Edith Cavell Primary School
Manton Lane, Bedford, MK41 7NH
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Foundation school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- The Leap Community Trust
- Headteacher
- Miss Heather Cooke
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Bedford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 315
- Pupils on roll
- 292
- URN
- 109433
- Local authority
- Bedford
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01234345636
About this school
Edith Cavell Primary School is a foundation primary school in Bedford. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 292 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 10 July 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 38 | 37 | 33 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 53% | 57% | 58% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 3% | 5% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 71% | 73% | 70% |
| Expected standard in maths | 74% | 70% | 70% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 79% | 73% | 70% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 104.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.60 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Edith Cavell Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Bedford average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 53% | 50.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 57% | 53.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 58% | 52.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 270 |
| 2023/24 | 295 |
| 2024/25 | 287 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Edith Cavell Primary School compares
Edith Cavell Primary School ranked 26th of 51 primary schools in Bedford for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 54% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 58% | 5.2% | 30.8% | 292 | — |
| Livingstone Primary School | 49% | 5.1% | 35.5% | 457 | 0.3 miles |
| Great Ouse Primary Academy | 67% | 5.1% | 22.2% | 455 | 0.6 miles |
| Priory Primary School | 50% | 6.1% | 25.1% | 214 | 0.7 miles |
| Scott Primary School & Nursery | 59% | 4.3% | 16.7% | 469 | 0.8 miles |
| St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School | 44% | 5.6% | 31.4% | 271 | 0.9 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 30.8%
- English as an additional language
- 28.6%
- Overall absence
- 5.2%
- Persistent absence
- 17.16%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Livingstone Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Great Ouse Primary Academy0.6 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Priory Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Scott Primary School & Nursery0.8 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School0.9 miles
Primary · Bedford
Other schools in Bedford
Edith Cavell Primary School ranks 25th of the 53 ranked primary schools in Bedford.
- Balliol Primary School Primary
- Bedford Road Primary Academy Primary
- Brickhill Primary School Primary
- Broadmead Lower School Primary
- Bromham CofE Primary School Primary
- Camestone School Primary
- Carlton CofE Primary School Primary
- Castle Newnham School Primary
- Cauldwell School Primary
- Cotton End Forest School Primary
- Cranfield Church of England Academy Primary
- Elstow School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Edith Cavell Primary School teach?
- Edith Cavell Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Bedford.
- Who is the headteacher of Edith Cavell Primary School?
- The headteacher of Edith Cavell Primary School is Miss Heather Cooke, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Edith Cavell Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Edith Cavell Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Edith Cavell Primary School?
- Edith Cavell Primary School has 292 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Edith Cavell Primary School full?
- Edith Cavell Primary School has capacity for 315 pupils and 292 on roll (93%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Edith Cavell Primary School a faith school?
- No. Edith Cavell Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Edith Cavell Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Edith Cavell Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Edith Cavell Primary School?
- Edith Cavell Primary School is part of The Leap Community Trust. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Edith Cavell Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 53% in 2022/23 and 58% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Edith Cavell Primary School rank locally?
- Edith Cavell Primary School ranked 26th of 51 primary schools in Bedford for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 54% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Edith Cavell Primary School's absence rate?
- Edith Cavell Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Edith Cavell Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Edith Cavell Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.