Turvey Primary School

Turvey Primary School is a small primary school, with 92 pupils on roll, that is performing strongly overall. Its personal development and wellbeing provision is exceptional: pupils benefit from a carefully planned programme, a wide range of experiences, strong pastoral support and an inclusive culture. Pupils are confident, articulate and well prepared for life beyond school, and safeguarding standards are met. Across achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, and leadership and governance, the school reaches a strong standard. Pupils achieve well, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, although leaders recognise that small cohorts make some published figures volatile. Attendance is high, behaviour is consistently good, and the curriculum is well sequenced and taught effectively. Governance is effective and staff feel well supported. The main area for improvement is the consistency of presentation and accuracy in pupils’ written work across the curriculum, including handwriting. This can prevent some pupils from demonstrating their knowledge and skills as effectively as they could. The school has a higher-than-average proportion of pupils with SEN support and is much smaller than the average primary school.

Strengths

• Personal development and wellbeing provision is exceptionally strong and thoughtfully planned.
• Pupils are exceptionally well prepared for life beyond school.
• The school provides a rich range of experiences, including a expectation that pupils complete 100 activities.
• Pastoral support for pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and vulnerable pupils is highly effective.
• Pupils achieve well across reading, writing, mathematics and phonics, including disadvantaged pupils.
• Pupils with SEND make notable progress from their starting points.
• Pupils behave consistently well and embody the school’s virtues.
• Attendance is high and persistent absence is well below national averages.
• The curriculum is carefully designed, well sequenced and reflects high expectations.
• Teaching in mathematics and phonics is confident, precise and effective.
• The early years curriculum is clearly structured and supports children to thrive.
• Inclusion is a distinguishing feature, with strong support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Leaders understand the school’s context well and prioritise actions effectively.
• Governors bring a broad range of skills and challenge leaders effectively.
• Staff feel empowered and well supported, with a positive culture around workload and wellbeing.
• Parents speak highly of the school and value its inclusive ethos.

Areas for Improvement

• Leaders do not secure consistently high standards of presentation and accuracy in pupils’ written work across the curriculum, including handwriting.

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 Turvey Primary School attended 96.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 2.5% 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, 1.1% of pupils at Turvey Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were 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 Turvey Primary School had 16.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 25.9% of pupils at Turvey Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.5% 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 Turvey Primary School received £9,506 and spent £9,529 for each of its 81 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £21,000 (£259 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

Turvey Primary School is part of North Bedfordshire Schools Trust (Nbst), which runs 3 schools. The nearest others:

• Pinchmill Primary School Bedford
• Eileen Wade Primary School Huntingdon

What is Turvey Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Turvey Primary School is Strong standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Turvey Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Turvey Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Turvey Primary School have?

Turvey Primary School has 81 pupils on roll.

What age range does Turvey Primary School cover?

Turvey Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are Turvey Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Turvey Primary School?

Turvey Primary School is at May Road, Turvey, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK43 8DY.