SCHOOL PROFILE

Manshead Church of England Academy

Secondary Academy sponsor led URN 144342
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,350 Published school capacity
Capacity used 84.0% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 19 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest inspection

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

Previous Ofsted activity

15 September 2021
Graded inspection Good
Published 18 October 2021
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy sponsor led
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Church of England
Local authority Central Bedfordshire
Trust DIOCESE OF ST ALBANS MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,134 1,134 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 542 47.8% of pupils
Male pupils 592 52.2% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

20.1%
4.7 pts below England
School 20.1%
Central Bedfordshire 14.8%
East of England 19.7%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

20.9%
0.6 pts above England
School 20.9%
Central Bedfordshire 10.7%
East of England 16.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

1.8%
0.8 pts above England
School 1.8%
Central Bedfordshire 2.0%
East of England 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
62.8%
712
Any other White background
13.9%
158
White and Black Caribbean
4.1%
47
African
3.8%
43
Any other Asian background
2.6%
29
Any other Mixed background
2.5%
28
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 17.3% 196 of 1,134 pupils
3.5 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 17.3%
Central Bedfordshire 18.2%
East of England 19.8%
England 20.8%
SEN support 10.5% 119 pupils
England 14.8% 4.3 pts below
EHC plans 6.8% 77 pupils
England 6.0% 0.8 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder 58
Social, emotional & mental health 56
Speech, language & communication 25
Specific learning difficulty 24
Other difficulty or disability 14
Moderate learning difficulty 7

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 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

43.0 3.8 pts above England
School 43.0
Central Bedfordshire 42.7
East of England 40.4
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 37.2% England 36.0% 1.2 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 55.6% England 51.4% 4.2 pts above England
EBacc entry 11.1% England 30.6% 19.5 pts below England
EBacc average point score 3.64 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.53 · 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

Attendance profile

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

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

10.50%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

4.28 pts higher than England
School 10.50%
Central Bedfordshire 5.90%
East of England 6.17%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

31.15%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

15.34 pts higher than England
School 31.15%
Central Bedfordshire 14.22%
East of England 15.39%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

4.39%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

2.59 pts higher than England
School 4.39%
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 secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

84.0% 8.3 pts below England
Manshead Church of England Academy
84.0%
Central Bedfordshire
84.4%
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.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information