Castle Newnham School
Polhill Avenue, Bedford, MK41 9DT
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- BEDFORDSHIRE SCHOOLS TRUST LIMITED
- Headteacher
- Mrs Donna Neely-Hayes
- Sponsor
- Bedfordshire Schools Trust Limited
- Constituency
- Bedford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 750
- Pupils on roll
- 744
- URN
- 151042
- Local authority
- Bedford
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01234303403
About this school
Castle Newnham School is a secondary academy in Bedford. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 744 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 24 April 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good, but had some concerns; a full inspection will follow. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
This inspection took place when the school was registered as Castle Newnham School (URN 109661).
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 149 |
| Attainment 8 score | 42.7 |
| Progress 8 score | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 34.2% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 62.4% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 87.9% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.2 |
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.
How Castle Newnham School compares
Castle Newnham School ranked 9th of 13 secondary schools in Bedford for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 48% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 20% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 42.7 | 7.6% | 20.1% | 744 | — |
| Goldington Academy | 54.3 | 6.1% | 22.9% | 958 | 0.4 miles |
| Bedford Free School | 46.5 | 7.7% | 28.6% | 536 | 1.1 miles |
| Mark Rutherford School | 41.5 | 9.1% | 27.1% | 1,150 | 1.2 miles |
| St Thomas More Catholic School | 47 | 10.2% | 21.2% | 893 | 1.2 miles |
| Bedford Academy | 42.8 | 8.6% | 37.8% | 1,480 | 1.9 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)
- 20.13%
- English as an additional language
- 21.1%
- Overall absence
- 7.56%
- Persistent absence
- 23.67%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Goldington Academy0.4 miles
Secondary · Bedford
-
Bedford Free School1.1 miles
Secondary · Bedford
-
Mark Rutherford School1.2 miles
Secondary · Bedford
-
St Thomas More Catholic School1.2 miles
Secondary · Bedford
-
Bedford Academy1.9 miles
Secondary · Bedford
Other schools in Bedford
Castle Newnham School ranks 10th of the 14 ranked secondary schools in Bedford.
- Bedford Academy Secondary
- Bedford Free School Secondary
- Biddenham International School and Sports College Secondary
- Daubeney Academy Secondary
- Goldington Academy Secondary
- Kempston Academy Secondary
- Lincroft Academy Secondary
- Mark Rutherford School Secondary
- Redborne Upper School and Community College Secondary
- Sharnbrook Academy Secondary
- St Thomas More Catholic School Secondary
- Wixams Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What year groups does Castle Newnham School teach?
- Castle Newnham School teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Bedford.
- Who is the headteacher of Castle Newnham School?
- The headteacher of Castle Newnham School is Mrs Donna Neely-Hayes, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Castle Newnham School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Castle Newnham 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 Castle Newnham School?
- Castle Newnham School has 744 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Castle Newnham School full?
- Castle Newnham School has capacity for 750 pupils and 744 on roll (99%), 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 Castle Newnham School a faith school?
- No. Castle Newnham School has no designated religious character.
- Who runs Castle Newnham School?
- Castle Newnham School is part of BEDFORDSHIRE SCHOOLS TRUST LIMITED. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How does Castle Newnham School rank locally?
- Castle Newnham School ranked 9th of 13 secondary schools in Bedford for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 48% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 20% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Castle Newnham School's absence rate?
- Castle Newnham School's overall absence rate is 7.6% in the latest published census.
- What are Castle Newnham School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Castle Newnham 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 10 July 2026.