Report card · inspected Nov 2025
- Exceptional
- Strong standard
- Expected standard
- Needs attention
- Urgent improvement
Safeguarding standards met
This schoolOther secondary schools in Bedford
What did Ofsted find?
Ofsted data to 30 September 2026| Area | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inclusion | Strong standard | ||||
| Curriculum and teaching | Expected standard | ||||
| Achievement | Expected standard | ||||
| Attendance and behaviour | Strong standard | ||||
| Personal development and wellbeing | Expected standard | ||||
| Early years | Does not apply to this school | ||||
| Post-16 provision | Needs attention | ||||
| Leadership and governance | Expected standard | ||||
- Exceptional
- Strong standard
- Expected standard
- Needs attention
- Urgent improvement
- Does not apply
Colours follow Ofsted's report card scale; Schoolfile is independent of Ofsted.
Inspection history
- 11 November 2025Report card · 2 Strong standard, 4 Expected standard, 1 Needs attention
- 14 June 2023Graded inspection: Requires improvement
- 11 March 2020Ungraded inspection: School remains Good (Concerns)
Full reports on the Ofsted website · How to read Ofsted grades
About these grades
Ofsted's report cards (from November 2025) grade each area on five steps and give no overall grade. Earlier grades come from a different framework; Ofsted says the two cannot be compared, so they are never converted here. Ofsted: "We normally inspect schools every 4 years or at any time if we have concerns." Methodology.
How hard is it to get a place?
DfE · Sept 2026 entry435 applications · 186 places offered · 154 named it first
HistoryEarlier years not shown: formed from, or split from, other schools.
- 2026 2.3; Bedford median median 1.8
- 2025 2.2; Bedford median median 1.5
- 2024 2.1; Bedford median median 1.5
- 2023 2.3; Bedford median median 1.4
- 2022 2.1; Bedford median median 1.7
- 2021 2.0; Bedford median median 1.7
- 2020 1.9; Bedford median median 1.9
- 2019 1.7; Bedford median median 1.7
- 2018 1.5; Bedford median median 1.6
- 2017 1.6; Bedford median median 1.6
- 2016 1.5; Bedford median median 1.5
- 2015 1.7; Bedford median median 1.3
- 2014 1.6; Bedford median median 1.5
- This school
- Bedford median
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close 31 October 2026, through your council
How this is measured
Applications per place: every application naming the school at any preference, divided by places offered on National Offer Day. It is not your chance of a place. Methodology.
| Entry | Places | Applications | Per place | First preferences | First-pref. ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2026 | 186 | 435 | 2.3 | 154 | 0.83 |
| Sep 2025 | 185 | 410 | 2.2 | 129 | 0.70 |
| Sep 2024 | 214 | 441 | 2.1 | 130 | 0.61 |
| Sep 2023 | 186 | 429 | 2.3 | 152 | 0.82 |
| Sep 2022 | 224 | 459 | 2.1 | 206 | 0.92 |
| Sep 2021 | 244 | 477 | 2.0 | 239 | 0.98 |
| Sep 2020 | 255 | 492 | 1.9 | 242 | 0.95 |
| Sep 2019 | 254 | 441 | 1.7 | 254 | 1.00 |
| Sep 2018 | 191 | 289 | 1.5 | 182 | 0.95 |
| Sep 2017 | 153 | 241 | 1.6 | 149 | 0.97 |
| Sep 2016 | 223 | 343 | 1.5 | 157 | 0.70 |
| Sep 2015 | 226 | 379 | 1.7 | 183 | 0.81 |
| Sep 2014 | 238 | 382 | 1.6 | 237 | 1.00 |
How did pupils do at GCSE?
DfE KS4 · 2025/26 provisionalEvery year as a table
| Year | Pupils | Attainment 8 | 5+ Eng & maths | 4+ Eng & maths | Progress 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 (prov.) | 212 | 40.7 | 28% | 59% | – |
| 2024/25 | 220 | 41.5 | 40% | 62% | – |
| 2023/24 | 234 | 45.4 | 44% | 62% | −0.05 |
| 2022/23 | 197 | 41.9 | 39% | 61% | +0.03 |
Progress 8 is not published for 2024/25 or 2025/26: those pupils had no key stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021.
Schools nearby
The 8 nearest secondary schools in a straight line, in any local authority
- Mark Rutherford SchoolThis schoolThis school20252.3applications per place 40.7Attainment 8
- 1.8 km · Bedford20263.1applications per place 52.0Attainment 8
- 2.0 km · BedfordGood20231.8applications per place 41.0Attainment 8
- 2.5 km · Bedford2026
- 3.7 km · BedfordStandards maintained20254.0applications per place 51.0Attainment 8
- 4.7 km · BedfordGood20232.5applications per place 44.4Attainment 8
- 5.0 km · BedfordStandards maintained20242.5applications per place 40.3Attainment 8
- 6.0 km · BedfordGraded · no overall grade20241.7applications per place 50.4Attainment 8
- 6.1 km · BedfordGraded · no overall grade20251.9applications per place 46.1Attainment 8
- Exceptional
- Strong standard
- Expected standard
- Needs attention
- Urgent improvement
- Does not apply
Eight dots, one per area: inclusion, curriculum, achievement, attendance, personal development, early years, post-16, leadership. Colours follow Ofsted's report card scale; Schoolfile is independent of Ofsted.
School details
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Secondary
- URN · DfE number
- 139160 · 822/4085
- Trust
- Mark Rutherford School Trust
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Capacity
- 1,243 pupils · 1,150 on roll
- Free school meals
- 30.4% of pupils (England median 23%)
- SEN provision
- Resourced provision
- Opened
- 1 January 2013
- Replaced
- Mark Rutherford School (URN 109674)
- Address
- Wentworth Drive, Bedford, MK41 8PX
- Local authority
- Bedford
Data last changed 19 October 2026 · Report an error · Corrections · Sources