Ridgeway School is a mixed

special school Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual d ...

for pupils with physical disabilities located in

Kempston Kempston is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England, situated around south-west of Bedford town centre. It had a population of 19,330 in the 2011 census, and forms part of the wider Bedford built-up area. The ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. The school accepts pupils from all over the

Borough of Bedford Bedford, or the Borough of Bedford, is a Districts of England, local government district with borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. It is administered by Bedford Borough Council, ...

History

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 Kempston Academy. In October 2009,

Bedford Borough Council Bedford Borough Council is the local authority of the Borough of Bedford, a local government district in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. The town of Bedford was a borough from at least the 12th century until 1974, when the moder ...

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 was planned to be rebuilt to accommodate the broader range of pupils. However, in March 2013 Grange School converted to academy status and the move is on hold. Three new classrooms were constructed at Ridgeway School for use at the start of September 2013. The classrooms are primarily used for

sixth form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...

classes.

Academics

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 is the legal term for the two years of schooling in maintained schools in England 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 ca ...

and

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 the pupils are aged between 7 and 11 years. England and Wales Legal definition The ...

(ages 3 – 11), whilst the Secondary Department covers

Key Stage 3 Key Stage 3 (commonly abbreviated as KS3) 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. In Northern Ireland the ...

Key Stage 4 Key Stage 4 (KS4) is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other examinations, in maintained schools in England normally known as Year 10 and Year 11, when pupils are aged between 14 and 16 by August 31 ...

and Post 16 education (ages 11 – 19).

References

External links

Ridgeway School homepage
{{authority control Special schools in the Borough of Bedford Educational institutions established in 1974 1974 establishments in England Community schools in the Borough of Bedford Kempston