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Dunstable Icknield Lower School

Primary Ages 3-9 295 pupils Dunstable
Ofsted: Requires Improvement
All schools in Dunstable

Dunstable Icknield Lower School is an academy converter in Dunstable for pupils aged 3 to 9. It has 295 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for Dunstable Icknield Lower School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in November 2023 of its predecessor, Dunstable Icknield Lower School. Many teachers don't stay: 47% of its teachers had left the school a year later (in 2024/25), against 16% nationally.

Ofsted inspection: November 2024.

Type Primary / Academy converter
Age Range 3-9
Religion Does not apply
Address Burr Street
Dunstable
Bedfordshire
LU6 3AG
Reference Number 151210

General Makeup

Number of pupils 295
Boy/Girl ratio Boys: 48.81%
Girls: 51.19%
Percentage of students eligible for free school meals 16.7%
Percentage of students where English is not their first language 52.2%

Class Sizes

Average size of one teacher classes 26.5
Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher 26.3
Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher 27

Year Groups

Year Boys Girls Total
1 22 30 52
2 20 30 50
3 20 31 51
4 30 27 57

Ethnicities

Ethnicity Percentage
White, British 35.6%
White, Other 20.7%
Indian 9.2%
African 7.1%
Asian, Other 4.7%
White & Black (Caribbean) 4.4%
Pakistani 3.4%
Mixed, Other 3.1%
White & Asian 2.4%
White & Black (African) 2%
Unclassified 1%
Caribbean 0.7%

This school has not been graded since it changed URN, usually on converting to an academy. The rating shown is from its predecessor, Dunstable Icknield Lower School, inspected in November 2023.

Overall Ofsted Rating Requires Improvement
Last Report Date This school has not had an inspection yet.
Date Report
07 Nov 2024 Academy conversion letter

Reception admissions, 2026 entry

Number of Applications Number of Offers
First Preference
Second Preference 32 3
Third Preference 22 0
From another Local Authority 1 0

Previous years

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Places and pupil numbers

In 2024–25 Dunstable Icknield Lower School had 271 pupils for 300 places. 29 places (9.7%) were unfilled.

Reception intake in the “Dunstable and Houghton Regis Primary” planning area

Central Bedfordshire counted 968 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 817 in 2029–30, down 16%.

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 Dunstable Icknield Lower School attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.2% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

2025
Authorised absence 3.9%
Unauthorised absence 2.0%
Severely absent pupils 1.6%

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, 3.8% of pupils at Dunstable Icknield Lower School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

2025
Suspensions per 100 pupils 12.5
Permanent exclusions 0

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 Dunstable Icknield Lower School had 19.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 46.7% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

20252026
Pupils per adult 6.810.5
Teachers who left state teaching 2.7%–
Teachers who took any sick leave 76.5%–
Sick days per teacher 8.3–

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, 21.0% of pupils at Dunstable Icknield Lower School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

SEN support EHC plan
Speech, language and communication needs 18 7
Social, emotional and mental health 12 2
Moderate learning difficulty 12 1
Autistic spectrum disorder 7 5
No specialist assessment of need 9 0
Specific learning difficulty 3 0
Down's syndrome 0 1
Physical disability 1 0

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.

Name Distance
Ashton St Peter's VA C of E School
Leighton Court, Ashton St. Peters Primary School, Leighton Court, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 1EW
0.21 miles
Watling Lower School
Bull Pond Lane, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 3BJ
0.4 miles
Lark Rise Academy
Cartmel Drive, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 3PT
0.61 miles
Beecroft Academy
Westfield Road, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 1DW
0.63 miles
Westfield Nursery School
Westfield Road, Dunstable, LU6 1DL
0.64 miles
Ardley Hill Academy
Lowther Road, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 3NZ
0.66 miles
Lancot School
Lancot Drive, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 2AP
0.7 miles
St. Augustine's Academy
Oakwood Avenue, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU5 4AS
0.99 miles
Hadrian Academy
Hadrian Avenue, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU5 4SR
1.13 miles
Willow Nursery School
Goldstone Crescent, Dunstable, LU5 4QU
1.13 miles
The Vale Academy
Wilbury Drive, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU5 4QP
1.23 miles
Houghton Regis Primary School
St Michael's Avenue, Houghton Regis, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU5 5DH
1.35 miles
St Mary's Catholic Primary School
Dunstable Road, Caddington, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 4BB
1.41 miles
Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy
Angels Lane, Houghton Regis, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU5 5HH
1.51 miles
St Christophers Academy
Gorham Way, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU5 4NJ
1.53 miles
Totternhoe Church of England Academy
Church Road, Totternhoe, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 1RE
1.68 miles
St Vincent's Catholic Primary School
Hammersmith Gardens, Houghton Regis, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU5 5RG
1.73 miles
Chantry Primary Academy
Tomlinson Avenue, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU4 0QP
1.81 miles
Tithe Farm Primary School
Tithe Farm Road, Houghton Regis, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU5 5JB
1.85 miles
Southfield Primary Academy
Pastures Way, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU4 0PE
2 miles
Name Distance
Queensbury Academy
Langdale Road, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 3BU
0.42 miles
Priory Academy
Priory Academy, Britain Street, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU5 4JA
0.44 miles
Weatherfield Academy
Brewers Hill Road, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 1AF
0.78 miles
All Saints Academy Dunstable
Houghton Road, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU5 5AB
0.85 miles
Stannard School
Ridgeway Avenue, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU5 4QL
1 miles
Manshead Church of England Academy
Dunstable Road, Caddington, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 4BB
1.41 miles
The Chalk Hills Academy
Leagrave High St, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU4 0NE
1.78 miles
Houstone School
Parkside Drive, Houghton Regis, Dunstable, LU5 5PX
2.32 miles
The Chiltern School
Parkside Drive, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU5 5PX
2.36 miles
Challney High School for Boys
Stoneygate Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU4 9TJ
2.59 miles
Al Hikmah Boys School
145 High Street, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU4 9LE
2.64 miles
King's House Moorlands
King's House, High Street Leagrave, Luton, LU4 9JY
2.65 miles
Challney High School for Girls
Addington Way, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU4 9FJ
2.65 miles
Lealands High School
Sundon Park Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU3 3AL
3.38 miles
Jamiatul Uloom Al - Islamia
364 - 370 Leagrave Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU3 1RF
3.79 miles
Woodlands Secondary School
Northwell Drive, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU3 3SP
3.95 miles
Active Support Education Centre
Unit 1 Britannia Estates, Leagrave Road, Luton, Beds, LU3 1RJ
3.96 miles
The Stockwood Park Academy
Rotheram Avenue, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 5PP
3.96 miles
Lea Manor High School
Northwell Drive, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU3 3TL
4.03 miles
Bury Park Educational Institute (Al - Hikmah Secondary School)
82 - 86 Dunstable Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 1EH
4.22 miles

All schools in Dunstable · Central Bedfordshire local authority: places and applications

Dunstable Icknield Lower School is part of Scholars' Education Trust, which runs 13 schools. The nearest others:

What is Dunstable Icknield Lower School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Dunstable Icknield Lower School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in November 2023 of its predecessor, Dunstable Icknield Lower School.

When was Dunstable Icknield Lower School last inspected by Ofsted?

Dunstable Icknield Lower School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Dunstable Icknield Lower School have?

Dunstable Icknield Lower School has 295 pupils on roll.

What age range does Dunstable Icknield Lower School cover?

Dunstable Icknield Lower School for pupils aged 3 to 9.

Where is Dunstable Icknield Lower School?

Dunstable Icknield Lower School is at Burr Street, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 3AG.

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