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Sharnbrook Primary

Primary Ages 3-11 216 pupils Bedford
Ofsted: Good
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Sharnbrook Primary is an academy converter in Bedford for pupils aged 3 to 11. It has 216 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for Sharnbrook Primary is Good, from an inspection in July 2024. In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Ofsted inspection: July 2024. KS2 results: 2025.

Type Primary / Academy converter
Age Range 3-11
Religion Unknown
Address High Street
Sharnbrook
Bedford
Bedfordshire
MK44 1PF
Phone 01234781328
Reference Number 139510

General Makeup

Number of pupils 216
Boy/Girl ratio Boys: 52.78%
Girls: 47.22%
Percentage of students eligible for free school meals 13.5%
Percentage of students where English is not their first language 5.6%

Class Sizes

Average size of one teacher classes 22.8
Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher 25
Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher 29.5

Year Groups

Year Boys Girls Total
1 10 17 27
2 15 9 24
3 17 13 30
4 14 14 28
5 13 17 30
6 19 11 30

Ethnicities

Ethnicity Percentage
White, British 77.8%
White, Other 5.6%
White & Asian 3.7%
Mixed, Other 3.2%
African 2.8%
White & Black (Caribbean) 1.9%
Pakistani 1.4%
Indian 0.9%
Irish 0.9%
Unclassified 0.5%
White & Black (African) 0.5%
Caribbean 0.5%

Sharnbrook Primary has made significant improvements since its last inspection, moving from requiring improvement to being rated as good overall, showcasing its strong educational practices. The school excels particularly in behavior and personal development, with pupils demonstrating exemplary conduct and a meaningful engagement with learning that prepares them well for future challenges. The curriculum has been redesigned effectively, allowing pupils to achieve high standards, particularly in Key Stage 1 assessments, while the provision for pupils with special educational needs is also notably strong. Parents express high satisfaction with the school's offerings and the positive culture it fosters.

Overall Ofsted Rating Good
 >  Quality of education Good
  >  Behaviour & Attitude Outstanding
  >  Personal Development Outstanding
  >  Leadership & Management Good
  >  Early Years Provision Good
Last Report Date 12 Jun 2024
Date Report
12 Jun 2024 School inspection:
23 Mar 2022 School inspection:
04 Apr 2013 Academy conversion letter
07 Jan 2011 Interim assessment
Previously as Sharnbrook John Gibbard Lower School
09 Jan 2008 Full inspection:
17 Jan 2005 Full inspection

Strengths

  • Exceptional quality of behavior and attitudes among pupils
  • Well-organized and effectively implemented curriculum
  • Strong provision for pupils with special educational needs
  • High levels of parental satisfaction
  • Outstanding enrichment program that complements academic learning
  • Effective development of early reading skills from a young age
  • Pupils demonstrate resilience and confidence in their learning

Areas for Improvement

  • Occasional missed opportunities for pupils to engage with more complex ideas

How many students meet the standards

Reading, Writing & Maths School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Pupils meeting the expected standard 70%
Pupils meeting a higher standard 10%

Average Scaled Score

Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.

Subject School Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Reading 110
Maths 106

Progress Scores

A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.

Metric School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Reading 1.2
Writing -0.4
Maths 0

How many students meet the standards

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Average Scaled Score

Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.

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Progress Scores

A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.

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Reception admissions, 2026 entry

Number of Applications Number of Offers
First Preference
Second Preference 6 0
Third Preference 3 0
From another Local Authority 4 4

Previous years

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Places and pupil numbers

In 2024–25 Sharnbrook Primary had 198 pupils for 210 places. 12 places (5.7%) were unfilled.

Pupils and places

Reception intake in the “North Bedford Primary” planning area

Bedford counted 346 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 318 in 2029–30, down 8%.

