School Chooser

Primary schools in Bedford

There are 56 primary schools in Bedford, teaching 17,114 pupils. Of the 52 with a score, 11 do better than similar schools elsewhere in England and 23 do worse.

Best in EnglandSecondary schools in BedfordAll schools in BedfordPlaces within
Pupils from low-income families20%average across these schools
Doing better than similar schools11 of 52scored schools in the top two bands
New-style Ofsted report cards10inspected since November 2025
Good or outstanding (old grades)32of those still on old grades
Full or nearly full17 of 55schools with 98% or more of places taken
Average class size24.4one-teacher classes, January census
Free breakfast clubs6schools on the government programme
Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored

Getting a place in Bedford

From Bedford council's allocation figures for 2026 entry: 51 primary schools, 10 of which filled on distance and 41 offered a place to everyone who applied. Every school's page has a postcode check.

Hardest to get into

The last place went to a child living this far away. The shorter the distance, the harder it is to get in.

  1. Priory Primary School 350 m
  2. Livingstone Primary School 510 m
  3. Cauldwell School 820 m
  4. The Hills Academy 0.8 miles
  5. Great Denham Primary School 0.8 miles
  6. Hazeldene School 0.9 miles
  7. Great Ouse Primary Academy 1.2 miles
  8. St James' CofE Academy 1.3 miles
  9. Kempston Rural Primary School 1.5 miles
  10. Willow Grove Primary School 3.8 miles

Places to spare

Every applicant was offered a place.

Source: Bedford council (allocation statistics). Councils we hold this for.

Primary schools (56)

Ranked by score, highest first. The likely range shows how sure we can be. If two schools' ranges overlap, don't read it as one beating the other. Click a column heading to sort, or hover a row to find it on the map.

