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Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School

Primary Ages 4-11 70 pupils Podington
Ofsted: Good
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Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School is a voluntary aided school in Bedford for pupils aged 4 to 11. It has a Church of England religious character. It has 70 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2024. In 2025, 46% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Ofsted inspection: July 2024. KS2 results: 2025.

Type Primary / Voluntary aided school
Age Range 4-11
Religion Church of England
Address Hinwick Road
Podington
NN29 7HU
Phone 01933353531
Reference Number 109622

General Makeup

Number of pupils 70
Boy/Girl ratio Boys: 41.43%
Girls: 58.57%
Percentage of students eligible for free school meals 10%
Percentage of students where English is not their first language 0%

Class Sizes

Average size of one teacher classes 12.8
Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher 16.5
Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher 9

Year Groups

Year Boys Girls Total
1 6 7 13
2 4 8 12
3 6 4 10
4 1 7 8
5 5 4 9
6 4 6 10

Ethnicities

Ethnicity Percentage
White, British 82.9%
White & Black (African) 5.7%
White, Other 4.3%
African 4.3%
White & Black (Caribbean) 1.4%
Irish 1.4%

Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School continues to demonstrate good overall performance, maintaining a supportive and nurturing environment. Pupils express satisfaction with the school, highlighting the positive relationships with staff and peers, and the varied opportunities available for personal development. The curriculum is structured effectively, allowing students to engage meaningfully in science and music, which contributes to their success in assessments. Reading instruction begins early, fostering confidence and enjoyment in reading among students.

Overall Ofsted Rating Good
Last Report Date 11 Jun 2024
Date Report
11 Jun 2024 School inspection
09 Oct 2018 Short inspection
25 Sep 2014 Full inspection:
15 Jan 2013 Interim assessment
13 Oct 2009 Full inspection:
07 Feb 2007 Full inspection:
03 Mar 2003 Full inspection

Strengths

  • Strong supportive environment where pupils feel valued.
  • Effective curriculum that helps pupils learn key concepts in a logical order.
  • Enthusiastic participation in musical and sporting events.
  • High-quality reading instruction that builds confidence in early readers.
  • Adequate support for pupils with SEND to foster independence.

Areas for Improvement

  • Inconsistencies in staff expectations regarding pupil behaviour.
  • Some teachers are still adapting to new teaching methods, impacting initial understanding of new concepts.

How many students meet the standards

Reading, Writing & Maths School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Pupils meeting the expected standard 46%
Pupils meeting a higher standard 8%

Average Scaled Score

Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.

Subject School Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Reading 102
Maths 99

Progress Scores

A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.

Metric School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Reading 1.6
Writing -2.2
Maths 2.2

How many students meet the standards

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Average Scaled Score

Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.

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Progress Scores

A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.

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Reception admissions, 2026 entry

Number of Applications Number of Offers
First Preference
Second Preference 10 0
Third Preference 2 0
From another Local Authority 11 6

Previous years

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Places and pupil numbers

In 2024–25 Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School had 79 pupils for 105 places. 26 places (24.8%) were unfilled.

Pupils and places

Reception intake in the “North Bedford Primary” planning area

Bedford counted 346 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 318 in 2029–30, down 8%.

201020112012201320142015201620172018201920212022202320242025
Places 6868686868686868105105105105105105105
Pupils 676566737368695777999080767679
Unfilled 1.5%4.4%2.9%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%16.2%26.7%5.7%14.3%23.8%27.6%27.6%24.8%

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 Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School attended 94.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

20142015201620172018201920212022202320242025
Authorised absence 2.0%1.9%3.0%3.0%3.1%2.3%1.4%3.4%4.2%4.5%3.9%
Unauthorised absence 1.0%0.3%0.4%0.6%0.9%0.7%0.6%0.9%1.3%1.0%1.3%
Severely absent pupils 0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%1.5%

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, 1.3% of pupils at Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

2010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Suspensions per 100 pupils 0.00.00.00.02.70.01.40.02.72.01.00.00.00.01.31.3
Permanent exclusions 0000000000000000