201320142015201620172018201920212022202320242025
Places 140150150150150220220220220202202210
Pupils 144147145149144172201206204203206198
Unfilled 0.0%2.0%3.3%0.7%4.0%21.8%8.6%6.4%7.3%0.0%0.0%5.7%

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 Sharnbrook Primary attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.3% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

20142015201620172018201920212022202320242025
Authorised absence 2.8%2.4%3.0%2.9%2.6%2.4%1.9%3.7%3.2%3.5%4.1%
Unauthorised absence 0.1%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.2%0.5%0.2%0.5%0.6%0.5%
Severely absent pupils 0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.6%0.0%

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, 0.4% of pupils at Sharnbrook Primary were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Suspensions per 100 pupils 0.00.50.00.00.00.00.00.00.90.00.00.4
Permanent exclusions 000000000000

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 Sharnbrook Primary had 20.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

2014201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Pupils per adult 11.011.010.49.210.511.111.010.412.312.013.011.911.6
Teachers who left state teaching 0.0%0.0%15.6%5.4%0.0%0.0%10.4%15.5%9.8%2.0%0.0%0.0%–
Teachers who took any sick leave 50.0%25.0%0.0%22.2%33.3%40.0%–33.3%66.7%58.3%54.5%18.2%–
Sick days per teacher 0.80.80.00.40.41.0–2.23.81.21.80.5–

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, 13.0% of pupils at Sharnbrook Primary were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

SEN support EHC plan
Social, emotional and mental health 10 1
Autistic spectrum disorder 6 2
Specific learning difficulty 7 1
No specialist assessment of need 3 0
Speech, language and communication needs 2 1

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 Sharnbrook Primary received £6,288 and spent £6,353 for each of its 216 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £423,000 (£1,963 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

2019202020212022202320242025
Revenue reserve £189,000£251,000£278,000£328,000£433,000£439,000£423,000
per pupil £804£1,091£1,217£1,402£1,899£1,986£1,963
In-year balance £101,000£83,000-£49,000£21,000£130,000£23,000-£14,000
per pupil £430£361-£214£90£570£104-£65

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.

Name Distance
Pinchmill Primary School
The Old Road, Felmersham, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK43 7JD
1.07 miles
Milton Ernest CofE Primary School
Thurleigh Road, Milton Ernest, High Street, Upper Dean, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK44 1RF
2.61 miles
Harrold Primary Academy
The Green, Harrold, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK43 7DB
3.43 miles
Thurleigh Primary School
High Street, Thurleigh, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK44 2DB
3.48 miles
Carlton CofE Primary School
The Moor, Carlton, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK43 7JR
3.56 miles
Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School
Hinwick Road, Podington, NN29 7HU
3.87 miles
Riseley CofE Primary School
High Street, Riseley, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK44 1DR
3.9 miles
St Lawrence Church of England Primary School
Manor Lane, Wymington, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 9LL
3.96 miles
Oakley Primary Academy
Station Road, Oakley, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK43 7RE
3.96 miles
Rushden Primary Academy
Goulsbra Road, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 0YX
4.17 miles
South End Junior School
Wymington Road, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 9JU
4.46 miles
South End Infant School
Wymington Road, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 9JU
4.56 miles
Newton Road School
Newton Road, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 0HH
4.85 miles
Whitefriars Primary School
Boughton Drive, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 9HX
4.92 miles
Ursula Taylor Church of England School
High Street, Clapham, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK41 6EG
4.99 miles
Name Distance
Sharnbrook Academy
Odell Road, Sharnbrook, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK44 1JL
0.67 miles
Lincroft Academy
Station Road, Oakley, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK43 7RE
4.02 miles

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

What is Sharnbrook Primary's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sharnbrook Primary is Good, from an inspection in July 2024.

When was Sharnbrook Primary last inspected by Ofsted?

Sharnbrook Primary was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does Sharnbrook Primary have?

Sharnbrook Primary has 216 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sharnbrook Primary cover?

Sharnbrook Primary for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Sharnbrook Primary's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Sharnbrook Primary?

Sharnbrook Primary is at High Street, Sharnbrook, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK44 1PF.

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