 The school opened in 1973 as an upper school, educating children from the age of 13.However, in September 2010 children in academic years 7 and 8 of Woodside Middle School transferred to Mark Rutherford School, and year 7 pupils from Woodside now transfer to Mark Rutherford every year.This means that Mark Rutherford School now educates children from the age of 11, unlike many other secondary schools in the Borough of Bedford.