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Schools in Bedford

83 open schools · Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and admission criteria · best primary schools · best secondary schools

Bedford has 76 state schools: 54 primary, 12 secondary, 1 all-through, 2 nursery. Between them they teach around 31,066 pupils. 62 have enough published data for a score, averaging 4.1 out of 10, and 2 score 8 or above.

14 have a sixth form. 36 take children from age three or under. 16 have a religious character, which usually means the school sets its own admissions criteria rather than the council's. How the score works.

Good or better
48
of 48 rated
Average score
4.1
out of 10

Undersubscribed schools rated Good or Outstanding

These schools didn't fill on first preference in the latest admissions year, despite an Ofsted rating of Good or Outstanding — worth a look if you're chasing the same handful of famous names everyone else applies to.

Bromham CofE Primary School Good · ×0.84 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Queen's Park Academy Good · ×0.85 1st prefs/place (2026/27) St Thomas More Catholic School Good · ×0.85 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Camestone School Good · ×0.87 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Kempston Academy Good · ×0.89 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Roxton Church of England Academy Good · ×0.89 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Scott Primary School & Nursery Good · ×0.89 1st prefs/place (2026/27) St John Rigby Catholic Primary School Good · ×0.89 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Edith Cavell Primary School Good · ×0.91 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Westfield Primary School Good · ×0.91 1st prefs/place (2026/27)

How places are allocated in Bedford

Primary schools: Explicit catchment-area criterion (with/without sibling) ahead of general sibling priority; catchment areas explained on a dedicated council page. (source)

Most schools use the local authority's default scheme rather than a school-specific catchment map — see each school's page for its own designated/catchment area where one is published.

Balliol Primary School Bedford · Good Bedford Academy Bedford · Good Bedford College Bedford · Good Bedford Free School Bedford · Outstanding Bedford Girls' School Bedford Bedford Greenacre Independent School Bedford Bedford Modern School Bedford Bedford Road Primary Academy Bedford Bedford School Bedford Biddenham International School and Sports College Bedford · Good Brickhill Primary School Bedford · Good Broadmead Lower School Bedford · Good Bromham CofE Primary School Bedford · Good Camestone School Bedford · Good Carlton CofE Primary School Bedford · Not judged Castle Newnham School Bedford Cauldwell School Bedford Cherry Trees Nursery School Bedford · Outstanding Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School Podington · Good Cotton End Forest School Bedford · Not judged Daubeney Academy Bedford · Not judged Edith Cavell Primary School Bedford · Good Eileen Wade Primary School Huntingdon Elstow School Bedford · Good Goldington Academy Bedford Goldington Green Academy Bedford · Not judged Grange Academy Bedford · Good Great Barford Church of England Primary Academy Bedford · Good Great Denham Primary School Bedford · Outstanding Great Ouse Primary Academy Bedford Harrold Primary Academy Bedford · Good Hazeldene School Bedford · Good KWS School Bedford Kempston Academy Bedford · Good Kempston Rural Primary School Kempston · Good Kimberley 16 - 19 Stem College Bedford · Good King's Oak Primary School Bedford Kymbrook Primary School Bedford · Good Lakeview School Bedford · Good Lincroft Academy Bedford · Not judged Livingstone Primary School Bedford · Good Mark Rutherford School Bedford Marston Vale Middle School Bedford · Not judged Milton Ernest CofE Primary School Bedford · Good Oakley Primary Academy Bedford · Not judged Peter Pan Nursery School Bedford · Outstanding Pilgrims Pre-Preparatory School Bedford Pinchmill Primary School Bedford · Not judged Polam School Bedford Priory Primary School Bedford · Not judged Putnoe Primary School Bedford · Good Queen's Park Academy Bedford · Good Ravensden CofE Primary Academy Bedford · Good Renhold VC Primary School Bedford · Not judged Ridgeway School Bedford · Good Riseley CofE Primary School Bedford · Good Rivertree Free School Bedford Roxton Church of England Academy Bedford · Good Scott Primary School & Nursery Bedford · Good Shackleton Primary School Bedford Sharnbrook Academy Bedford · Not judged Sharnbrook Primary Bedford · Good Sheerhatch Primary School Bedford Shortstown Primary School Bedford Springfield Primary School Bedford · Good St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School Bedford · Good St James' CofE Academy Bedford · Good St John Rigby Catholic Primary School Bedford · Good St John's School Bedford · Good St Lawrence Church of England Primary School Rushden St Thomas More Catholic School Bedford · Good The Hills Academy Bedford · Good Thurleigh Primary School Bedford · Good Turvey Primary School Bedford · Good Ursula Taylor Church of England School Bedford · Not judged Westfield Primary School Bedford · Good Wilden CofE VA Primary School Bedford · Good Willow Grove Primary School Wixams Wilstead Primary School Bedford · Good Wixams Academy Bedford Wixams Tree Primary Academy Bedford · Good Wootton Academy Bedford · Not judged Wootton Primary School Bedford · Good

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Key dates

Entry yearEventDate
Sept 2028 Application deadline 31 October 2027
Sept 2028 Primary application deadline 15 January 2028
Sept 2028 Offer day 1 March 2028
Sept 2028 Primary offer day 17 April 2028
Sept 2027 Application deadline 31 October 2026
Sept 2027 Primary application deadline 15 January 2027
Sept 2027 Offer day 1 March 2027
Sept 2027 Primary offer day 16 April 2027
Sept 2026 Application deadline 31 October 2025 (passed)
Sept 2026 Primary application deadline 15 January 2026 (passed)
Sept 2026 Offer day 2 March 2026 (passed)
Sept 2026 Primary offer day 16 April 2026 (passed)

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