The Linden Academy

The Linden Academy has made significant strides in improving its educational offerings since its previous inspection, evolving from a 'Requires Improvement' rating to 'Good'. The school fosters a supportive environment where pupils feel safe, happy, and motivated to learn. With effective leadership from the principal and support from The Shared Learning Trust, there is a notable emphasis on high expectations and an ambitious curriculum that is well sequenced. However, some challenges remain in ensuring that all teachers consistently check and enhance pupil understanding effectively, particularly in certain subjects.

Strengths

• Strong leadership with effective support from The Shared Learning Trust.
• Positive relationships foster a caring and respectful environment.
• Pupils enjoy a wide range of extracurricular opportunities.
• Effective early reading instruction leads to rapid skill development.
• Support for pupils with SEND is well-adapted and enables positive progress.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subject leaders do not consistently identify the support needs of teachers and pupils.
• There are instances where teachers fail to check pupil understanding closely enough.

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 The Linden Academy attended 94.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 23.1% 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, 3.1% of pupils at The Linden 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 The Linden Academy had 16.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.2% 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, 9.4% of pupils at The Linden Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.9% 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 The Linden Academy received £7,156 and spent £6,960 for each of its 445 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £427,000 (£958 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of Advantage Schools, income was £7,950 and spending £7,863 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.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

The Linden Academy is part of Advantage Schools, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• The Stockwood Park Academy Luton
• The Chalk Hills Academy Luton
• The Vale Academy Dunstable
• Houstone School Dunstable
• The Rushmere Park Academy Leighton Buzzard
• Elstow School Bedford
• Bedford Free School Bedford
• Laburnum Primary School Sandy
• Queen's Park Academy Bedford

What is The Linden Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Linden Academy is Good, from an inspection in July 2024.

When was The Linden Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Linden Academy was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does The Linden Academy have?

The Linden Academy has 427 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Linden Academy cover?

The Linden Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are The Linden Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 64% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Linden Academy?

The Linden Academy is at Osborne Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 3HJ.