Cedars Upper School

Cedars Upper School is performing well overall, achieving a good rating in all areas of its education provision, with outstanding performance in its sixth form. The school stands out for its high expectations of pupils and the extensive personal development opportunities provided, notably for disadvantaged students. The sixth-formers, in particular, demonstrate exceptional progress and contribute positively to the school community through various initiatives, including significant charity work. However, while leadership is strong, there are concerns regarding the consistency of behavior management and how effectively teachers check pupils' understanding across the curriculum.

Strengths

• High expectations for pupil learning lead to good academic performance.
• Outstanding sixth-form provision with exceptional student progress.
• Strong community engagement and personal development opportunities.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND.
• Strong careers education and guidance assisting students in making informed choices.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent application of behavior expectations by staff.
• Teachers do not always check understanding effectively, impacting some pupils' confidence.
• Character development curriculum not as robustly delivered as intended.

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 Cedars Upper School attended 93.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 19.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 7.4% of pupils at Cedars Upper School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 Cedars Upper School had 23.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 5.0% of pupils at Cedars Upper School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Cedars Upper School received £6,958 and spent £7,179 for each of its 1,055 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £623,000 (£591 per pupil).

Across all 19 schools of Chiltern Learning Trust, income was £7,910 and spending £7,771 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 Leighton Buzzard · Central Bedfordshire local authority: places and applications

Cedars Upper School is part of Chiltern Learning Trust, which runs 21 schools. The nearest others:

• Linslade School Leighton Buzzard
• Gilbert Inglefield Academy Leighton Buzzard
• Lancot School Dunstable
• Lark Rise Academy Dunstable
• Ardley Hill Academy Dunstable
• Aspley Guise Village School Aspley Guise
• Challney High School for Girls Luton
• Challney High School for Boys Luton
• Lea Manor High School Luton
• Dallow Primary School Luton

What is Cedars Upper School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Cedars Upper School is Good, from an inspection in June 2023.

When was Cedars Upper School last inspected by Ofsted?

Cedars Upper School was last inspected in June 2023.

How many pupils does Cedars Upper School have?

Cedars Upper School has 1,135 pupils on roll.

What age range does Cedars Upper School cover?

Cedars Upper School for pupils aged 13 to 18.

Where is Cedars Upper School?

Cedars Upper School is at Mentmore Road, Linslade, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, LU7 2AE.