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 Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School had 14.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

201120122013201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Pupils per adult 9.610.410.89.911.87.69.510.310.49.110.810.58.08.37.7
Teachers who left state teaching 0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%20.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%15.4%0.0%–
Teachers who took any sick leave ––––40.0%––50.0%–57.1%83.3%66.7%25.0%42.9%–
Sick days per teacher ––––0.4––1.3–19.43.36.90.41.0–

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, 1.4% of pupils at Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 11.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

SEN support EHC plan
Speech, language and communication needs 0 4
Autistic spectrum disorder 0 2
Moderate learning difficulty 0 1
No specialist assessment of need 1 0
Severe learning difficulty 0 1

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 Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School received £11,418 and spent £10,981 for each of its 70 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £42,000 (£605 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

20192020202120222023202420252026
Revenue reserve £51,000£42,000£57,000£56,000£79,000£38,000£12,000£42,000
per pupil £524£441£644£670£985£510£149£605
In-year balance -£7,000-£9,000£15,000-£1,000£23,000-£41,000-£26,000£31,000
per pupil -£73-£94£168-£12£281-£541-£335£437

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

Name Distance
St Lawrence Church of England Primary School
Manor Lane, Wymington, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 9LL
1.52 miles
Wollaston Primary School
College Street, Wollaston, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, NN29 7SF
2.07 miles
South End Junior School
Wymington Road, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 9JU
2.19 miles
Whitefriars Primary School
Boughton Drive, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 9HX
2.32 miles
Irchester Community Primary School
School Lane, Irchester, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, NN29 7AZ
2.34 miles
South End Infant School
Wymington Road, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 9JU
2.35 miles
Rushden Primary Academy
Goulsbra Road, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 0YX
2.55 miles
Bozeat Community Primary School
Harrold Road, Bozeat, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, NN29 7LP
2.86 miles
Alfred Lord Tennyson School
Alfred Street, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 9YS
2.87 miles
Newton Road School
Newton Road, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 0HH
2.96 miles
Denfield Park Primary School
Victoria Road, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 0DA
3.2 miles
Harrold Primary Academy
The Green, Harrold, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK43 7DB
3.55 miles
Sharnbrook Primary
High Street, Sharnbrook, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK44 1PF
3.87 miles
Higham Ferrers Junior School
Saffron Road, Higham Ferrers, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 8ED
3.94 miles
Higham Ferrers Nursery and Infant School
Wharf Road, Higham Ferrers, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 8BQ
3.95 miles
Great Doddington Primary
Church Lane, Great Doddington, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, NN29 7TR
3.97 miles
Grendon Church of England Primary School
Main Road, Grendon, Grendon Ce Primary School, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN7 1JW
4.06 miles
Warwick Academy
Dulley Avenue, Wellingborough, NN8 2PS
4.19 miles
Stanton Cross Primary School
Waverley Drive, Stanton Cross, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, NN8 1GN
4.23 miles
Carlton CofE Primary School
The Moor, Carlton, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK43 7JR
4.25 miles
Name Distance
Wollaston School
Irchester Road, Wollaston, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, NN29 7PH
1.71 miles
Rushden Academy
Hayway, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 6AG
3.29 miles
Sharnbrook Academy
Odell Road, Sharnbrook, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK44 1JL
3.41 miles
The Ferrers School
Queensway, Higham Ferrers, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 8LF
3.89 miles
Wrenn School
London Road, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, NN8 2DQ
4.17 miles
Wellingborough School
London Road, Wellingborough, NN8 2BX
4.19 miles
Chelveston Road School
Chelveston Road, Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, NN10 8HN
4.34 miles
Friars Academy
Friars Close, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, NN8 2LA
4.39 miles
Sir Christopher Hatton Academy
The Pyghtle, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, NN8 4RP
4.98 miles

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

What is Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2024.

When was Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School have?

Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School has 70 pupils on roll.

What age range does Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School cover?

Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 46% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School?

Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School is at Hinwick Road, Podington, NN29 7HU.

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