Templefield Lower School

Templefield Lower School is performing well, maintaining its status as a good school since its last inspection in May 2017. The school provides a happy and supportive environment for pupils, where strong relationships among students and staff foster a sense of safety and trust. The curriculum is broad and balances academic learning with opportunities for personal development, and the school excels in its approach to reading, ensuring that children develop a love for literature from an early age.

Strengths

• Pupils have positive relationships with each other and staff.
• The school environment is calm and purposeful.
• Reading is taught effectively with a well-structured phonics program.
• Pupils with SEND receive effective support and access the same curriculum.
• The curriculum is carefully planned to build pupils' knowledge and skills.
• Staff prioritize well-being and work collaboratively.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subject leaders lack the knowledge to effectively monitor curriculum implementation.
• New governors are not fully informed about their roles and the impact of leaders’ actions.

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 Templefield Lower School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.0% 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, 1.0% of pupils at Templefield 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 Templefield Lower School had 20.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.9% 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 Templefield Lower School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.8% 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 Templefield Lower School received £6,551 and spent £6,570 for each of its 278 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £104,000 (£373 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 Templefield Lower School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Templefield Lower School last inspected by Ofsted?

Templefield Lower School was last inspected in March 2023.

How many pupils does Templefield Lower School have?

Templefield Lower School has 290 pupils on roll.

What age range does Templefield Lower School cover?

Templefield Lower School for pupils aged 2 to 9.

Where is Templefield Lower School?

Templefield Lower School is at Malham Close, Flitwick, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK45 1AJ.