School Chooser

Beech Hill Community Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedCouncil888 pupilsNurseryLuton
School Chooser Score
44
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 29 to 60
Out of 100. Better than 18% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedAs expected teachingOfsted report card, February 2026
Reached the expected level at 1158%England 63%
Attendance94.5%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families29%About the same as most schools in England
Places52 spare888 pupils, 940 places
Pupils per teacher23.4School workforce census

Beech Hill Community Primary School is a council school in Luton for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 888 pupils and room for 940. About 29 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 44 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 18% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in February 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.

Dunstable Road, Luton, LU4 8BW01582 429434beechhillprimary.comMr Chris Davidson headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 3 February 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.

TeachingOfsted calls this “curriculum and teaching”
As expected
Achievement
As expected
Behaviour and attendanceOfsted calls this “attendance and behaviour”
Strong
Support for every childOfsted calls this “inclusion”
Strong
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development and wellbeing”
As expected
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and governance”
As expected
Early years
Strong
SafeguardingAre pupils kept safe?
Pupils are kept safe
Met
Ofsted's scale:ExceptionalStrong standardExpected standardNeeds attentionUrgent improvement

Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
13 October 2021Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1Good

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

110 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1158%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score103.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score103.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 49%49%20172018: 51%51%20182019: 50%50%20192023: 57%57%20232024: 62%62%20242025: 58%58%2025
Since 2017: +9%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017LutonEngland
Pupils tested110114115118114115
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths58%62%57%50%51%49%67%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%3%5%7%5%3%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score103.0103.0103.0101.0101.0101.0105.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score103.0104.0104.0103.0103.0103.0105.4104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score104.0105.0104.0106.0106.0107.0106.4105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard72%68%68%61%57%58%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard76%76%74%65%71%67%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)67%74%72%70%70%64%
Reading progressReading progress score+1.5-2.1-3.7-2.9
Maths progressMaths progress score+3.2-1.9-2.0-0.8
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged56%59%53%59%45%39%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged59%65%58%46%54%56%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 3 of the 4 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
56%59%
Gap 3 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
55%62%
Gap 7 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
54%58%
Gap 4 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Nearly full834 pupils for 840 places, 2024/25
99% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Luton council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll888Census January 2026
Places94094% full
Pupils from low-income families29%29% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English83%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support20%175 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%38 pupils with a plan
Average class size30.026 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils12%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)31%£395,250 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls460 / 428
White British pupils1%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 29.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.0 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (107), Moderate learning difficulty (61), Autistic spectrum disorder (23), emotional and mental health (11), Hearing impairment (3), Physical disability (3).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll888904915918900915
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals29%29%27%27%27%22%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language83%85%84%84%86%89%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support19%20%19%17%15%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%3%3%3%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.5% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.5%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school17.2%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.12024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.6%5.5%7.2%7.3%4.9%4.1%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.7%3.9%4.9%5.0%3.0%2.7%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.8%1.6%2.3%2.3%1.9%1.4%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence17.2%16.9%24.7%26.8%13.1%9.1%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.10.10.40.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers37.9full-time equivalent, 43 people
Pupils per teacher23.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers98%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants57.2full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£43,007
Teachers who left in the year9%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher5.02024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£6,221England £7,738. Total £5.6m
Income per pupil£6,397England £7,697. Total £5.8m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,578England £3,480
Money in reserve2%Very little put by: £131k, £145 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£159kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,221spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m95312 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate128 per 1,000 people41% higher than the England average
Typical house price£310,000Luton
Nearest bus stop90 mBirch Link, 12 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Dallow Primary SchoolAcademy610 m605Good 202332Compare
Maidenhall Primary SchoolCouncil730 m628Report card 202627Compare
Denbigh Primary SchoolCouncil840 m610Not inspected76Compare
Foxdell Primary SchoolCouncil1000 m517No overall grade 202569Compare
River Bank Primary SchoolFree school0.6 miles793Good 201963Compare
Whipperley Infant AcademyAcademy0.8 miles241No overall grade 202596Compare
St Matthew's Primary SchoolCouncil0.9 miles884Good 202346Compare
Farley Junior AcademyAcademy0.9 miles334Outstanding 202477Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Beech Hill Community Primary School with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats18%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 44 is 31 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 17 · middle 75 · highest 99100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Beech Hill Community Primary School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Denbigh Primary SchoolCouncil840 m610Not inspected76Compare
Foxdell Primary SchoolCouncil1000 m517No overall grade 202569Compare
The Premier AcademyAcademy14.3 miles613Not inspected87Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 44 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 44% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 29 to 60. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%below
-0.09
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 110 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
-0.01
Ofsted report card, 0.6 years old
Progress pupils make20%well above
+0.22
DfE progress measure; 110 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
-0.01
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.04
2024/25; 767 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well below
-0.15
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 110 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Beech Hill Community Primary School a good school?

It is about average. Beech Hill Community Primary School scores 44 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 18% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 29 to 60, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Beech Hill Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 3 February 2026 it rated teaching as as expected, achievement as as expected, behaviour and attendance as strong, leadership as as expected.

How good are Beech Hill Community Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 58% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Beech Hill Community Primary School have?

888 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 940 places, so it is 94% full.

Is Beech Hill Community Primary School oversubscribed?

Often. Fewer than one place in twenty was empty in 2024/25, so popular year groups fill up.

What is attendance like at Beech Hill Community Primary School?

Pupils were in school 94.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 17% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Beech Hill Community Primary School?

The average class had 30.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 12% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Dunstable Road, Luton, LU4 8BW
Telephone
01582 429434
Website
www.beechhillprimary.com
Headteacher
Mr Chris Davidson
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Luton
Ward
Beech Hill
Constituency
Luton South and South Bedfordshire
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 1996
URN
131089 · LAESTAB 8212295 · UKPRN 10078200
Formerly
Beech Hill Community Junior School, Beech Hill Community Infant School

Where these figures come from