School profile

Shortstown Primary School

Primary · Academy converter · Bedford, MK42 0GS

Good

Map showing Shortstown Primary School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#9,316 of 15,057

Worse than 61% of schools in England

Ranked by pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Shortstown Primary School Ofsted rating

Ofsted report cardInspected 3 Feb 2026

Area360 rating
Good
Inclusion
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching
Expected standard
Achievement
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing
Expected standard
Leadership and governance
Expected standard
Early years
Expected standard
Safeguarding
Met

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeAcademy converter
Ages2 to 11
Pupils479
GenderMixed
Head teacherMrs Denise Cottam
TrustHEART ACADEMIES TRUST
Local authorityBedford
Opened01 Jun 2017
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 144546.

Key stage 2 results

2024/25

Year 6 results in national curriculum tests and teacher assessments. The expected standard is the level pupils should reach by the end of primary school.

MeasureThis schoolBedfordEngland
Expected standard in reading, writing and maths60%, similar to England, similar to Bedford57%63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.0%, worse than England, worse than Bedford3%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.104, worse than England, similar to Bedford105106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.105, similar to England, better than Bedford103105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.106, similar to England, better than Bedford104105
Expected standard in reading75%, similar to England, similar to Bedford74%76%
Expected standard in writing70%, similar to England, similar to Bedford69%73%
Expected standard in maths77%, similar to England, better than Bedford70%75%
Pupils taking tests60--

Source: DfE, Compare school performance, Compare school performance 2024-2025.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils479
Girls249
Boys230
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.23.2%
First language not English24%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.420
Pupils excluding nurseryPupils who take up school places.406
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.3.3%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.120
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.27
Average class size29.2

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
33.8%
Other White
16.7%
African
8.4%
Indian
6.1%
White and Black Caribbean
5.2%
Other Asian
5.2%
Pakistani
4.6%
Bangladeshi
4.6%
White and Asian
4%
Other mixed
4%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher20.2
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.8.4
Teachers (FTE)22.34
Teaching assistants (FTE)19.56
Support staff (FTE)42.78
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2520.8
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2518
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/251
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/251.8

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.56
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.103
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.56
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.56
Applications from another local authority (Reception)0

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolBedfordEngland
Overall absence3.6%, better than England, better than Bedford4.8%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.7%, better than England, better than Bedford12.2%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.0%, better than England, better than Bedford0.9%1%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate1.4%
Pupils with one or more suspensions0.6%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Shortstown Primary School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
1.1 miSecondaryBedford AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
1.1 miPrimaryKing's Oak Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.2 miPrimaryCotton End Forest SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.4 miPrimaryElstow SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.6 miPrimaryShackleton Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Requires improvement
1.6 miNurseryCherry Trees Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school
Outstanding
1.7 miNot applicableKWS SchoolOther independent school
Good
1.8 miPrimaryLakeview SchoolAcademy converter
Good

Frequently asked questions about Shortstown Primary School

What is Shortstown Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Shortstown Primary School is rated Good, last inspected on 3 Feb 2026. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does Shortstown Primary School rank in England?

Shortstown Primary School ranks 9,316 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (worse than 61% of schools).

What are Shortstown Primary School's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 60% of pupils at Shortstown Primary School met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into Shortstown Primary School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Shortstown Primary School made 56 offers from 103 applications (1.8 per offer), and 56 of 56 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Shortstown Primary School?

Shortstown Primary School has 479 pupils aged 2 to 11.

What is the capacity of Shortstown Primary School?

Shortstown Primary School had 420 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Shortstown Primary School?

At Shortstown Primary School, the average class had 29.2 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 20.2 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Shortstown Primary School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Shortstown Primary School missed 3.6% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 7% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.