King's Oak Primary School

King's Oak Primary School is a large, diverse primary school that has undergone significant expansion, including extended early years provision and a new community hub. Following this full inspection, the school is performing strongly in most areas. The curriculum is well designed and taught effectively, with a sharp focus on language and vocabulary. Early years provision is a particular strength, with a well-sequenced curriculum and high-quality interactions that prepare children well for Year 1. Inclusion is robust, with effective support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, who achieve well. Leadership and governance are strong, with knowledgeable governors and a clear vision. Personal development and wellbeing are also well designed, offering a wide range of experiences and high-quality pastoral care. Pupils behave well and feel safe. However, achievement and attendance are rated as expected standard. While outcomes have improved and are now close to national averages, some subjects have less secure knowledge and variable work quality, with gaps in writing. Attendance, though improving, remains below national averages, and persistent absence is a concern. Leaders are already taking action to address these areas. Inspectors identified two main next steps: continue to drive up achievement in all subjects, ensuring consistently high-quality work, and further reduce persistent absence. The school's context includes high mobility, many pupils with English as an additional language, and a specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND. Overall, this is a strong school with clear capacity to improve further.

Strengths

• Curriculum is well designed with a strong focus on language, communication and key vocabulary.
• Teaching is highly effective, with staff recapping prior learning, modelling language and providing timely support.
• Early years provision is a priority, with a well-sequenced curriculum and high-quality interactions.
• Inclusion is robust, with quick identification of needs, specialist support and bespoke SEND provision.
• Leadership and governance are knowledgeable and ambitious, with rigorous systems and effective professional development.
• Personal development and wellbeing are well designed, with high-quality pastoral care and a focus on independence and resilience.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of free clubs, trips and experiences, including an on-site farm.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve well, often above national averages in reading and writing.
• Behaviour is calm and respectful, with well-established routines from early years.
• Attendance is improving steadily due to leaders' tenacious work with families.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance rates remain below the national average, and persistent absence is above average.
• A number of pupils do not attend school regularly enough.
• In some subjects, pupils' knowledge is less secure.
• The quality of pupils' work is variable.
• Gaps persist in aspects of writing such as handwriting.
• Achievement in national tests, while improved, remains close to but not above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics combined.

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 King's Oak Primary School attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.3% 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, 0.7% of pupils at King's Oak 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 King's Oak Primary School had 20.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 21.6% 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, 15.7% of pupils at King's Oak Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.8% 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 King's Oak Primary School received £8,437 and spent £8,406 for each of its 777 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £300,000 (£386 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).

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What is King's Oak Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for King's Oak Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was King's Oak Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

King's Oak Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does King's Oak Primary School have?

King's Oak Primary School has 826 pupils on roll.

What age range does King's Oak Primary School cover?

King's Oak Primary School for pupils aged 1 to 11.

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

In 2025, 61% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is King's Oak Primary School?

King's Oak Primary School is at Oak Road, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK42 0HH.