Our School

St John Rigby Catholic Lower School is situated in the Diocese of Northampton; it is a Voluntary Aided School and is maintained by the Bedfordshire Local Education Authority.  It is located in the Putnoe area of Bedford and is situated in beautiful, spacious grounds which provide the children with excellent open air facilities for exercise as well as a natural resource for the environmental work in the school.

The school primarily serves the parishes of Holy Cross and SS Philip and James, St Frances Cabrini and other parishes in the Bedford Deanery that fall within the agreed transport areas.

The school has made great efforts to develop the school environment, and following a recent Governor review, changes are being made to the structure and layout of the classrooms, the play areas, and the environmental interactive areas around the school.

The school has three main playgrounds as well as a large school field, and these have been refurbished and modernised to develop a wide variety of play and sport facilities, as well as a wildlife area.

The most important resource the school has, of course, is the staff, and we are fortunate in having dedicated, experienced and enthusiastic teachers who make the most of our facilities, both within the school day, by offering a broad balanced curriculum, and after school hours with different clubs and societies.

The main school building was opened in January 1974, with the Early Years unit being opened by Bishop Leo in 1992. This was further extended in 2000.  It provides an exciting and stimulating learning environment and has recently had a new outside play space.

The current Year 1, 2, and 3 classrooms have recently been refurbished.

In the main building, the school has a well resourced library which has recently undergone a complete refurbishment, and has been re-stocked with new books bought from funds raised by the Parent Teacher Association.

The school's Information Communication Technology (ICT) room has been refurbished and now contains 16 Networked PCs, in addition to the computers found in the individual classrooms, thus ensuring that every child has access to the computers. We have Interactive Whiteboards in each classroom which is an exciting and stimulating tool for teaching and learning.

As a faith school we aim to provide opportunities for worship.  Our attractive school hall hosts masses and Christian celebrations.  We have a prayer area called the Hosanna Room which is used by children, staff and parents.

The Organisation
There are currently 8 classes and an Early Years area.  Classes vary from 25 to 30 and with new building alterations we are able to provide new exciting teaching areas.  The programme was completed during 2004/5 with new carpeting and computer facilities for each room.   We have a dedicated computer suite and a newly fitted library area.

During the summer of 2007 all remaining toilet facilities were replaced.  A new Library now provides a vibrant area for children to access books.  Play spaces are continually being developed with attractive grounds giving our children large spaces to experience the natural environment.

Our school has a calm atmosphere that is firmly built upon respect.  Children are industrious, creative and courteous to each other.  They simply love to learn!  The Religious Education Inspection Report writes:

"The Headteacher, her Deputy and RE coordinator are outstanding leaders having a clear vision for the school as an educative Catholic community."

"Each member of the school community is welcomed as an individual with God given talents and is empowered to develop them"

"St John Rigby lives its Mission Statement"

We have a dynamic professional team who are dedicated and committed to providing an education of the highest quality.  The class teacher is central to the care of your child but the door is always open to discuss any issues or concerns.  We are very fortunate to have a School Chaplain who is always available to support children, parents and staff.