St John's School
Catchment Area, Reviews and Key Information

Primary & Secondary
Post 16
Special school
PUPILS
179
AGES
2 - 19
GENDER
Mixed
TYPE
Academy special converter

Can I Get My Child Into This School?

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This pupil heat map shows where pupils currently attending the school live.
The concentration of pupils shows likelihood of admission based on distance criteria

Source: All attending pupils National School Census Data, ONS
01234 718120

This School Guide heat map has been plotted using official pupil data taken from the last School Census collected by the Department for Education. It is a visualisation of where pupils lived at the time of the annual School Census.

Our heat maps use groups of postcodes, not individual postcodes, and have naturally soft edges. All pupils are included in the mapping (i.e. children with siblings already at the school, high priority pupils and selective and/or religious admissions) but we may have removed statistical ‘outliers’ with more remote postcodes that do not reflect majority admissions.

For some schools, the heat map may be a useful indicator of the catchment area but our heat maps are not the same as catchment area maps. Catchment area maps, published by the school or local authority, are based on geographical admissions criteria and show actual cut-off distances and pre-defined catchment areas for a single admission year.

This information is provided as a guide only. The criteria in which schools use to allocate places in the event that they are oversubscribed can and do vary between schools and over time. These criteria can include distance from the school and sometimes specific catchment areas but can also include, amongst others, priority for siblings, children of a particular faith or specific feeder schools. Living in an area where children have previously attended a school does not guarantee admission to the school in future years. Always check with the school’s own admission authority for the current admission arrangements.

3 steps to help parents gather catchment information for a school:

  1. Look at our school catchment area guide for more information on heat maps. They give a useful indicator of the general areas that admit pupils to the school. This visualisation is based on all attending pupils present at the time of the annual School Census.
  2. Use the link to the Local Authority Contact (above) to find catchment area information based on a single admission year. This is very important if you are considering applying to a school.
  3. On each school page, use the link to visit the school website and find information on individual school admissions criteria. Geographical criteria are only applied after pupils have been admitted on higher priority criteria such as Looked After Children, SEN, siblings, etc.

How Does The School Perform?

Good
NATIONAL AVG. 2.09
Ofsted Inspection
(13/09/2023)
Full Report - All Reports

Special schools provide a unique and distinctive educational environment to meet the needs of the pupils in their community. Undertaking standard tests may not be appropriate and we do not show performance data for special schools.

View exam results via the link below and contact the school to ask about measuring pupil progress.

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87%
NATIONAL AVG. 93%
Happiness Rating

Ofsted Parent View

6.3:1
NATIONAL AVG. 19.9:1
Pupil/Teacher ratio
31.4%
NATIONAL AVG. 17.7%
Persistent Absence
25.1%
NATIONAL AVG. 22.0%
Pupils first language
not English
40.1%
NATIONAL AVG. 25.9%
Free school meals
0.6%
NATIONAL AVG. 13.5%
Pupils with SEN support
Austin Canons
Bedford Road
Kempston
Bedford
MK42 8AA
01234345565

School Description

St John’s Special School and College converted to become an academy on 1 September 2011. When its predecessor school, St John’s School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding. This is a school for pupils with severe, profound and multiple learning difficulties. A high proportion of the pupils have complex needs and an increasing proportion have autistic spectrum disorders. All pupils have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan. Some of the students at Key Stage 4 and most in the sixth form are based at the school’s annexe at Biddenham International School and Sports College. Some students in the sixth form spend much of their time at Stewart House, which is a sixth form study centre shared with Biddenham. The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is a little above average. (This is government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or who are looked after by the local authority.) The long-serving headteacher who retired in July 2014 is continuing to lead the strategic development of St John’s in the role of executive principal. An interim headteacher, who was previously an assistant headteacher at the school, took over day-to-day leadership at the beginning of this term. The school intends to appoint a permanent headteacher later this year though the executive principal will remain in post.

