Sundon Lower School

Sundon Lower School continues to demonstrate good performance overall. The school has undergone changes recently, including joining the Pyramid Schools Trust, but maintains a commitment to improving outcomes for its pupils. There is a clear set of values promoting a positive school culture where pupils feel safe, respected, and are encouraged to work harmoniously together. While most students achieve well academically, there are areas in which some staff need to enhance their subject knowledge to further improve teaching effectiveness and ensure all pupils achieve as well as possible.

Strengths

• Pupils are confident that staff will keep them safe.
• The school promotes strong values such as friendship and respect.
• Curriculum plans have been refined to meet the needs of pupils.
• Teachers set high expectations for pupils' behavior, which they respond to positively.
• Pupils enjoy a variety of extracurricular activities, enhancing their school experience.
• Effective early reading skills instruction helps pupils become enthusiastic readers.
• Pupils with SEND receive appropriate support to make sound progress.

Areas for Improvement

• Some staff do not consistently check pupils' understanding to adjust their teaching.
• Occasionally, staff do not demonstrate the strong subject knowledge needed for effective curriculum delivery.

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 Sundon Lower School attended 92.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.2% 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, 2.8% of pupils at Sundon Lower School 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 Sundon Lower School had 14.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 33.3% 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, 3.2% of pupils at Sundon Lower School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.8% 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 Sundon Lower School received £9,278 and spent £8,442 for each of its 69 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £155,000 (£2,261 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of The Pyramid Schools Trust, income was £6,877 and spending £6,932 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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All schools in Luton · Luton local authority: places and applications

Sundon Lower School is part of The Pyramid Schools Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Harlington Upper School Dunstable
• Harlington Lower School Dunstable
• Parkfields Middle School Dunstable
• Arnold Academy Bedford
• Westoning Lower School Bedford
• Ramsey Manor Lower School Bedford
• Beecroft Academy Dunstable
• Redborne Upper School and Community College Bedford
• Brooklands Middle School Leighton Buzzard

What is Sundon Lower School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sundon Lower School is Good, from an inspection in September 2024.

When was Sundon Lower School last inspected by Ofsted?

Sundon Lower School was last inspected in September 2024.

How many pupils does Sundon Lower School have?

Sundon Lower School has 63 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sundon Lower School cover?

Sundon Lower School for pupils aged 3 to 9.

Where is Sundon Lower School?

Sundon Lower School is at Streatley Road, Upper Sundon, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU3 3PQ.