Established 1959 Religion Roman Catholic DfE number 822/4601 Founded 1959 | Type Academy Headteacher Ms Frances Topa Phone +44 1234 268649 Gender Mixed-sex education | |
Location Biddenham Turn
Biddenham
Bedfordshire
MK40 4AT
England Address Biddenham Turn, Bedford MK40 4AT, UK Similar St Thomas More Catholic, Westfield School, Beaucha Middle School, Castle Newnham School, Robert Bruce Middle Sc Profiles | ||
St Gregory's RC Middle School is a mixed Roman Catholic middle school located in Biddenham, Bedfordshire, England. The School is named after St Gregory or 'Gregory the Great' who was Pope at the end of the 6th, and the beginning of the 7th centuries.
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History
The school was originally opened in 1959 as a catholic Secondary Modern School. However following the 1967 Plowden Report, Bedfordshire LEA decided to implement the three-tier education system of lower, middle and upper schools in the county. By the end of the 1970s, St Gregory's was redesignated as a comprehensive middle school.
The British boy band The Wanted performed at St Greg's in July 2010. St Gregory's has raised over £3000 for AVOCA (A Voice Of Central America). On 23 March 2012 St Gregory's celebrated Óscar Romero Day by holding a fundraising day. The school converted to academy status in April 2013, as part of the St Francis of Assisi Academies Trust.
The school today
St Gregory's is a Roman Catholic school, and although it is sited on Biddenham Turn in Biddenham, it has no specific catchment area. Most of St Gregory's pupils come to the school from St John Rigby Primary School and St Joseph's Lower School in Bedford. Most of St Gregory's graduating students go on to attend St Thomas More Catholic School.
Change to two-tier
In 2009 Bedford Borough Council decided to implement a two-tier education system in the borough, meaning that all middle schools in the area would close. The changes were due to take effect from September 2014, however in 2010, the new coalition government announced that the funding necessary for the switch to a two-tier system would no longer be available. The Bedford Federation of Catholic Schools, and its successor, the Francis of Assisi Academies Trust decided to continue to implement a two-tier education system for Catholic Schools in Bedford. Phase one of the change has seen St John Rigby Lower School convert to a primary school, while St Thomas More Upper School will convert to a secondary school in September 2014.
Initial plans for Phase two of the change would have seen St Gregory's School formally close, while the school site would have been used to accommodate a new enlarged St Joseph's School. However funding for phase two was not secured, and St Gregory's has continued to accept admissions for pupils wishing to start at the school. Revised plans for Phase two of the change were put by the Francis of Assisi Academies Trust in November 2015. The new plans propose that St Gregory's will become a junior school from September 2017, educating pupils aged 7 to 11 (academic years 3 to 6), while St Joseph's will become an infant school for pupils aged 4 to 7 (reception to year 2).