St John's School Parent Reviews



92% Parents Recommend This School
Strongly Agree 54% Agree 33% Disagree 4% Strongly Disagree 4% Don't Know 4% {"strongly_agree"=>54, "agree"=>33, "disagree"=>4, "strongly_disagree"=>4, "dont_know"=>4} Figures based on 24 responses up to 26-01-2024
Strongly Agree 46% Agree 42% Disagree 4% Strongly Disagree 0% Don't Know 8% {"strongly_agree"=>46, "agree"=>42, "disagree"=>4, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>8} Figures based on 24 responses up to 26-01-2024
Strongly Agree 33% Agree 50% Disagree 4% Strongly Disagree 4% Don't Know 8% {"strongly_agree"=>33, "agree"=>50, "disagree"=>4, "strongly_disagree"=>4, "dont_know"=>8} Figures based on 24 responses up to 26-01-2024
My Child Has Not Been Bullied 50% Strongly Agree 21% Agree 0% Disagree 4% Strongly Disagree 8% Don't Know 17% {"my_child_has_not_been_bullied"=>50, "strongly_agree"=>21, "agree"=>0, "disagree"=>4, "strongly_disagree"=>8, "dont_know"=>17} Figures based on 24 responses up to 26-01-2024
Strongly Agree 38% Agree 50% Disagree 8% Strongly Disagree 0% Don't Know 4% {"strongly_agree"=>38, "agree"=>50, "disagree"=>8, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>4} Figures based on 24 responses up to 26-01-2024
I Have Not Raised Any Concerns 21% Strongly Agree 46% Agree 17% Disagree 13% Strongly Disagree 4% Don't Know 0% {"i_have_not_raised_any_concerns"=>21, "strongly_agree"=>46, "agree"=>17, "disagree"=>13, "strongly_disagree"=>4, "dont_know"=>0} Figures based on 24 responses up to 26-01-2024
Strongly Agree 75% Agree 17% Disagree 0% Strongly Disagree 0% Don't Know 8% {"strongly_agree"=>75, "agree"=>17, "disagree"=>0, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>8} Figures based on 24 responses up to 26-01-2024
Strongly Agree 33% Agree 46% Disagree 4% Strongly Disagree 0% Don't Know 17% {"strongly_agree"=>33, "agree"=>46, "disagree"=>4, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>17} Figures based on 24 responses up to 26-01-2024
Strongly Agree 46% Agree 46% Disagree 4% Strongly Disagree 0% Don't Know 4% {"strongly_agree"=>46, "agree"=>46, "disagree"=>4, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>4} Figures based on 24 responses up to 26-01-2024
Strongly Agree 54% Agree 46% Disagree 0% Strongly Disagree 0% Don't Know 0% {"strongly_agree"=>54, "agree"=>46, "disagree"=>0, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} Figures based on 24 responses up to 26-01-2024
Strongly Agree 38% Agree 42% Disagree 17% Strongly Disagree 0% Don't Know 4% {"strongly_agree"=>38, "agree"=>42, "disagree"=>17, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>4} Figures based on 24 responses up to 26-01-2024
Strongly Agree 13% Agree 33% Disagree 13% Strongly Disagree 17% Don't Know 25% {"strongly_agree"=>13, "agree"=>33, "disagree"=>13, "strongly_disagree"=>17, "dont_know"=>25} Figures based on 24 responses up to 26-01-2024
Strongly Agree 54% Agree 25% Disagree 4% Strongly Disagree 4% Don't Know 13% {"strongly_agree"=>54, "agree"=>25, "disagree"=>4, "strongly_disagree"=>4, "dont_know"=>13} Figures based on 24 responses up to 26-01-2024
Yes 92% No 8% {"yes"=>92, "no"=>8} Figures based on 24 responses up to 26-01-2024

Responses taken from Ofsted Parent View

Your rating:
Review guidelines
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