#SchoolPupilsLow incomeOfstedScoreLikely range
1The Hills AcademyAcademy · ages 3-114429%Good 20208878 to 94
2Great Denham Primary SchoolFoundation · ages 3-1167713%Outstanding 20248370 to 90
3Bromham CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England · ages 4-114969%Good 20237861 to 87
4Elstow SchoolAcademy · ages 4-1141321%Not inspected7859 to 88
5Hazeldene SchoolFoundation · ages 3-1144313%Not inspected7556 to 87
6Sharnbrook PrimaryAcademy · ages 3-1121614%Good 20247349 to 87
7Wootton Primary SchoolAcademy · ages 3-1173118%Good 20247144 to 88
8Harrold Primary AcademyAcademy · ages 4-119616%Good 20237043 to 87
9Cauldwell SchoolAcademy · ages 4-1141521%Report card 20256949 to 82
10King's Oak Primary SchoolCouncil · ages 1-1182642%Report card 20266852 to 80
11Queen's Park AcademyAcademy · ages 3-1144632%Good 20226746 to 82
12Castle Newnham SchoolAcademy · ages 4-1662410%Report card 20266445 to 78
13Thurleigh Primary SchoolFoundation · ages 3-119231%Good 20246426 to 89
14Great Ouse Primary AcademyFree school · ages 3-1145519%Report card 20266440 to 82
15Kempston Rural Primary SchoolCouncil · ages 5-11 · Kempston43911%Good 20235939 to 76
16Cotton End Forest SchoolCouncil · ages 2-1143518%No overall grade 20255832 to 79
17Goldington Green AcademyAcademy · ages 2-1157637%No overall grade 20255335 to 69
18Oakley Primary AcademyAcademy · ages 4-1121011%No overall grade 20245332 to 72
19Carlton CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England · ages 2-11877%No overall grade 20244921 to 77
20Marston Vale Middle SchoolAcademy · ages 9-1356322%No overall grade 20244727 to 67
21Kymbrook Primary SchoolFoundation · ages 2-117616%Good 20244516 to 79
22Brickhill Primary SchoolCouncil · ages 5-1120917%Good 20244425 to 65
23Ursula Taylor Church of England SchoolAcademy · ages 4-1135023%No overall grade 20254124 to 61
24Livingstone Primary SchoolFoundation · ages 2-1145736%Good 20234022 to 62
25Scott Primary School & NurseryCouncil · ages 3-1146916%Good 20244023 to 59
26Turvey Primary SchoolFoundation · ages 5-118114%Good 20223816 to 69
27Edith Cavell Primary SchoolFoundation · ages 3-1129236%Good 20243819 to 61
28St James' CofE AcademyAcademy · ages 5-1119418%Not inspected3715 to 67
29Putnoe Primary SchoolAcademy · ages 4-1149436%Good 20243622 to 55
30Wilden CofE VA Primary SchoolChurch of England · ages 2-114511%Good 20243513 to 68
31Camestone SchoolCouncil · ages 4-1140812%Good 20223420 to 54
32Riseley CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England · ages 3-111219%Good 20243215 to 58
33St Lawrence Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England · ages 3-11 · Rushden12325%Report card 20263114 to 58
34Shortstown Primary SchoolAcademy · ages 2-1147926%Report card 20263017 to 50
35Eileen Wade Primary SchoolFoundation · ages 4-11 · Huntingdon7014%Report card 2025299 to 66
36Priory Primary SchoolFoundation · ages 3-1121426%No overall grade 20242712 to 54
37Westfield Primary SchoolCouncil · ages 3-1129821%Good 20222512 to 48
38Wixams Tree Primary AcademyFree school · ages 4-1155918%Good 20242514 to 42
39Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary SchoolChurch of England · ages 4-11 · Podington7010%Good 2024258 to 61
40St John Rigby Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy · ages 3-1126812%Good 20232413 to 43
41Broadmead Lower SchoolCouncil · ages 4-922819%Good 20232310 to 48
42Milton Ernest CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England · ages 4-11678%Good 2022226 to 66
43Renhold VC Primary SchoolChurch of England · ages 3-111918%No overall grade 2025208 to 46
44Shackleton Primary SchoolAcademy · ages 4-1148734%Report card 20262012 to 33
45Balliol Primary SchoolCouncil · ages 2-1135530%Good 2022179 to 30
46Springfield Primary SchoolAcademy · ages 4-1136529%Good 2022158 to 26
47St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-SchoolAcademy · ages 3-1127135%Good 2023147 to 25
48Great Barford Church of England Primary AcademyAcademy · ages 3-1117621%Good 2022126 to 26
49Pinchmill Primary SchoolFoundation · ages 2-118814%No overall grade 2025103 to 36
50Sheerhatch Primary SchoolCouncil · ages 4-1112919%Report card 2026104 to 23
51Bedford Road Primary AcademyAcademy · ages 5-1136530%Report card 202542 to 8
52Roxton Church of England AcademyAcademy · ages 3-117027%Good 202331 to 10
53Ravensden CofE Primary AcademyAcademy · ages 2-115123%Good 202321 to 7
Lakeview SchoolAcademy · ages 3-1143619%Good 2022–
Willow Grove Primary SchoolFree school · ages 4-11 · Wixams10414%Not inspected–
Wilstead Primary SchoolAcademy · ages 4-11––Good 2023–

Primary schools by town in Bedford

Bedford51 schools

Primary schools in nearby areas

Essex446 schoolsHertfordshire403 schoolsNorfolk349 schoolsSuffolk256 schoolsCambridgeshire212 schoolsCentral Bedfordshire108 schoolsPeterborough64 schoolsLuton46 schoolsSouthend-on-Sea33 schoolsThurrock39 schools

About this list

Schools are listed by their School Chooser Score, highest first. Schools without a score (independent schools and those with too little published data) come after, in alphabetical order. The score compares each school with schools that have a similar mix of pupils, not just with each other, so a school with a lower score in a wealthier area may still have better exam results. How the score works.