Carlton CofE Primary School

Carlton CofE Primary School is performing well overall. Pupils are confident, respectful and well behaved, and staff have high expectations that pupils meet consistently. The curriculum is broad and interesting, pupils learn well in many subjects, and the teaching of phonics and early reading is a particular strength. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified accurately and supported effectively, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2013, when it was judged outstanding and became exempt from routine inspection. The school has not been given an overall effectiveness grade because of the inspection arrangements introduced in September 2024. Leaders work effectively with local authority advisers and governors, and staff feel supported. Inspectors identified some areas for improvement. In a few foundation subjects, staff lack the subject-specific knowledge needed to design effective learning and do not routinely check pupils’ understanding, so some pupils’ progress is slower and gaps are not identified. In a small number of subjects, the curriculum is not coherently organised from the early years, creating gaps between early years and key stage 1 and meaning pupils sometimes miss essential knowledge.

Strengths

• Pupils are confident, self-assured and willing to share their ideas and opinions.
• Pupils and staff show kindness and respect towards each other.
• Staff have high expectations for behaviour, and pupils meet these well.
• Transitions from playtime to lessons are calm and orderly, allowing lessons to start promptly.
• Pupils take on responsibilities, including school council roles and helping with assemblies.
• The curriculum is broad and interesting and helps pupils develop their interests.
• The curriculum is well organised in most subjects, with clear knowledge and skills built up over time.
• The teaching of phonics and early reading is a strength, including strong Nursery language work and daily Reception phonics.
• Pupils with SEND are identified accurately and supported well without becoming over-reliant on adults.
• Pupils are polite, courteous and respectful, and routines are clear.
• Personal development teaches pupils to value different cultures and religions.
• Leaders work effectively with local authority advisers and governors, and staff feel supported in their well-being and workload.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• In some foundation subjects, staff lack sufficient subject-specific curriculum knowledge to design effective learning.
• In these subjects, staff do not routinely check what pupils know and can do, so gaps in knowledge are not identified.
• Some learning activities only partially develop pupils’ skills and knowledge in a few subjects.
• In a few subjects, the curriculum is not coherently organised from the early years, creating a gap between early years and key stage 1.
• Some pupils miss essential knowledge in a few subjects and their progress through the curriculum is slower.
• The school does not always know how much progress pupils are making or what gaps in knowledge they have.

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 Carlton CofE Primary School attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.0% 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, 1.1% of pupils at Carlton CofE 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 Carlton CofE Primary School had 17.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.0% 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, 11.5% of pupils at Carlton CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.6% 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 Carlton CofE Primary School received £8,122 and spent £8,857 for each of its 86 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £83,000 (-£966 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
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What is Carlton CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Carlton CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Carlton CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Carlton CofE Primary School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Carlton CofE Primary School have?

Carlton CofE Primary School has 87 pupils on roll.

What age range does Carlton CofE Primary School cover?

Carlton CofE Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Carlton CofE Primary School?

Carlton CofE Primary School is at The Moor, Carlton, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK43 7JR.