There are no references to education in Saint Paul's before the short series of episcopal visitations held by Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service beginning in 1706.

Early 18th Century Episcopal Visitations

Volume 81 published by Bedfordshire Historical Records Society (2002) is a series of episcopal visitations undertaken in the first twenty years of the 18th century, edited by former County Archivist Patricia Bell. At each visitation a list of questions was sent out in advance, one of which enquired about the provision of schools in each parish. The various replies for Bedford, Saint Paul are as follows:

• 1706: A Grammar Schole there is endowed by Sir William Harper out of a noble Estate which he and his Lady settled upon the Corporation of Bedford, lying in High Holborn, London, consisting of many streets, to the quantity of near 11 Acres of Ground. What the endowment of the Master and Usher is N. L. The warden and fellows of New-College Oxon. Present the Master, and 'tis supposed have power to Visit the Scole when they see Occasion….There is lately set up a small Charitie Schole in this parish, for teaching 40 poor children to read, write, learn the Church Catechism etc. But the fund for this consists of Voluntary Contributions only, all from those of the Church of England";
• 1709: The Master and Usher of the Schole have £40 a year between them. There has been a Charity Schole, as above: 28 Boys; 12 Girls;
• 1717: There is a Publick School for teaching Grammar in this parish well endowed with Sallaryes for a Master and Usher, by Sir William Harpar. There is also a Charity School, wherein about 40 children belonging to this parish and to the parish of Saint Cuthbert in this town (28 boys and 12 girls) are taught to read, write, Arithmetic and the Church Catechism. They are brought duely to Church on Sundayes and Holydayes. This Charity School hath lately a legacy of £200 left by a charitable widow to lay a foundation for perpetuity;
• 1720: There are both a Grammar School and a Charity School in this parish. The first well endowed by Sir William Harper. The last meanly, by the charitable contributions of a very few good Christians. But lately a Relation of the Incumbent's [Alexander Leith] at her Death left two hundred and ten pounds in his hands, ten pounds of it to found a Passion sermon for ever, and the remainder for the Charity School, which he intends to lay out as soon as he can find a convenient Purchase, to teach twenty children. The number in all is commonly fourty, who are taught to read, write and to under [sic] the principles of religion according to the doctrine of the Church of England.

1818 Select Committee Questionnaire

In 1818 a Select Committee was established to enquire into educational provision for the poor. This was no doubt prompted, in part, by the recent foundation of two societies promoting education and specifically the building of schools. The Society for Promoting the Lancasterian System for the Education of the Poor was established in 1808 promoting schools run along the lines pioneered by Joseph Lancaster, who had himself copied those of Dr.Andrew Bell, in which older children taught their younger fellows. The Society was renamed the British and Foreign School Society in 1814,. It was supported by a number of prominent nonconformists, Lancaster himself was a Quaker, and sought to teach a non-sectarian curriculum. In answer to this perceived nonconformist takeover of local education the National Society was firmed in 1811 to encourage the teaching of poor children along Anglican lines, including the catechism. The Select Committee sent a questionnaire to all parishes in the country asking for: particulars relating to endowments for the education of children; other educational institutions; observations of parish needs etc. In those days a Sunday School was just that, a school which met on a Sunday, usually in the church or nonconformist chapel or other similar building, teaching more than the religious topics with which they are associated today.

The return for Saint Paul's stated: "There are five endowed schools, and the funds for their support arise from land and houses, none of which are misapplied. Three of the schools were founded by Sir W. Harper, in which a progressive increase has taken place, the numbers not being limited. The grammar school, in which 18 boys are taught; the salaries are, head master £250, second master £140, usher £60. The English school contains 145 boys; the salaries are, head master £110, second master £70, third master £70. The preparatory school consists of 240 children, and the master's salary is £60. Newton's school for clothing and educating 25 children; the master's salary is £20. Leith's charity school for educating 20 children; the master's salary is £40. A Sunday school, containing 45 boys and 47 girls.

1833 Questionnaire

In the country generally the number of schools built continued to grow over the next fifteen years so that by 1833 the government agreed to supplement the work of the two societies, and local benefactors, by making £20,000 per annum available in grants to help build schools. It also prompted another questionnaire to be sent to each parish in England asking for details of local educational provision. The return for Saint Paul's is set out below.

"The principal Schools for the Borough of Bedford being centred in the parish of St. Paul, the five parishes must be considered as united with respect to education; and the following statement has been furnished by the Vicar (The Rev. James Downe)".

"Three Schools, chiefly upon the foundation of Sir William Harper: First, the Grammar School, which now contains 70 males: the Head Master has a salary of £250 per annum, with a house tax-free, coals and candles, together with £5 5s for each town boy and the privilege of taking boarders, at present amounting to 46. The Second Master has a salary of £140 per annum, and £4 4s with every town boy on the foundation, and a house &c. as above. The Mathematical Master has a salary of £100 per annum, with £ 3 s for every town boy learning mathematics; and the Writing Master, a salary of £80 per annum. There are eight exhibitions of £80 per annum each. For boys educated in this School, to assist them in completing their education at Oxford or Cambridge; six of these exhibitions are holden exclusively by town boys; the other two may be applied (if the Head Master sees fit) to the most deserving of his boarders".

"Second, the English School, containing 196 males, the Master of which has a salary of £200 per annum, and a house, &c. with the privilege of taking boarders, but his house will only admit about 12. The First Assistant has a salary of £120 per annum, and an allowance f £20 for a house; the Second Assistant has the same salary and allowance; the Third Assistant, a salary of £100 per annum; there is a small lending Library attached to this School".

"Third, the Preparatory School for boys of the poor, contains 258; 14 of whom are boarded and clothed in the Hospital, where there are also 14 girls, boarded, clothed and taught to read. 'Alderman Newton's Charity for clothing and educating 25 boys of necessitous parents of the Established Church' is now combined with this School, and the number is included above. The master has a salary of £60 per annum, and his wife, £20 with house and board. In all the above Schools, books, paper and the whole material of education are furnished by the Harper Charity. There is also an EndowedDailySchool called 'Leith's Charity', for 14 males and 6 females; the master's salary is £38 per annum; and Three Private Schools, containing 25 males and 87 females. The Hospital children, and those of Leith's Charity School are nominally confined to children of the Established Church".

"Five Sunday Schools, in one of which are 88 males and 80 females, who attend the established Church; in two Schools (supported by Independent Dissenters) are 116 males and 114 females; in one (supported by Methodists) 97 males and 84 females; and in one of the new Episcopal Church (commenced 1832) 33 males and 50 females; in all of which the children receive gratuitous instruction. In addition to the above, the Vicar states that there are very many schools for little children, besides several Lace Schools, and that the Trustees of the Harper Charity have determined to establish a Girls' School for the poor inhabitants of Bedford, the children to be admitted at 6 years of age; so that he considers there is no place in the kingdom where education will have a fairer trial than in Bedford, when the regulations recently introduced shall have had time to produce the effects expected from them. A similar opinion is also given by Rev. Dr. Philip Hunt, Rector of St. John's".

Church School Enquiry 1846/7

The next national enquiry was in 1846/7 when the Church of England made an enquiry as to all its church schools. This was against the background of a new Whig government which championed secular education and the increasing importance of nonconformists, particularly Wesleyan Methodist, and Roman Catholics in providing schools. The response from Saint Paul's was to indicate that there was a Sunday school of 107 boys and 115 girls.