⌘ K
Overview
SCHOOL PROFILE

Cranfield Church of England Academy

Primary Academy converter URN 137853
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 450 Published school capacity
Capacity used 113.6% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 2 – 9 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

13 November 2024
Latest published outcome Good
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Outstanding
Leadership & management Good
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

17 September 2019
Graded inspection Good
Published 17 October 2019
Published 11 December 2024 View Ofsted record
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Primary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Church of England
Local authority Central Bedfordshire
Trust CRANFIELD CHURCH OF ENGLAND ACADEMY
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 511 467 full-time · 44 part-time
Female pupils 245 47.9% of pupils
Male pupils 266 52.1% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

5.9%
18.9 pts below England
School 5.9%
Central Bedfordshire 14.8%
East of England 19.7%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

9.0%
11.3 pts below England
School 9.0%
Central Bedfordshire 10.7%
East of England 16.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

1.4%
0.4 pts above England
School 1.4%
Central Bedfordshire 2.0%
East of England 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
70.3%
359
African
5.5%
28
White and Black Caribbean
3.5%
18
Unclassified
3.3%
17
Any other White background
2.9%
15
Any other Mixed background
2.7%
14
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 12.3% 63 of 511 pupils
8.5 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 12.3%
Central Bedfordshire 18.2%
East of England 19.8%
England 20.8%
SEN support 8.8% 45 pupils
England 14.8% 6.0 pts below
EHC plans 3.5% 18 pupils
England 6.0% 2.5 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Speech, language & communication 27
Social, emotional & mental health 13
Autistic spectrum disorder 12
Moderate learning difficulty 8
Multi-sensory impairment 1
Specific learning difficulty 1

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.

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

4.22%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

2.00 pts lower than England
School 4.22%
Central Bedfordshire 5.90%
East of England 6.17%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

12.27%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

3.54 pts lower than England
School 12.27%
Central Bedfordshire 14.22%
East of England 15.39%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

5.22%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

3.42 pts higher than England
School 5.22%
Central Bedfordshire 1.77%
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

113.6% 25.4 pts above England
Cranfield Church of England Academy
113.6%
Central Bedfordshire
92.8%
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