Bedford Free School

Bedford Free School is a mixed secondary free school located in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. The school opened in September 2012, and educates pupils from Bedford, Kempston and the wider Borough of Bedford. The initial intake of the school was 100 pupils aged 11 (academic year 7) and 100 pupils aged 13 (academic year 9), further to which the school's roll will grow yearly until it reaches its 500 capacity of 11- to 16-year-olds. The school is located on Cauldwell Street, Bedford.HistoryCampaigning for a free school in Bedford and Kempston began in July 2010. On 6 September 2010, Michael Gove (Secretary of State for Education) announced Bedford Free School as one of the first 16 free schools to be set up under the UK coalition government. The business case for Bedford Free School was signed off by the Department for Education in May 2011.Principal Mark Lehain was previously head of mathematics and assistant head at Wootton Upper School. He was involved in the campaign for the free school but still had to compete with others for the post. The school’s initial governing body included a magistrate, a stockbroker and a chartered accountant.Originally scheduled to open in September 2011, the lack of suitable premises meant that Bedford Free School had to wait another year to open. In August 2011, Cauldwell House was chosen as the site for the School. Bedford Free School was due to open in September 2012, however in June 2012, members of Bedford Borough Council’s planning committee voted to not grant planning permission to the new school. The refusal of planning permission centred on concerns that the new school would create an unacceptable increase in traffic in the immediate area, and also that pupils safety may be compromised when being dropped off and picked up outside the school.