Oakley Primary Academy

Oakley Primary Academy is a supportive, high-expectation school where pupils feel safe and valued. Inspectors found a broad, well-structured curriculum backed by strong trust training, and reading is a particular strength: children build fluency quickly from Reception and older pupils read challenging texts with confidence. Behaviour and attendance are exceptional, and pupils benefit from a wide range of personal development opportunities, including clubs, trips and community events. Leadership, early years and personal development are also strong, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The main area for improvement is how precisely the school adapts learning for individual pupils, including some with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). On occasion, work is not adjusted well enough for pupils to access the full curriculum or to extend and deepen their knowledge, so some produce work below the quality they are capable of. Leaders should ensure adaptations are consistently precise and effective. The school is an academy converter within Meridian Multi Academy Trust and has a relatively new headteacher. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and, under the current framework, no overall effectiveness grade was given.

Strengths

• Highly supportive environment where pupils feel safe, valued and well cared for
• Clear values of being ready, responsible and respectful, with exemplary pupil behaviour
• High expectations and a broad, well-structured curriculum that builds rich knowledge
• Strong trust training and regional collaboration that develop teachers’ subject knowledge
• Effective phonics and reading provision; children build fluency quickly from Reception
• Strong early years focus on communication and language, including for children with SEND
• Excellent attendance and positive attitudes to learning
• Wide range of clubs, trips and community experiences that broaden pupils’ horizons
• Well-supported pupils’ mental health and strong personal development opportunities
• Effective governance and trust support, with positive parent and staff engagement

Areas for Improvement

• Learning is not always adapted precisely enough for individual pupils, including some with SEND
• Some pupils do not consistently access the full curriculum or extend and deepen their knowledge
• Some pupils’ work is not always of the high quality they are capable of

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 Oakley Primary Academy attended 96.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.1% 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, 1.8% of pupils at Oakley Primary 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 Oakley Primary Academy had 18.4 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

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, 10.5% of pupils at Oakley Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.9% 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 Oakley Primary Academy received £6,867 and spent £7,157 for each of its 224 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £230,000 (£1,026 per pupil).

Across all 36 schools of Meridian Trust, income was £7,921 and spending £7,857 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 Bedford · Bedford local authority: places and applications

Oakley Primary Academy is part of Meridian Trust, which runs 36 schools. The nearest others:

• Lincroft Academy Bedford
• Great Ouse Primary Academy Bedford
• Sharnbrook Academy Bedford
• Harrold Primary Academy Bedford
• The Ferrers School Rushden
• Crosshall Infant School St Neots
• Crosshall Junior School St Neots
• Stratton School Biggleswade
• Sawtry Junior Academy Huntingdon
• Sawtry Village Academy Huntingdon

What is Oakley Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Oakley Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Oakley Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Oakley Primary Academy was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Oakley Primary Academy have?

Oakley Primary Academy has 210 pupils on roll.

What age range does Oakley Primary Academy cover?

Oakley Primary Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Oakley Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Oakley Primary Academy?

Oakley Primary Academy is at Station Road, Oakley, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK43 7RE.