OFSTED
22 May 2024
Latest graded inspection
Latest published outcome
Outstanding
OEIF
Quality of education
Outstanding
Behaviour & attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership & management
Outstanding
INSPECTION HISTORY
Previous Ofsted activity
23 March 2023
Ungraded inspection
School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next
Published
17 May 2023
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Foundation school
Phase
Primary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
Bedford
Trust
The Biddenham Campus Trust
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
677
677 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
337
49.8% of pupils
Male pupils
340
50.2% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
11.9 pts
below England
School
12.9%
Bedford
20.1%
East of England
19.7%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
1.8 pts
below England
School
18.5%
Bedford
23.1%
East of England
16.4%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
1.5 pts
above England
School
2.5%
Bedford
1.8%
East of England
1.7%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
54.7%
370
Any other White background
7.1%
48
Any other Mixed background
6.9%
47
Indian
5.0%
34
Any other Asian background
3.8%
26
African
3.5%
24
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
18.3%
124 of
677 pupils
2.5 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
2.2 pts
below
England
6.0%
0.3 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 2 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
EXPECTED STANDARD
Reading, writing & maths
72.0%
11.6 pts
above England
EXPECTED STANDARD
80.0%
Reading
6.2 pts above England
School
80.0%
Bedford
69.5%
East of England
72.9%
England
73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD
79.0%
Writing
8.7 pts above England
School
79.0%
Bedford
64.1%
East of England
68.0%
England
70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD
84.0%
Maths
12.0 pts above England
School
84.0%
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
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
4.34%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
1.88 pts
lower than
England
School
4.34%
Bedford
5.81%
East of England
6.17%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
8.77%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
7.05 pts
lower than
England
School
8.77%
Bedford
15.50%
East of England
15.39%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
0.18%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
1.62 pts
lower than
England
School
0.18%
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
104.2%
16.0 pts
above England
Great Denham Primary School
104.2%
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.