UK Schools
Castle Newnham School
Castle Newnham School is a mixed secondary academy in Bedford, Bedford Borough Council, teaching 744 pupils aged 11 to 16. Its last Ofsted inspection in April 2024 found the school remains Good. In 2024–2025, GCSE Attainment 8 was 42.7 (England 46.1). The 2025–2026 school year runs from 3 September 2025 to 17 July 2026.
Ofsted inspection
The latest published Ofsted judgement for Castle Newnham School.
Term dates & holidays 2025–2026
Autumn, spring and summer terms, half-terms, INSET days and bank holidays for Castle Newnham School.
- 1 Inset Day 1
- 2 Inset Day 2
- 3–30 Autumn Term (Autumn 1)
- 1–24 Autumn Term (Autumn 1)
- 3–30 Autumn Term (Autumn 2)
- 1–19 Autumn Term (Autumn 2)
- 20–31 Christmas Holiday
- 25 Christmas Day
- 26 Boxing Day
- 1–5 Christmas Holiday
- 1 New Year's Day (Bank Holiday)
- 5 Inset Day 3
- 6–31 Spring Term (Spring 1)
- 1–13 Spring Term (Spring 1)
- 23–28 Spring Term (Spring 2)
- 1–27 Spring Term (Spring 2)
- 28–31 Easter Holiday
- 1–13 Easter Holiday
- 3 Good Friday (Bank Holiday)
- 6 Easter Monday (Bank Holiday)
- 13 Inset Day 4
- 14–30 Summer Term (Summer 1)
- 1–22 Summer Term (Summer 1)
- 4 Early May Bank Holiday
- 23–31 Spring Bank Holiday Week
- 25 Spring Bank Holiday
- 1–30 Summer Term (Summer 2)
- 1–17 Summer Term (Summer 2)
- 20 Inset Day 5
- 21–31 Summer Holiday
- 1–31 Summer Holiday
- 31 Summer Bank Holiday
- 1 Summer Holiday
Key dates (2025–2026)
- Inset Day 1 Sep 1, 2025 Inset Day
- Inset Day 2 Sep 2, 2025 Inset Day
- Autumn Term (Autumn 1) Sep 3, 2025 - Oct 24, 2025 Term
- Autumn Term (Autumn 2) Nov 3, 2025 - Dec 19, 2025 Term
- Christmas Holiday Dec 20, 2025 - Jan 5, 2026 Holiday
- Inset Day 3 Jan 5, 2026 Inset Day
- Spring Term (Spring 1) Jan 6, 2026 - Feb 13, 2026 Term
- Spring Term (Spring 2) Feb 23, 2026 - Mar 27, 2026 Term
- Easter Holiday Mar 28, 2026 - Apr 13, 2026 Holiday
- Inset Day 4 Apr 13, 2026 Inset Day
- Summer Term (Summer 1) Apr 14, 2026 - May 22, 2026 Term
- Spring Bank Holiday Week May 23, 2026 - May 31, 2026 Holiday
- Summer Term (Summer 2) Jun 1, 2026 - Jul 17, 2026 Term
- Inset Day 5 Jul 20, 2026 Inset Day
- Summer Holiday Jul 21, 2026 - Sep 1, 2026 Holiday
- New Year's Day (Bank Holiday) Jan 1, 2026 Holiday
- Good Friday (Bank Holiday) Apr 3, 2026 Holiday
- Easter Monday (Bank Holiday) Apr 6, 2026 Holiday
- Early May Bank Holiday May 4, 2026 Holiday
- Spring Bank Holiday May 25, 2026 Holiday
- Summer Bank Holiday Aug 31, 2026 Holiday
- Christmas Day Dec 25, 2025 Holiday
- Boxing Day Dec 26, 2025 Event
Exam results & performance
The measures that carry the most signal. Open a section to compare Castle Newnham School with Bedford Borough Council and England.
Key stage 4 (GCSE) 42.7 Attainment 8 score
Year 11 results across eight qualifications, including English and maths.
This school Bedford Borough Council England
Attendance 23.7% Persistently absent pupils
Absence across the whole school year.
This school Bedford Borough Council England
What pupils do after GCSEs 89% In education, apprenticeship or work
Still in education, an apprenticeship or work a year after key stage 4.
This school Bedford Borough Council England
About this data source & caveats
Progress 8 is not published for 2024–2025. This year group missed their key stage 2 tests in 2020, so there is no baseline to measure progress from.
Attendance comparisons are pupil-weighted averages we calculate from every school’s published absence figure — the DfE absence file has no local authority or England rows of its own.
We show the headline measures only. Threshold and curriculum-policy figures — grade 4+ in English and maths, EBacc entry and points, the per-subject key stage 2 breakdown, academic and applied splits at 16 to 18 — reflect admissions and curriculum choices more than school quality, so they are left to GOV.UK. Progress measures matter most because they compare pupils with others who started at the same level; attainment on its own largely tracks a school’s intake.
Figures are the Department for Education’s official published results for Castle Newnham School. Results are suppressed where too few pupils were entered. England figures are the average for state-funded schools. “Top x%” is this school’s position among all schools in England with a published figure for that measure — the DfE does not publish league table rankings.
Source: Compare school and college performance, Department for Education. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Location & catchment area
Indicative only. This is a nearest-school (Voronoi) estimate — the area closer to Castle Newnham School than to any other secondary school. Real admissions depend on the school’s own policy (straight-line distance, siblings, faith, feeder schools and available places) and change each year. Always confirm with the school and local authority admissions team.