Schools in Bedfordshire area - any info gratefully received

[mummyjules8]

Hi There,
We are moving out of London to the Bedfordshire area, and looking at the schools. Anyone got experience of Bedford school vs Bedford modern. Also do you know if it's possible to take your own packed lunch to either of those schools...DS1 quite fussy and would quite like to have packed lunches as think it would ease the transition (probably being a bit over protective!)
Thanks!

Both are owned by the Harpur Trust - it owns all private schools in the area. They're like most average private schools. They're highly selective taking kids who were going to perform well irrespective of where they went. They're both very snobby. I know people who've sent kids there - do well academically, but come out with a bit of a chip on their shoulder.

A friend's dd has just started in Year 8 at Bedford Girls School. My dd has noticed that she is quite materialistic now - some of her BGS friends take £200 out shopping on a normal Saturday, for example.

Lots of people are v rich and she is feeling the pressure to keep up with them. Some bitching too. I don't like the materialism, and that would really put me off.

However, pastoral care in the school seems good. And class sizes are small.

Oh that doesn't sound very enticing. We want a great education for our kids but we are very down to earth people. My husband was educated privately but I went to state schools, so it's a bit alien to me. I thought that they would be a bit less like that outside of London!

Harpur Trust makes Beds a funny area - they cream off the top 5-10% with scholarships and then make their money off the rest of the intake.

Good schools in Beds outside private sector - Sharnbrook is always first choice and a very good school but transport can be an issue there. Wootton has gone down the pan rapidly over the last few years and was lucky to avoid special measures. Avoid Biddenham and Bedford Academy - really bad, the latter hard evidence that no matter how much you spend on a shiny campus and rebranding you just cant polish a turd. Mark Rutherford has a really rough intake and results reflect that. St Thomas More has a good reputation but is usually full and near impossible to get in to. New Free School a bit uncertain still and location is shocking. Kempston schools are reorganising but historically - well do not touch with a barge pole. Going further out - Samuel Whitbread is good, Cedars is good, Redbourne is good.

Thanks that's really useful. We are looking at both private and state but it can be tricky to get into the good state schools when you join after reception so want to have both options covered.

I actually live in Bedford, work in one of the local schools (and worked in another one for a number of years!) and attended 3 of them as a student!

Bedford modern is more down to earth (of your private school options) in my opinion - it's mixed sex, and it is less expensive than Bedford school which means that the students tend to be more middle class (and possibly more down to earth).

Sharnbrook is the best state school in terms of results, although it is massive and as a result can seem impersonal.

Honestly, I would avoid biddenham and Bedford academy, results and behaviour are pretty poor.

Thomas more and the free school are good schools according to ofsted, similar in terms of results at GCSEs, Thomas more is Catholic and the free school is small with quite strict discipline.

Wootton have historically been seen as good but seem to be struggling recently. Good results last year though.

To be honest, the best thing to do is go for tours of the schools, you won't be able to get an idea until you have a look round and talk to staff/students.

Try Olney. Good first and middle schools and afterwards ideally located for choice of private in Wellingborough, Northampton, MK or Bedford. My children went to Pilgrims and Bedford School, both were good for us. Would not have thought it would be possible to have a packed lunch. Btw, didn't think BedMod was part of Harpur Trust but maybe I am out of touch. Would also agree with the materialism comment though this is in most private schools and particularly girls schools.

Kimbolton is worth a look at if you want to go private.

Not all the info above is accurate. There are three non-Harpur Trust private schools in Bedford - Polam (up to Yr3), Rushmoor (junior to 6th, was boys only but now mixed) and St. Andrews (nursery to senior, was girls only but now mixed). Rushmoor and St. Andrews merged recently and they are not academically selective, unlike the HT schools.

All the HT schools are very impressive, but it's true that they cream off the most able and that artificially depresses the results of the state schools. My kids are at BGS (which they love) and I don't recognise the mega-rich label from above - all the parents we know are very down to earth. As usual, you should tour the schools and make your own decisions.

Oh, quick point of order - I went to Sharnbrook and it's a fantastic school too. Comparing my experience to my kids, I'd liken it to Campus (Sharnbrook, self-contained) vs whatever-non-Campus-is (HT, integrated within the town). I also like to quote a friend who grew up in Glasgow - "People in Bedfordshire have no idea what a bad school is". YMMV.

If you want a top state school try Redborne Upper School, rated outstanding as it has been for many Ofsted inspection and it deserves it too. If your children are younger then Robert Bloomfield middle school in shefford is another really good school and some children from there go to Redborne, this school also has great feeder lower schools that have a lovely village atmosphere.

Hi,

Just found out we need to move to Bedford so our kids will be starting years 5, 6 and 7 in September.

Which public primary schools would you recommend?

Also what order would you rate these High Schools from best to worst:

Bedford Academy
Biddenham
Castle Newnham
Daubeney
Kempston Challenger Academy
Mark Rutherford
Wixams Academy

Thanks in advance.

The three Harpur Trust schools for Yr 5/6/7 (BS, BGS, BMS) are all fantastic - ignore the above and talk to them directly.

taryn, hope it's not too late to reply to you! Did we tlak about Bedford on another thread?

It is indeed an odd place educationally (and in other ways ! ) . The schools you lsit above (don't call them high schools, they never are round here) are either new (Newnham and Wixams) sec schools or have converted from 13-18 uppers. You'll need to check they have places for year 7.

Wixams is too new to comment. I have heard nothing about it at all. Despite what is said upthread I know lots of people who went to Biddenham and it has a good, strong leadership. I haven't heard comments about it but you never really hear talk about it eitehr way tbh. It's a bit insular.

Avoid kempston Challenger at all costs. Chaos.

Bedford Academy, I'd say no,although I have a friend who works there! We certainly moved to get out of that area.

Newnham is in the most conventionally middle class area but is a very new sec school (was a middle school). I'd always be worried about experience and specialism of staff but the parents I know seem happy.

Mark Rutherford is OK : it was having issues with behaviour and high staff turnover a few years back.

I thought Daubeney was just middle but Kempston is not my area . There is also Bedford Free School, which is a bit marmite but parents seem happy. It likes to think it's an innovator and going places and the new head really does care about the school's development. It has odd discipline procedures but the kids do behave by all accounts.

If you are moving to Bedford, the exact area will make a difference to the school you can choose and get to.

Primary schools I have no knowledge of : sorry!

The most popular schools in Bedfordshire are in the surrounding villages, rather than the town itself... so Wootton (still upper), Sharnbrook (now part of a confusing federation but 11-18 itself), Lincroft (recently became secondary) ; Alban Middle.

My DCs are both at Wootton. DS2 having a good time; DS1 not so much success. Wootton is upper(13-18)

Feel free to PM me!

motley, I grew up in Glasgow and went to a fantastic school. Jordanhill , where my DSis went outstrips any school in Bedford! . But, obvioulsy, Glasgow is a big city with very challenging areas. there are parts of Bedford whihc are actually very deprived, though, and apathy and low aspiration are big educational problems in Bedford.

What I have noticed is whenever there is a Bedford thread where a poster asks about state schools people pile in and suggest Harpur Trust (not everyone can afford private you know, or wants to!) and that in itself is what you need to know about Bedford!

kangaroo just on a point of order, Redborne is now rated good. Still very popular. You won't get DCs in there from Bedford itself though. Very oversubscribed.