Milton Ernest CofE Primary School

Milton Ernest CofE Primary School is maintaining its status as a good school, demonstrating a positive environment where pupils are hardworking and polite. The curriculum is effectively guiding teachers and is enabling pupils to keep up with their learning. Together with supportive staff and a range of extracurricular activities, the school successfully fosters both academic and personal development. However, the school has identified areas for improvement, particularly in enhancing reading fluency for some students and strengthening the monitoring practices of the governing board.

Strengths

• Pupils are engaged and demonstrate strong recall of learned material.
• Staff provide effective support for pupils with special educational needs.
• The school's curriculum is clear and well-structured.
• Strong relationships among pupils contribute to a positive school climate.
• Extracurricular activities support pupils' character development.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils experience challenges with reading fluency and expression.
• Governors do not sufficiently monitor key aspects of school performance.

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 Milton Ernest CofE Primary School attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.7% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Milton Ernest 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 Milton Ernest CofE Primary School had 14.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.4% 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, 11.9% of pupils at Milton Ernest CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.5% 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.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Bedford · Bedford local authority: places and applications

What is Milton Ernest CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Milton Ernest CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2023.

When was Milton Ernest CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Milton Ernest CofE Primary School was last inspected in January 2023.

How many pupils does Milton Ernest CofE Primary School have?

Milton Ernest CofE Primary School has 67 pupils on roll.

What age range does Milton Ernest CofE Primary School cover?

Milton Ernest CofE Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Milton Ernest CofE Primary School?

Milton Ernest CofE Primary School is at Thurleigh Road, Milton Ernest, High Street, Upper Dean, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK44 1RF.