The Ferrars Academy

The Ferrars Academy remains a good school, demonstrating strong relationships between pupils and teachers, alongside effective curriculum implementation. Pupils exhibit pride and enthusiasm in their school environment, engage responsibly, and feel secure, contributing to a positive learning atmosphere. The school emphasizes collaborative learning and citizenship, which is reflected in their local community involvement. However, there are areas for improvement in curriculum delivery, particularly as some staff are still developing the expertise needed for effective teaching, leading to inconsistency in pupil knowledge acquisition.

Strengths

• Pupils are proud and exhibit a strong sense of responsibility.
• The school has effective curriculum plans that support learners.
• Pupils have a positive attitude towards learning and reading.
• Strong support systems for pupils with special educational needs.
• Positive relationships among pupils and between pupils and staff.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers are still developing the expertise needed to teach the curriculum effectively.
• Inconsistency in pupil knowledge acquisition due to deviation from planned learning.

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 The Ferrars Academy attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.8% 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, 0.0% of pupils at The Ferrars 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 The Ferrars Academy had 23.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.9% 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, 18.7% of pupils at The Ferrars Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.5% 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 The Ferrars Academy received £7,347 and spent £7,111 for each of its 288 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £315,000 (£1,094 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of Pioneer Learning Trust, income was £6,136 and spending £6,050 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 Luton · Luton local authority: places and applications

The Ferrars Academy is part of Pioneer Learning Trust, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• Ferrars Junior School Luton
• Southfield Primary Academy Luton
• Chantry Primary Academy Luton
• Whitefield Primary Academy Luton
• Warden Hill Infant Academy Luton
• Lakeview School Bedford

What is The Ferrars Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Ferrars Academy is Good, from an inspection in February 2023.

When was The Ferrars Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Ferrars Academy was last inspected in February 2023.

How many pupils does The Ferrars Academy have?

The Ferrars Academy has 310 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Ferrars Academy cover?

The Ferrars Academy for pupils aged 3 to 7.

Where is The Ferrars Academy?

The Ferrars Academy is at Macaulay Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU4 0LL.