Harrold Primary Academy
Bedford, MK43 7DB · Bedford · primary school
Check the area around this school
3rd of 50 primary schools in Bedford we can score, 55 in total — the rest without enough published data. Local and same-phase on purpose: a national table mostly measures who attends.
Its results hold up when the comparison narrows to schools whose pupils have similar backgrounds — 7.4/10 against 4,089 of them, against 7.2/10 nationally. So this is not simply a reflection of who attends. Both figures are results only, without the inspection grade. A lower figure here means a stronger comparison group, not a weaker school.
How this is worked out
| Measure | Percentile | Weight | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expected standard (RWM) 2024/25 | 81.0 · 89 | 40% | 3.57 |
| Ofsted | 52 | 35% | 1.82 |
| Higher standard (RWM) 2024/25 | 6.0 · 45 | 25% | 1.12 |
Each measure is read as a position among comparable schools, so a school in the middle of the country scores 5. Full method.
Harrold Primary Academy overview
How it's doing
In 2024/25, 81.0% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, compared to the national median of 64%. The higher standard was reached by 6.0%, against a national median of 7%. Its results hold up when the comparison narrows to schools whose pupils have similar backgrounds, so they are not simply a reflection of who attends (7.4 out of 10 against similar schools, 7.2 out of 10 against all schools). Ofsted rated the school Good in November 2023.
Beyond the classroom
Pupils participate in board games, gymnastics, baking, and forest school trips.
Getting in
The published school roll is 96 pupils against a stated capacity of 210. These whole-school figures do not establish entry-year vacancies or the likelihood of an offer. Confirm entry-year availability and admissions criteria with the school or local authority.
Worth asking on a visit
How does the school support pupils who do not reach the expected standard in maths? What does a typical day look like for the forest school trips?
What Ofsted said about Harrold Primary Academy
Overview
Harrold Primary Academy is a happy school where pupils feel safe and build positive relationships with staff. The report states that pupils are polite, work hard, and demonstrate the school’s values of being “respectful, responsible, ready and resilient.” While the curriculum is new and still being fully established, pupils achieve well in most subjects, particularly mathematics and reading.
Strengths
- Pupils are happy, feel safe, and “strive to show ‘we are ready’ in lessons.”
- The teaching of reading is prioritised, with a “well thought through” phonics programme ensuring children become “confident and fluent readers.”
- Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) “learn well alongside their peers” and access the same curriculum as everyone else.
- Staff maintain high behaviour expectations, and pupils “follow the school rules and try their best in all they do.”
- Leaders have “carefully managed a recent period of staff turbulence” to ensure pupils’ learning and safety were maintained.
Areas to improve
- In some subjects, the curriculum is in a “transitional phase,” and staff require further training to “effectively implement” it so that new concepts are explained well enough for all pupils to achieve consistently.
Safeguarding
The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”
Results over time
Expected standard (reading, writing, maths), the years we hold.
| Year | Expected standard (reading, writing, maths) |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 58% |
| 2023/24 | 78% |
| 2024/25 | 81% |
| England | 64% |
Source: DfE Explore Education Statistics. “England” is the median of the 14,326 state schools in England we hold a 2024/25 figure for — a school-level median, not the DfE's pupil-weighted national figure.
Your offer chance
—Based on official applications/offers, distance and catchment where we have it. Bands only — never a percentage.
Sibling, faith, looked-after and other criteria can override distance. Always confirm with the school or local authority.
Next dates
- Primary (Reception) application deadline15 Jan 2027
- Primary National Offer Day16 Apr 2027
- Primary (Reception) application deadline15 Jan 2028
- Primary National Offer Day17 Apr 2028
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