Schools in Bedford

Top primary schools in Bedford

The 20 highest-scoring primary schools here on Academic Performance, which combines the Ofsted judgement with DfE attainment.

• 1.Great Denham Primary SchoolBedford · Primary9.5/10Outstanding
• 2.Castle Newnham SchoolBedford · Primary9.4/10Outstanding
• 3.Sharnbrook PrimaryBedford · Primary8.4/10Good
• 4.Thurleigh Primary SchoolBedford · Primary8.4/10Good
• 5.Great Ouse Primary AcademyBedford · Primary7.9/10Good
• 6.Kempston Rural Primary SchoolBedford · Primary7.7/10Good
• 7.The Hills AcademyBedford · Primary7.5/10Good
• 8.Camestone SchoolBedford · Primary7.2/10Good
• 9.Elstow SchoolBedford · Primary7.0/10Good
• 10.Hazeldene SchoolBedford · Primary6.8/10Good
• 11.Harrold Primary AcademyBedford · Primary6.7/10Good
• 12.Ursula Taylor Church of England SchoolBedford · Primary6.5/10
• 13.Brickhill Primary SchoolBedford · Primary6.4/10Good
• 14.Eileen Wade Primary SchoolBedford · Primary6.2/10Good
• 15.Ravensden CofE Primary AcademyBedford · Primary5.9/10Good
• 16.Wilden CofE VA Primary SchoolBedford · Primary5.6/10Good
• 17.Broadmead Lower SchoolBedford · Primary5.5/10Good
• 18.Lakeview SchoolBedford · Primary5.5/10Good
• 19.Milton Ernest CofE Primary SchoolBedford · Primary5.5/10Good
• 20.Roxton Church of England AcademyBedford · Primary5.5/10Good

Top secondary schools in Bedford

The highest-scoring secondary schools here on Academic Performance, which combines the Ofsted judgement with DfE attainment.

• 1.Bedford Free SchoolBedford · Secondary9.5/10Outstanding
• 2.Goldington AcademyBedford · Secondary8.4/10Good
• 3.Sharnbrook AcademyBedford · Secondary8.2/10
• 4.Lincroft AcademyBedford · Secondary6.3/10
• 5.St Thomas More Catholic SchoolBedford · Secondary6.2/10Good
• 6.Wootton Upper SchoolBedford · Secondary5.8/10
• 7.Bedford AcademyBedford · Secondary3.4/10Good
• 8.Castle Newnham SchoolBedford · Secondary3.4/10Good
• 9.Biddenham International School and Sports CollegeBedford · Secondary2.7/10Good
• 10.Kempston AcademyBedford · Secondary2.6/10Good
• 11.Daubeney AcademyBedford · Secondary2.2/10
• 12.Marston Vale Middle SchoolBedford · Secondary1.4/10
• 13.Wixams AcademyBedford · Secondary0.7/10Requires improvement
• 14.Mark Rutherford SchoolBedford · Secondary0.3/10Requires improvement

About schools in Bedford

How many schools are there in Bedford?

Bedford has 84 open schools — 57 primary, 14 secondary, 4 special, 2 nursery, teaching 35,373 pupils in total.

How many schools in Bedford are rated Good or Outstanding?

60 of the 63 schools holding an Ofsted grade — 95% — are rated Good or Outstanding, including 5 rated Outstanding. That share is measured against graded schools, not all 84: a school inspected since September 2024 has no overall grade at all.

What is the average Academic Performance in Bedford?

4.4 out of 10, averaged across the 75 schools here that can be scored, where 5 is the national average. Academic Performance combines the Ofsted judgement with DfE attainment and is ranked against comparable schools, so it is neither figure on its own.

Why do some Bedford schools have no Ofsted rating?

21 schools in Bedford currently hold no overall grade. Ofsted stopped awarding single-word judgements in September 2024 and moved to a report card of separately graded areas, so schools inspected since then have no overall rating whatever the inspection found. Their profiles show the report card instead.

What does Bedford local authority do?

A local authority is the body responsible for state education in its area — the level most admissions and school-place decisions are made at. Bedford covers 84 schools and sits in the East of England region. It does not run academies or independent schools directly, though it still coordinates admissions for most of them.

How many pupils in Bedford are eligible for free school meals?

23.2% — 7,224 of 31,118 pupils at the 75 schools that report it. Independent schools file a return with roll and sex only, so they are outside this figure rather than counted as zero.

Part of the East of England region.