OFSTED
27 November 2024
Latest ungraded inspection
Latest published outcome
Standards maintained
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Foundation school
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
Bedford
Trust
Not applicable
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
1,422
1,422 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
725
51.0% of pupils
Male pupils
697
49.0% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
11.1 pts
above England
School
35.9%
Bedford
20.1%
East of England
19.7%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
27.8 pts
above England
School
48.1%
Bedford
23.1%
East of England
16.4%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
2.7 pts
above England
School
3.7%
Bedford
1.8%
East of England
1.7%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
Pakistani
26.7%
379
White British
16.1%
229
Any other White background
14.8%
210
Bangladeshi
14.0%
199
Any other Asian background
5.5%
78
African
4.3%
61
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
10.1%
143 of
1,422 pupils
10.8 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
8.0 pts
below
England
6.0%
2.7 pts
below
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
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
2024/25
Key stage 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
42.1
2.9 pts
above England
Latest published: 0.12 · 2023/24
Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
8.77%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
2.55 pts
higher than
England
School
8.77%
Bedford
5.81%
East of England
6.17%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
27.30%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
11.49 pts
higher than
England
School
27.30%
Bedford
15.50%
East of England
15.39%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
2.60%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
0.79 pts
higher than
England
School
2.60%
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 secondary schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
94.8%
2.5 pts
above England
Biddenham International School and Sports College
94.8%
Bedford
88.6%
East of England
92.9%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.