St Christophers Academy

St Christophers Academy is a good school overall, with all key judgements judged good and safeguarding effective. Inspectors found an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum from early years to Year 6, strong reading and phonics, prompt SEND identification, and a strong personal development offer. Pupils are friendly and polite, learn well in core subjects, and benefit from leadership opportunities, trips and a diverse community. Early years provision is skilful, with staff using high-quality interactions to develop vocabulary and curiosity. The main areas for improvement are consistency and adaptation. Some resources and tasks are not well matched to pupils' needs, including those with SEND or pupils ready for deeper work, which can hinder access and progress. Assessment is stronger in English and mathematics than in foundation subjects, so leaders do not always have a clear enough view of curriculum impact. The revised behaviour approach is not applied consistently or fully understood by pupils, and some pupils' learning is occasionally disrupted. The report notes significant staffing, governance and leadership changes since the last inspection, trust support through a challenging period, and some negative parental views. This was the first routine inspection since the pandemic.

Strengths

• Core values of ambition, community, respect and responsibility are threaded through school life.
• Pupils are friendly, polite, welcoming and typically behave sensibly and focus on learning.
• Leaders have created a culture of high academic and wider-development aspiration.
• The curriculum is ambitious, well structured and sequenced from early years to Year 6.
• Lessons recap prior learning and teachers explain clearly and give pupils practice opportunities.
• Early years staff design skilful activities and use high-quality interactions to build vocabulary and curiosity.
• Reading is a priority, with a book-based curriculum and effective daily phonics and catch-up support.
• SEND identification has been strengthened and support plans are put in place promptly.
• Pupils with SEND generally access the same curriculum and achieve well.
• Personal development is strong, including safety, healthy relationships, British values and diversity.
• Leadership opportunities, extra-curricular clubs, trips and community activities enrich pupils' development.
• Trustees and governors support and challenge leaders, and the trust provides development and wellbeing support.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Some resources and tasks are not adapted well enough for pupils' needs, including pupils with SEND and those ready for deeper learning.
• Assessment is less developed in foundation subjects than in English and mathematics.
• Leaders' overview of how well the curriculum is working is not as strong as it could be.
• The revised behaviour approach is not consistently applied by staff or fully understood by pupils.
• Some pupils' learning is occasionally disrupted by the poor behaviour of peers.

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 St Christophers Academy attended 94.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.9% 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, 1.0% of pupils at St Christophers 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 St Christophers Academy had 34.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 27.3% 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, 9.5% of pupils at St Christophers Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.9% 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 St Christophers Academy received £6,268 and spent £5,836 for each of its 379 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £102,000 (£269 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of Bedfordshire Schools Trust Limited, income was £7,313 and spending £7,140 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 Dunstable · Central Bedfordshire local authority: places and applications

St Christophers Academy is part of Bedfordshire Schools Trust Limited, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

• Gravenhurst Academy Bedford
• Campton Academy Shefford
• Robert Bloomfield Academy Shefford
• Samuel Whitbread Academy Shefford
• Gothic Mede Academy Arlesey
• Etonbury Academy Arlesey
• Pix Brook Academy Stotfold
• Langford Village Academy Biggleswade
• Lawnside Academy Biggleswade
• Castle Newnham School Bedford

What is St Christophers Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Christophers Academy is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was St Christophers Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

St Christophers Academy was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does St Christophers Academy have?

St Christophers Academy has 388 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Christophers Academy cover?

St Christophers Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are St Christophers Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 33% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Christophers Academy?

St Christophers Academy is at Gorham Way, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU5 4NJ.