School Chooser

Clifton All Saints Academy

Primary · ages 2-11MixedAcademyChurch of England229 pupilsNurseryCentral Bedfordshire
School Chooser Score
36
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 17 to 63
Out of 100. Better than 8% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, December 2022
Reached the expected level at 1165%England 63%
Attendance96.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families10%Far fewer than most schools
Places13 spare229 pupils, 242 places
Pupils per teacher21.1School workforce census

Clifton All Saints Academy is a converter academy in Near Shefford for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 229 pupils and room for 242. About 10 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 36 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 8% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.

Church Street, Clifton, Near Shefford, SG17 5ES01462 628444cliftonallsaintsacademy.co.ukMr Marcus Ray headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 7 December 2022, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1165%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level15%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score107.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score105.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2023 to 2025
2023: 17%17%20232024: 36%36%20242025: 65%65%2025
Since 2023: +48%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023Central BedfordshireEngland
Pupils tested20226
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths65%36%17%53%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths15%5%0%3%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score107.0103.0102.0104.4105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score105.099.0101.0102.9104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score106.0104.096.0103.6105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard80%64%33%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard70%41%33%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)75%68%17%
Reading progressReading progress score-10.2
Maths progressMaths progress score-9.5
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged63%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged67%

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. 2 of the 3 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
63%67%
Gap 4 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
73%56%
Gap 17 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
13%15%
Gap 2 ptsEngland 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. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

A few spare places192 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
91% full

About 18 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have grown by 17% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.

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 Central Bedfordshire 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 roll229Census January 2026
Places24295% full
Pupils from low-income families8%10% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English4%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support12%27 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%9 pupils with a plan
Average class size26.58 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils25%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)9%£26,350 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls116 / 113
White British pupils81%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 29.3 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 24.0 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (13), Specific learning difficulty (11), language and communications needs (7), Autistic spectrum disorder (4).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll229241193180163150
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals8%9%12%10%6%4%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language4%2%1%1%1%1%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support10%11%14%15%9%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans6%6%4%3%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school7.6%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils1.32024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.9%5.1%4.5%5.7%2.4%3.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.1%4.3%3.7%5.0%2.2%2.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.8%0.9%0.8%0.7%0.2%0.6%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence7.6%13.9%6.2%15.9%5.8%2.4%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate1.33.16.70.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00100

Staff and money

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

Teachers9.9full-time equivalent, 12 people
Pupils per teacher21.1Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants9.6full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£46,858
Teachers who left in the year26%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.32024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£6,858England £7,128. Total £1.5m
Income per pupil£7,068England £7,587. Total £1.5m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,767England £3,405
Money in reserve9%A healthy amount put by: £144k, £658 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£46kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,858spent 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 m17212 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate44 per 1,000 people51% lower than the England average
Typical house price£365,000Central Bedfordshire
Nearest bus stop210 mThe Joint, 11 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
Raynsford Church of England AcademyAcademy0.8 miles246Not inspected87Compare
Robert Bloomfield AcademyAcademy1.7 miles962No overall grade 202593Compare
Shefford Lower SchoolCouncil1.7 miles514Good 202344Compare
Derwent Primary SchoolFoundation1.8 miles419Good 202361Compare
Langford Village AcademyAcademy2.1 miles295Good 202424Compare
Southill Lower SchoolCouncil2.2 miles78Report card 202586Compare
Campton AcademyAcademy2.4 miles128Good 202370Compare
Gothic Mede AcademyAcademy2.4 miles249Good 202330Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Clifton All Saints Academy with the 48 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 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats8%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the bottom of its group. Its score of 36 is 41 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 6 · middle 77 · highest 100100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 48 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Clifton All Saints Academy, 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
Ashwell Primary SchoolCouncil6.3 miles229Report card 202689Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 36 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 36% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 17 to 63. 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%in line
+0.05
2025 and 2024 results; 20 pupils
Ofsted inspection18% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 3.8 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.18
Contextualised attainment (no DfE progress measure available); 20 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.04
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.09
2024/25; 171 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.09
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 20 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 Clifton All Saints Academy a good school?

It is about average. Clifton All Saints Academy scores 36 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 8% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 17 to 63, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Clifton All Saints Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Clifton All Saints Academy good at its last full inspection on 7 December 2022.

How good are Clifton All Saints Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 65% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 15% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Clifton All Saints Academy have?

229 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 242 places, so it is 95% full.

Is Clifton All Saints Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 18 places were empty in 2024/25 (9% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Clifton All Saints Academy?

Pupils were in school 96.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 8% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Clifton All Saints Academy?

The average class had 26.5 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 25% 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
Church Street, Clifton, Near Shefford, SG17 5ES
Telephone
01462 628444
Website
www.cliftonallsaintsacademy.co.uk
Headteacher
Mr Marcus Ray
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of St Albans
Single-academy trust
Clifton All Saints Academy (1 schools)
Local authority
Central Bedfordshire
Ward
Clifton, Henlow & Langford
Constituency
Hitchin
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 October 2013 (academy converter)
URN
140228 · LAESTAB 8233306 · UKPRN 10043438
Formerly
All Saints VA CofE Lower School

Where these figures come from