Bedford Academy
Mile Road, Bedford, MK42 9TR
1,480 pupils · 99% of 1,500 capacity
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11–18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Does not apply
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Trust
- HEART ACADEMIES TRUST
- Local authority
- Bedford
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Free school meals
- 40.3%
Ofsted
Good (2023) — Rated under the pre-September 2024 inspection system
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 21 March 2023, published 16 May 2023. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Attainment 8 score | 42.8 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 37.8% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 57.6% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 48.4% |
Progress 8 is not published nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26 while KS2 baselines are missing (no SATs in 2020/21). It returns from 2026/27.
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Roughly one first choice per place — 0.97 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 293 | 285 | 722 | 293 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 290 | 277 | 654 | 290 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 261 | 225 | 645 | 261 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 263 | 240 | 659 | 263 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 246 | 190 | 641 | 246 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 231 | 181 | 601 | 231 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 221 | 200 | 605 | 221 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 222 | 161 | 550 | 222 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- Bedford Free School 1.8 km · Outstanding (2020) · previous system
- Daubeney Academy 2.3 km · No overall grade (2025)
- Goldington Academy 2.9 km · Most areas: Strong standard (2026)
- Castle Newnham School 3 km · Good — confirmed 2024 · previous system
- Biddenham International School and Sports College 3.6 km · Standards maintained (2024)
- Wixams Academy 3.6 km · Most areas: Expected standard (2026)
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.