St John Rigby Catholic Primary SchoolCastle Newnham School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Bedford.
Summary of the comparison
St John Rigby Catholic Primary School and Castle Newnham School are primary schools in Bedford.
St John Rigby Catholic Primary School scores 52 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and Castle Newnham School scores 63 out of 100 (grade C, average). Castle Newnham School is ahead on our composite score.
St John Rigby Catholic Primary School was judged Good and Castle Newnham School was judged the expected standard.
On the share of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at Key Stage 2, the latest published figures are 49.0% for St John Rigby Catholic Primary School and 67.0% for Castle Newnham School.
The share of pupils meeting the expected standard at Key Stage 2 has held broadly level at St John Rigby Catholic Primary School (49.0% in 2022-23, 49.0% in 2024-25).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | BedfordSt John Rigby Catholic Primary School | BedfordCastle Newnham School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D52/100 | C63/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 35th of 51 in Bedford Stronger figure | 40th of 51 in Bedford | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: Expected | |
| School type | Academy converter | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Primary | Primary | |
| Age range | 5-11 | 4-11 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 306 | 622 | |
| Capacity | 420 | 680 | |
| Location | Bedford, MK41 9DQ | Bedford, MK40 3EP | |
| Key Stage 2 (SATs) | |||
| Reading, writing & maths at expected standard | 49.0% | 67.0% Stronger figure | 62.0% |
| At higher standard | 4.0% | 8.0% Stronger figure | 8.0% |
| Reading average scaled score | 103.0 | 106.0 Stronger figure | 106.0 |
| Maths average scaled score | 102.0 | 105.0 Stronger figure | 105.0 |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 306 | 622 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 11.8% | 9.3% | |
| English as an additional language | 28.1% | 17.0% | |
| SEN support | 11.8% | 5.8% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 2.0% | 3.7% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 4.7% | 4.6% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 11.5% | 9.7% Stronger figure | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
KS2: expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Full profiles: St John Rigby Catholic Primary School · Castle Newnham School