School profile

Bedford Road Primary Academy

Primary · Academy sponsor led · Bedford, MK42 8QH

Requires improvement

Map showing Bedford Road Primary Academy

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

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#13,025 of 15,057

Worse than 86% of schools in England

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

Bedford Road Primary Academy Ofsted rating

Ofsted report cardInspected 9 Dec 2025

Area360 rating
Requires improvement
Inclusion
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching
Expected standard
Achievement
Needs attention
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 sponsor led
Ages5 to 11
Pupils365
GenderMixed
Head teacherMr Alex Holdsworth
TrustKNOWLEDGE SCHOOLS TRUST
Local authorityBedford
Opened01 Jan 2024
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 150474.

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 maths46%, worse than England, worse than Bedford57%63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.3%, worse than England, similar to 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.100, worse than England, worse than Bedford103105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.102, worse than England, worse than Bedford104105
Expected standard in reading73%, similar to England, similar to Bedford74%76%
Expected standard in writing64%, worse than England, worse than Bedford69%73%
Expected standard in maths54%, worse than England, worse than Bedford70%75%
Pupils taking tests59--

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

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils365
Girls188
Boys177
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.30.1%
First language not English33.4%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.420
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.13.1%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.55
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.16
Average class size26.1

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
31.8%
Other White
18.4%
Indian
13.2%
African
8.2%
White and Black Caribbean
6.3%
White and Asian
4.9%
Other Asian
4.4%
Bangladeshi
3%
Other mixed
2.7%
Pakistani
2.7%

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 teacher18.3
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.9.7
Teachers (FTE)20
Teaching assistants (FTE)16.69
Support staff (FTE)21.42
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2516.2
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2514.2
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/252
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/250

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.41
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.92
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.41
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.40
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 absence5.3%, similar to England, similar to Bedford4.8%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.15.6%, worse than England, worse than Bedford12.2%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.1.5%, similar to England, worse 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 rate2.7%
Pupils with one or more suspensions1.3%
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 Bedford Road Primary Academy
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.5 miPrimaryCamestone SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.5 miPrimaryBalliol Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.6 miSecondaryDaubeney AcademyAcademy converter
Good
0.6 miPrimarySpringfield Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.8 miSecondaryKempston AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.9 miPrimaryKempston Rural Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.0 miPrimaryGreat Denham Primary SchoolFoundation school
Outstanding
1.1 miPrimaryCauldwell SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.1 miNurseryPeter Pan Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school
Outstanding
1.1 miPrimaryWestfield Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good

Frequently asked questions about Bedford Road Primary Academy

What is Bedford Road Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

Bedford Road Primary Academy is rated Requires improvement, last inspected on 9 Dec 2025. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does Bedford Road Primary Academy rank in England?

Bedford Road Primary Academy ranks 13,025 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (worse than 86% of schools).

What are Bedford Road Primary Academy's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 46% of pupils at Bedford Road Primary Academy met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into Bedford Road Primary Academy?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Bedford Road Primary Academy made 41 offers from 92 applications (2.2 per offer), and 40 of 41 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Bedford Road Primary Academy?

Bedford Road Primary Academy has 365 pupils aged 5 to 11.

What is the capacity of Bedford Road Primary Academy?

Bedford Road Primary Academy had 420 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Bedford Road Primary Academy?

At Bedford Road Primary Academy, the average class had 26.1 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 18.3 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Bedford Road Primary Academy?

In 2025/26, pupils at Bedford Road Primary Academy missed 5.3% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 15.6% 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.