Ridgeway School, Kempston
Encyclopedia
Ridgeway School is a coeducational special school for pupils with physical disabilities, located in Kempston
, Bedfordshire
, England
. The school accepts pupils from all over the Borough of Bedford
.
Opened in January 1974 in a purpose built single storey building, Ridgeway School is situated on an educational campus in Kempston, which includes a Child Development Centre and Hastingsbury Upper School and Community College
.
The school is organised into two departments, which fit the traditional school transfer age from primary to secondary education. The Primary Department covers Early Years education, Key Stage 1
and Key Stage 2
(ages 3 - 11), whilst the Secondary Department covers Key Stage 3
, Key Stage 4
and Post 16 education (ages 11 - 19). However this is at odds with the rest of Bedford Borough which operates a three-tier education
system for the majority of its schools.
In October 2009, Bedford Borough Council launched a consultation on the future of special education provision in the borough. The consultation included options to merge Ridgeway School with the nearby Grange School
on the Ridgeway site. Another proposal involved merging the two schools with St John’s School
to create one special school for the whole of the Borough of Bedford. In January 2010, Bedford Borough Council confirmed its intention to merge Ridgeway School and Grange School on the Ridgeway site in the next few years. The new combined school will be rebuilt to accommodate the broader range of pupils that are planned to attend.
Kempston
Kempston is a town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. Once known as the largest village in England, Kempston is now a town with its own town council. It has a population of about 20,000, and together with Bedford, it forms an urban area with around 100,000 inhabitants, which is the...
, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The school accepts pupils from all over the Borough of Bedford
Bedford (borough)
Bedford is a unitary authority with the status of a borough in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. Its council is based at Bedford, which is also the county town of Bedfordshire. The borough contains a single urban area, the 69th largest in the United Kingdom that comprises Bedford and...
.
Opened in January 1974 in a purpose built single storey building, Ridgeway School is situated on an educational campus in Kempston, which includes a Child Development Centre and Hastingsbury Upper School and Community College
Hastingsbury Upper School and Community College
Hastingsbury Business & Enterprise College is a coeducational upper school for 13-18 year olds, located on Hill Rise in Kempston, Bedfordshire, England...
.
The school is organised into two departments, which fit the traditional school transfer age from primary to secondary education. The Primary Department covers Early Years education, Key Stage 1
Key Stage 1
Key Stage 1 is the legal term for the two years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 1 and Year 2, when pupils are aged between 5 and 7. This Key Stage normally covers pupils during infant school, although in some cases this might form part of a first or...
and Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2 is the legal term for the four years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6, when pupils are aged between 7 and 11. The term is applied differently in Northern Ireland where it refers to pupils in Year 5, Year 6 and...
(ages 3 - 11), whilst the Secondary Department covers Key Stage 3
Key Stage 3
Key Stage 3 is the legal term for the three years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9, when pupils are aged between 11 and 14...
, Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4 is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other exams, in maintained schools in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland—normally known as Year 10 and Year 11 in England and Wales, and Year 11 and Year 12 in Northern Ireland, when pupils are...
and Post 16 education (ages 11 - 19). However this is at odds with the rest of Bedford Borough which operates a three-tier education
Three-tier education
Three-tier education refers to those structures of schooling, which exist in some parts of England, where pupils are taught in three distinct school types. A similar experiment was also trialled in Scotland....
system for the majority of its schools.
In October 2009, Bedford Borough Council launched a consultation on the future of special education provision in the borough. The consultation included options to merge Ridgeway School with the nearby Grange School
Grange School (Kempston)
Grange School is a coeducational special school, located in Kempston, Bedfordshire, England. The school accepts pupils between the ages of 5 and 16 years with Moderate Learning Difficulties from all over the Borough of Bedford....
on the Ridgeway site. Another proposal involved merging the two schools with St John’s School
St John’s School (Kempston)
St John’s School is a coeducational special school, located in Kempston, Bedfordshire, England. The school accepts pupils from all over the Borough of Bedford....
to create one special school for the whole of the Borough of Bedford. In January 2010, Bedford Borough Council confirmed its intention to merge Ridgeway School and Grange School on the Ridgeway site in the next few years. The new combined school will be rebuilt to accommodate the broader range of pupils that are planned to attend.