Eaton Bray Academy

Eaton Bray Academy is performing effectively, having maintained the good standards identified in its previous inspection. The school fosters a supportive and family-like environment for its pupils, encouraging both personal and academic growth. It has implemented a new, ambitious curriculum that is positively impacting pupils' achievements, especially among younger students. However, some gaps, particularly among key stage 2 pupils who experienced an earlier curriculum, are being addressed through targeted support programs. Overall, pupils enjoy attending school and demonstrate positive attitudes toward learning.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy school and describe it as 'an extension of their family'.
• The school adapts teaching to meet individual pupil needs effectively.
• Strong early years provision sets a solid foundation for future learning.
• The revised curriculum is coherently designed and ambitious.
• Students with SEND receive timely support and access the curriculum successfully.
• Pupils develop good leadership skills through roles and responsibilities.
• Attendance is well-managed, improving for most pupils over time.

Areas for Improvement

• Some gaps in knowledge remain for key stage 2 pupils due to the previous curriculum.
• The new curriculum is not yet fully implemented in all subjects.

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 Eaton Bray Academy attended 90.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 31.1% 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, 2.1% of pupils at Eaton Bray Academy 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 Eaton Bray Academy had 19.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.8% 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, 6.9% of pupils at Eaton Bray Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.7% 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 2024–25 Eaton Bray Academy received £7,639 and spent £6,981 for each of its 186 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £48,000 (£259 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

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• Secondary Schools

All schools in Dunstable · Central Bedfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Eaton Bray Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Eaton Bray Academy is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Eaton Bray Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Eaton Bray Academy was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Eaton Bray Academy have?

Eaton Bray Academy has 188 pupils on roll.

What age range does Eaton Bray Academy cover?

Eaton Bray Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Eaton Bray Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 44% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Eaton Bray Academy?

Eaton Bray Academy is at School Lane, Eaton Bray, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 2DT.