Broadmead Lower School

Broadmead Lower School has shown significant improvement since its previous inspection, moving from a grade of requires improvement to good. The school provides a nurturing environment that prioritizes the well-being and safety of its students, fostering positive relationships between pupils and staff. Parents appreciate the commitment of the school to ensure that their children feel happy, safe, and secure while learning.

Strengths

• Strong relationships between pupils and staff
• Positive and safe learning environment
• High expectations for pupils' behavior and attitudes
• Well-structured and sequenced curriculum
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities
• Prioritization of reading with a structured approach
• Variety of extracurricular activities promoting personal development

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent use of assessment information to advance learning for all pupils
• Governors' limited engagement in monitoring behavior and attendance comprehensively

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Broadmead Lower School attended 93.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at Broadmead Lower School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Broadmead Lower School had 26.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 25.2% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 19.7% of pupils at Broadmead Lower School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Broadmead Lower School received £7,756 and spent £7,706 for each of its 228 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £32,000 (£142 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Bedford · Bedford local authority: places and applications

What is Broadmead Lower School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Broadmead Lower School is Good, from an inspection in September 2023.

When was Broadmead Lower School last inspected by Ofsted?

Broadmead Lower School was last inspected in September 2023.

How many pupils does Broadmead Lower School have?

Broadmead Lower School has 228 pupils on roll.

What age range does Broadmead Lower School cover?

Broadmead Lower School for pupils aged 4 to 9.

Where is Broadmead Lower School?

Broadmead Lower School is at Park Crescent, Stewartby, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK43 9NN.