Priory Academy

Priory Academy remains a good school, noted for its positive environment where pupils thrive and form strong relationships with both peers and staff. The school's values are effectively communicated, contributing to a culture of care and kindness. With a well-organized and ambitious curriculum supported by regular opportunities for knowledge review, pupils show determination in their learning. However, a few areas still require attention, including the support offered to pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and certain pupils struggling with behavioral regulation, which has led to an increase in suspensions.

Strengths

• Pupils thrive in a positive and supportive environment.
• Strong relationships exist between pupils and staff.
• Leaders effectively prioritize reading and provide support for struggling readers.
• The curriculum is ambitious and well-structured, allowing knowledge to build over time.
• Teachers offer regular feedback and support to help pupils improve.
• Pupils have opportunities to engage in personal development and explore potential career paths.

Areas for Improvement

• Support for pupils with SEND lacks precision, affecting their learning outcomes.
• Some pupils with challenging behavior are not adequately supported, leading to increased suspensions.

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 Priory Academy attended 92.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 17.7% 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, 3.7% of pupils at Priory Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 Priory Academy had 19.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 23.0% 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, 12.4% of pupils at Priory Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 6.0% 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 Priory Academy received £7,947 and spent £7,014 for each of its 808 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £909,000 (£1,125 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of Scholars' Education Trust, income was £7,571 and spending £7,610 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

Priory Academy is part of Scholars' Education Trust, which runs 13 schools. The nearest others:

• Watling Lower School Dunstable
• Dunstable Icknield Lower School Dunstable
• Harpenden Academy Harpenden
• Sir John Lawes School Harpenden
• Oakleaf Primary Hemel Hempstead
• The Hemel Hempstead School Hemel Hempstead
• Longdean School Hemel Hempstead
• The Highfield School Letchworth Garden City
• Samuel Ryder Academy St Albans
• Buntingford First School Buntingford

What is Priory Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Priory Academy is Good, from an inspection in June 2023.

When was Priory Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Priory Academy was last inspected in June 2023.

How many pupils does Priory Academy have?

Priory Academy has 830 pupils on roll.

What age range does Priory Academy cover?

Priory Academy for pupils aged 9 to 16.

What are Priory Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 42.0, and 45% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

What are Priory Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Priory Academy?

Priory Academy is at Priory Academy, Britain Street, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU5 4JA.