SCHOOL PROFILE

Sheerhatch Primary School

Primary Community school URN 109442
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 210 Published school capacity
Capacity used 61.4% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 4 – 11 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest inspection

6 January 2026
Latest published outcome Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Expected standard
Curriculum & teaching Needs attention
Achievement Needs attention
Attendance & behaviour Expected standard
Personal development Expected standard
Leadership & governance Needs attention
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

18 November 2021
Graded inspection Good
Published 24 January 2022
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Community school
Phase Primary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Bedford
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 129 129 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 69 53.5% of pupils
Male pupils 60 46.5% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

18.6%
6.2 pts below England
School 18.6%
Bedford 20.1%
East of England 19.7%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

7.0%
13.3 pts below England
School 7.0%
Bedford 23.1%
East of England 16.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.8%
0.2 pts below England
School 0.8%
Bedford 1.8%
East of England 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
79.1%
102
Any other White background
8.5%
11
White and Black Caribbean
5.4%
7
White and Asian
2.3%
3
White and Black African
1.6%
2
African
0.8%
1
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 25.6% 33 of 129 pupils
4.8 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 25.6%
Bedford 18.6%
East of England 19.8%
England 20.8%
SEN support 23.3% 30 pupils
England 14.8% 8.5 pts above
EHC plans 2.3% 3 pupils
England 6.0% 3.7 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 10
Specific learning difficulty 9
Other difficulty or disability 7
Speech, language & communication 5
Autistic spectrum disorder 2

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

50.0% 10.4 pts below England
School 50.0%
Bedford 52.8%
East of England 58.3%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

81.0%

7.2 pts above England

School 81.0%
Bedford 69.5%
East of England 72.9%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

63.0%

7.3 pts below England

School 63.0%
Bedford 64.1%
East of England 68.0%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

56.0%

16.0 pts below England

School 56.0%
Bedford 66.1%
East of England 70.3%
England 72.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

6.51%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.30 pts higher than England
School 6.51%
Bedford 5.81%
East of England 6.17%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

14.66%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

1.16 pts lower than England
School 14.66%
Bedford 15.50%
East of England 15.39%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

4.31%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

2.51 pts higher than England
School 4.31%
Bedford 1.52%
East of England 1.83%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open primary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

61.4% 26.8 pts below England
Sheerhatch Primary School
61.4%
Bedford
83.7%
East of England
87.4%
England
88.2%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information