Linslade Lower School

Linslade Lower School is performing at the expected standard overall. Pupils typically achieve well across subjects, attendance is strong, behaviour is positive, and children get a good start in the early years. Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils feel safe and well cared for. The school is particularly effective at identifying and removing barriers to attendance and at identifying pupils with SEND early, and parents are highly positive about the support their children receive. Enrichment and personal development are strengths, and pupils are respectful and feel they belong. Leaders know the school well and have made successful improvements, especially in SEND identification. Staff training is generally effective, and governance provides appropriate support and challenge. However, some pupils do not improve their writing as quickly as they could because support is not consistently provided. Leaders' monitoring and evaluation do not always make clear the intended impact of improvement priorities, making it harder to judge how successful improvement work has been. The school has clear next steps: sharpen monitoring and evaluation so priorities are clear, specific and measurable, and ensure teaching consistently supports pupils to improve writing. Overall, this is a school fulfilling expected standards with a positive culture and some areas to refine rather than significant weaknesses.

Strengths

• Pupils typically achieve well and secure important building blocks across subjects.
• Attendance is strong, with proactive and successful work to remove barriers for individual families.
• Pupils behave well, enjoy school and are caring and inclusive with each other.
• The early years provision gives children a positive start and prepares them well for Year 1.
• Pupils with SEND are identified well and supported effectively, with strong parental involvement.
• Governors provide appropriate support and challenge and monitor statutory duties.
• Personal development, enrichment and PSHE are well designed and valued by pupils.
• Pupils are respectful of differences and feel part of a welcoming community.
• Staff training and professional development are effective and appreciated.
• Safeguarding standards are met and there is an open culture of safeguarding.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils do not improve their writing as quickly as they could because support is not consistently provided.
• Leaders' monitoring and evaluation across some areas do not clearly identify priorities that are specific and measurable.
• Leaders and governors are sometimes less clear about the intended impact of school improvement priorities, making it hard to judge success.
• Teaching across subjects does not consistently support all pupils to improve writing.

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 Linslade Lower School attended 97.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 1.7% 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, 0.6% of pupils at Linslade Lower 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 Linslade Lower School had 24.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.3% 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, 2.2% of pupils at Linslade Lower School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.4% 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 Linslade Lower School received £6,818 and spent £6,544 for each of its 176 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £129,000 (£737 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 Leighton Buzzard · Central Bedfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Linslade Lower School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Linslade Lower School is Expected standard, from an inspection in February 2026.

When was Linslade Lower School last inspected by Ofsted?

Linslade Lower School was last inspected in February 2026.

How many pupils does Linslade Lower School have?

Linslade Lower School has 181 pupils on roll.

What age range does Linslade Lower School cover?

Linslade Lower School for pupils aged 3 to 9.

Where is Linslade Lower School?

Linslade Lower School is at Leopold Road, Linslade, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, LU7 2QU.