out 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
- Early years
- 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 | 45 | 56 | 51 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 49% | 43% | 49% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 4% | 4% |
| Expected standard in reading | 78% | 70% | 63% |
| Expected standard in maths | 62% | 61% | 57% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 73% | 63% | 69% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 103.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 101.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.90 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St John Rigby Catholic Primary 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 | 49% | 50.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 43% | 53.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 49% | 52.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 328 |
| 2023/24 | 316 |
| 2024/25 | 306 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St John Rigby Catholic Primary School compares
St John Rigby Catholic Primary School ranked 38th of 51 primary schools in Bedford for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 20% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 49% | 4.7% | 11.8% | 268 | — |
| Hazeldene School | 75% | 3.7% | 17% | 443 | 0.3 miles |
| The Hills Academy | 63% | 3.8% | 13.4% | 442 | 0.4 miles |
| Castle Newnham School | 67% | 4.6% | 9.3% | 624 | 0.4 miles |
| Goldington Green Academy | 62% | 6.2% | 35.2% | 576 | 0.8 miles |
| Brickhill Primary School | 57% | 4.8% | 17.8% | 209 | 0.8 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 11.76%
- English as an additional language
- 28.1%
- Overall absence
- 4.74%
- Persistent absence
- 11.5%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Hazeldene School0.3 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
The Hills Academy0.4 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Castle Newnham School0.4 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Goldington Green Academy0.8 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Brickhill Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Bedford
Other schools in Bedford
St John Rigby Catholic Primary School ranks 38th of the 53 ranked primary schools in Bedford.
- Balliol Primary School Primary
- Bedford Road Primary Academy Primary
- Brickhill Primary School Primary
- Broadmead Lower School Primary
- Bromham CofE Primary School Primary
- Camestone School Primary
- Carlton CofE Primary School Primary
- Castle Newnham School Primary
- Cauldwell School Primary
- Cotton End Forest School Primary
- Cranfield Church of England Academy Primary
- Edith Cavell Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St John Rigby Catholic Primary School teach?
- St John Rigby Catholic Primary School teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Bedford.
- Who is the headteacher of St John Rigby Catholic Primary School?
- The headteacher of St John Rigby Catholic Primary School is Mrs Michele McGettigan, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St John Rigby Catholic Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St John Rigby Catholic Primary 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 many pupils are at St John Rigby Catholic Primary School?
- St John Rigby Catholic Primary School has 268 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is St John Rigby Catholic Primary School full?
- St John Rigby Catholic Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 268 on roll (64%), so it has space against its published capacity. 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 Rigby Catholic Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St John Rigby Catholic Primary School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Northampton.
- Does St John Rigby Catholic Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St John Rigby Catholic Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Is St John Rigby Catholic Primary School part of an academy trust?
- St John Rigby Catholic Primary School is part of OUR LADY IMMACULATE CATHOLIC ACADEMIES TRUST LTD. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St John Rigby Catholic Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 49% in 2022/23 and 49% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St John Rigby Catholic Primary School compare with other schools in Bedford?
- St John Rigby Catholic Primary School ranked 38th of 51 primary schools in Bedford for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 20% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St John Rigby Catholic Primary School's absence rate?
- St John Rigby Catholic Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St John Rigby Catholic Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St John Rigby Catholic Primary 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.