Welcome

Welcome to Castle Newnham School.  I'm very proud indeed to be the Principal of this lovely school in the heart of Bedford offering high-quality education and care for pupils from nursery up to age 16. 

Our CORE values (community, opportunity, respect and excellence) underpin our work across our whole school and help guide us in serving our children and families.  We firmly believe that school and home working together is key to providing a happy and successful learning environment at every stage and our staff are committed to this partnership.  

Our younger children begin their journey on our South Site (Goldington Road) in either nursery or in one of 3 reception classes with the vast majority living within walking distance, adding to our sense of  community. At the end of Year 4 our pupils move to our North Site where, still in their 3 classes, they are able to benefit from a combination of a class teacher who knows them socially and academically extremely well with the opportunity offered by access to specialist teaching and facilities on the secondary site.  In Year 7, 3 classes become 5 and we welcome a number of pupils from other local primary schools who settle very quickly with us and become part of our 'family'.  

Our curriculum is built around the content of the traditional academic subjects since we believe that WHAT pupils learn is as important as HOW they are taught and the outcomes they obtain.  We are highly conscious that we are preparing future citizens who need to be well informed and confident of the part they have to play in contributing to their community and their wider world and our curriculum with its strong focus on traditional subjects does just that. Teaching is carefully planned to ensure that all pupils have access to exciting and interesting content and all can succeed in assessments and examinations to the best of their ability.  We also value the effort that pupils themselves make and recognise this through a variety of awards and opportunities for praise. 

Of equal importance are the very many opportunities our pupils have around the curriculum.  We have a thriving programme of activities in sports, the creative arts and STEM as well as our highly reputed school shows and performing arts offer.  Bedford Music Hub is part of our school community, as is Bedford Town Band and our pupils enjoy multiple opportunities to experience playing a musical instrument and singing or performing.  Trips and visits near and far (including residential visits in both primary and secondary and to other countries in our secondary phase) are a big part of our offer and there is something for everyone, from the local theatre and museum visits to a bi-annual ski trip. 

Those who visit our school invariably comment on the warmth of the atmosphere, the 'family feel' and strong relationships and we are very proud of this indeed.  For our pupils to do their best they need to feel as happy and valued as possible  and we believe strongly in caring for the individual alongside high expectations.   

We very much hope that our website gives you a flavour of our wonderful school but we also welcome visitors in person, from those thinking of coming to work with us to those considering Castle Newnham for their children.  A warm welcome to Castle Newnham from us all! 

Ruth Wilkes

Principal