School Chooser

Husborne Crawley Lower School

Primary · ages 4-9MixedCouncil42 pupilsCentral Bedfordshire
School Chooser Score
18
Below
similar schools
Likely range 7 to 42, so it could be “well below”
Out of 100. Better than 18% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, May 2023
Attendance94.2%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families0%Far fewer than most schools
Places18 spare42 pupils, 60 places
Pupils per teacher12.1School workforce census
Pupils on roll42Census January 2026

Husborne Crawley Lower School is a council school in Husborne Crawley for boys and girls aged 4 to 9. It has 42 pupils and room for 60. About 0 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 18 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 18% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

School Lane, Husborne Crawley, MK43 0UZ01525 280232hclowerschool.co.ukMrs Deborah Willans headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 4 May 2023, 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”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places46 pupils for 60 places, 2024/25
77% full

14 places were empty (23% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. 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 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 roll42Census January 2026
Places6070% full
Pupils from low-income families0%0% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English2%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support2%1 pupil with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan14%6 pupils with a plan
Average class size14.03 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)0%£0 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls27 / 15
White British pupils81%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 25.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 11.0 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (3), language and communications needs (3), Physical disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll424850494640
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals0%2%6%10%11%5%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language2%4%6%2%7%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support4%4%12%11%18%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans15%16%12%4%0%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.2%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school22.0%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils4.22024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.9%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.9%5.9%5.9%5.9%1.9%5.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.0%5.2%5.2%5.4%1.7%5.1%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.9%0.6%0.7%0.6%0.2%0.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence22.0%17.1%16.3%12.5%2.7%19.6%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate4.20.02.02.20.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers3.5full-time equivalent, 5 people
Pupils per teacher12.1Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants3.7full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£50,497
Teachers who left in the year28%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher0.52024/25

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£11,398England £7,738. Total £547k
Income per pupil£11,365England £7,697. Total £546k
Spent on teachers per pupil£5,217England £3,480
Money in reserve-16%In the red: -£85k, -£1,775 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£1,620it spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£11,398spent 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 m412 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate39 per 1,000 people58% lower than the England average
Typical house price£365,000Central Bedfordshire
Nearest bus stop100 mWhite Horse, 4 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
Aspley Guise Village SchoolAcademy0.8 miles136Good 2023Compare
Ridgmont Lower SchoolCouncil1.0 miles11Report card 202523Compare
Woburn Lower SchoolCouncil1.7 miles65Good 202351Compare
Swallowfield PrimaryCouncil2.0 miles458No overall grade 202517Compare
St Mary's Wavendon CofE PrimaryAcademy2.5 miles489Good 202461Compare
Eversholt Lower SchoolAcademy2.5 miles68Good 202332Compare
Lidlington Primary SchoolCouncil2.6 miles92Good 202276Compare
Glebe Farm SchoolFree school2.9 miles1,188No overall grade 202593Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Husborne Crawley Lower School with the 44 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 44 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 18 is 36 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 2 · middle 53 · highest 95100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 44 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Husborne Crawley Lower 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
Mursley Church of England SchoolChurch of England9.9 miles45No overall grade 202579Compare
Preston Primary SchoolChurch of England15.3 miles60Good 202430Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 18 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 18% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 7 to 42. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. 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 years0%no data
Ofsted inspection19% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.02
Ofsted grade, 3.4 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.42
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
-0.07
2024/25; 41 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
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 Husborne Crawley Lower School a good school?

The figures are weak. Husborne Crawley Lower School scores 18 out of 100. That is below 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 7 to 42, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Husborne Crawley Lower School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Husborne Crawley Lower School good at its last full inspection on 4 May 2023.

How many pupils does Husborne Crawley Lower School have?

42 pupils aged 4 to 9 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 60 places, so it is 70% full.

Is Husborne Crawley Lower School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 14 places were empty in 2024/25 (23% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Husborne Crawley Lower School?

Pupils were in school 94.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 22% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Husborne Crawley Lower School?

The average class had 14.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class 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
School Lane, Husborne Crawley, MK43 0UZ
Telephone
01525 280232
Website
www.hclowerschool.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Deborah Willans
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-9
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Central Bedfordshire
Ward
Aspley & Woburn
Constituency
Mid Bedfordshire
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 January 1900
URN
109460 · LAESTAB 8232059 · UKPRN 10077795

Where these figures come from